Something that intrigued me in Chapter 3 was when the authors mentioned, "[t]he appeal of andragogy is that educators who encounter it can readily relate the assumptions to their own learning and in so doing, transition to planning meaningful instruction for adults." (Merriam & Bierema, 2013, p. 56). It allowed me to make connections in previous coursework.

I now further understand the importance of knowing adult learners' characteristics. Connections to previous coursework are that adult learners bring experience, are motivated to learn, and prefer understanding why they need to know something before learning it.

Reference

Merriam, S. & Bierema, L. . Adult learning : Linking theory and practice. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. pp. 24-60

Renee Joly

Merriam and Bierema (2013) write about constructivism and this made me wonder what will come next. Constructivism seems like a natural evolution of the other theories building on what has been learned about humans and the ways we interact and learn. I wonder about what is next, and where these theories will go as we face climate catastrophes, the mass movement of people, and a growing dichotomy between rich and poor on a global and local scale. 

Something I would like to learn more about is…everything! If I had to narrow it down though I would say I’m increasingly interested in understanding how my power as the class leader impacts my student’s ability to learn and how I can make the learning situation more collaborative. 

Social Cognitive Learning reminded me of a concept in healthcare called the social determinants of health. Within this framework, health and addressing health challenges can’t be considered outside the context of a person’s social location. Are they homeless, do they have family support, can they afford a prescription, is there a place in their community to access testing, can they understand the directions, and so on? 

Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2013b). Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice. John Wiley & Sons.

Schmidt, J. (2018, June 5). When Everything Clicks: The Power Of Judgment-Free Learning. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2018/06/04/616127481/when-everything-clicks-the-power-of-judgment-free-learning

This example got me thinking about some of the preconceived ideas many learners bring to the table unintentionally. This could be because they truly don’t know much about the topic, or perhaps they hadn’t encountered a working homeless person before, and the thought never crossed their mind. I wonder if these learners would have made this connection in the same way if they were stuck in a classroom, not having the advantage of experiential learning in the community. 

It made me further reflect on a course I taught this year in a local massage therapy program where the students were in their second year of the three-year program, taking a course about prenatal massage and infant massage. The students learned all about the theory in the classroom, with a lab component before they were to begin treating the public in the following semester. Many students had preconceived notions around pregnancy and different risks associated with massaging a pregnant person. Many students were afraid to do harm, even though many risk factors have been debunked over the last several decades. The students were then immersed in prenatal massage treatments for 14 weeks, and by midterm they were extremely comfortable and had gained a confidence I don’t think would have been possible if we were limited to a classroom setting. They needed to see real patients and hear how well they were responding to the massage treatments to truly ‘buy in’ and understand the benefits of prenatal massage. Marienau & Reed further explain “Individuals can hold inaccurate perceptions of people who are homeless because their environment has isolated them from the social issue and the real people involved” (p. 63). This line of thinking can be applied to many different fields of study, both formal and informal. I encourage you to think on your own experiences and comment on how this might apply to you or experiences you have had. What intrigued you or surprised you this week? 

Reference: 

Marienau, C. & Reed, S. (2008). Educator as designer: Balancing multiple teaching perspectives in the design of community based learning for adults. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 118, 61-74.