| Term that denotes the entire body of ongoing learning processes, formal or otherwise, whereby adults develop their abilities, enrich their knowledge, and improve their technical or professional qualifications or turn them in a new direction to meet their own needs and those of their society. Adult learning encompasses both formal and continuing education, non-formal learning and the spectrum of informal and incidental learning available in a multicultural learning society, where theory- and practice-based approaches are recognized.[1] One of the most important characteristics of the way adults learn is that they have already accumulated knowledge and experiences that they can add or hinder to the learning process. All the accumulated knowledge will represent a personal bank, against which future learning events will be compared and to which new concepts will be related. Adults learn from experiences: they observe, reflect, and integrate what they’ve learned in future experiences. Adults are at the origin of their own learning and to become committed to learning they must have a reasonable expectation that the knowledge gained will help them further their goals. They will need to see that the professional development learning is relevant and related to their day-to-day activities. [2] See also: Adult Education, Adult Learning Principles, Andragogy, Accelerated Learning. |
ADULT LEARNING
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