Adult Learning Theory

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running head: Adult Learning Theory Adult Learning Theory Dana Cortor March 20, 2013 INFT 101 C-03 2 Summary The two articles “Adult Learning Theory for the Twenty-First Century” by Sharan B. Merriam (2008), and “Adult learning theory: applications to non-traditional college students” by Cari Kenner and Jason Weinerman (2011) both discuss different methods on Adult Learning. They both bring very relevant and different views to why and how adults can learn. Adults can learn from life experiences and environments, they can also have obstacles such as the difficulties that come with a gap in time between education. In the first article by Sharan B. Merriam, she describes some of the many ways that an adult can learn, one of those being lifetime experience. Although she says, “adult learning today will most likely be out of date by the time this volume is a year old,” (p94) she expressed that the research is very important to understanding how adults learn so that adult learners and instructors would benefit from the results (94). Researching the life experiences of adult learners with how they learn has been researched many times before (Merriam 2008). The spiritual and environmental background is an important component to how adults are able to learn. When adults are able to connect the subject to an experience, they are more successful and confident in their ability to learn. In the second article by Kenner and Weinerman (2011), they compare traditional students to adult learners. They parallel the difficulties of an adult learner with their environment and the time between their last formal schooling in their life. Kenner and Weinerman (2011) also factor in the many other attributes such as maturity, lifetime goals, and drive. They offer strategies to help and apply to other areas in their lives. They also discuss how educators can take

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