My reading journal consisted of chapters and excerpts from several books (including the class textbook), some journal articles, and a book review on motivation. Most of the information is included in annotations and posts on this blog. The actual journal of what I read is attached as a PDF at the top of this post.
I found that my knowledge of adult education was increased as a result of reading this additional material. The book Making Sense of Adult Learning by MacKeracher added to the information presented in the class textbook, but had nothing to do with the class for which it was actually purchased (see post on College Textbooks). Several of her chapters added a new perspective to not only the class readings, but my personal situation as well. I found most interesting the chapter on “Emotions and Motives in Learning.” I found excellent information in here on stress and anxiety and the effects of these factors on not only education, but communication as well.
The book review on increasing intrinsic motivation gave new ideas for ways to increase students’ motivation in the classroom by making learning fun and interesting. Too often, it seems that adult education classes are not interesting when all of the focus is on making progress to meet the new state benchmarks. I’ll be telling our Regional Adult Education Director about this book, as it may help her teachers add a new twist to their classes, while actually making the students want to succeed even more.
The journal articles were chosen based on their interesting (to me, anyway) subject matter. Who would have thought that two years would make such a difference in how young ladies felt about themselves from the feminist perspective? This study brought forth some interesting food for thought in how we push girls into traditional roles while they are in high school, even though there are many successful role models of women who have taken on non-traditional roles.
The recognition and validation of experiential learning article also gave me something to think about. Recognizing and giving value to someone’s skills and knowledge earned while in the school of hard knocks is very relevant for adult learners. They bring much knowledge and skills with them to the classroom. However, there are downfalls even to that point of view. Even in education, we offer teaching certificates to people who have skills to offer, but we often don’t take into account their needs in other areas. How many career switchers have been lost in the system after a year or two because of the laissez faire way in which they are introduced to teaching? I know that Sarah Martin is always saying that few of the switchers she has worked with are ready for the classroom and the ones that are most successful bring prior knowledge of teenagers and, in some cases, training management situations with them.
The article on the need and funding for lifelong education is of definite value. Too often we expect to pick up a grant here to teach adults and then another there to help them further in my school division. As was shown in my activity for Learning Activity 6, the responsibility for the adult education program falls with the division and their contribution is often in-kind (a place for teachers and students to meet for the most part). All other funding comes from state and federal monies (grants–both flat and competitive) or from the work of the director to attract additonal funds through grants in other areas. Where is the local school division with additional monies to meet their obligations? In a regional program, it seems that someone would step up to the plate and provide additional funding, since the education of the parents and community members will lead to a better focus on education by the children in the community.
Several of the text chapters I read focused on using narratives in the classroom as a way for students to learn and to belong. The journal article on learning through storytelling provided examples of personal stories that connected prior learning to the content being taught. Bring together experiences and the curriculum is always a win-win situation. Detailed examples of concept focused autobiographical writing provided insight into one particular method that is being used in adult education classrooms.
One fact that I discovered while putting together this blog and doing my readings is that the averge age of the typical adult learner (even at the college/university level) is older than you would expect. The article on recognizing the expectations of mature age students, the value they add to the learning situation, and how to keep them in school was very interesting. With the baggage that adults bring to the classroom (with families, jobs, health issues, etc.), it is important that we begin to examine ways to keep them in school and then put those ideas into action. It was found that the most difficult part for the adult students was bridging the communication gap (both personally and, in some cases, technologically as well). But when this is done, the adults feel more connected to the learning experience and begin to take a leading role in the courses in which they take. What a fascinating topic and one that is definitely current.
The class textbook was, with the exception of the chapter that put me to sleep, very easy to read and to understand. I enjoyed reading the chapters and found that my annotations became longer as time passed due to the amount of interesting information that I was learning. All but one of the chapters added to my knowledge of adult education and gave me more ideas for things to consider when teaching adults. Even after teaching adults for most of my 23 years in the classroom, I still found new information to make the job of teaching and learning easier for both the students and the teacher, simply by considering the factors underlying education of adults.
In all, I feel that the reading journal was an excellent activity. It gave me new perspectives on many of the topics presented in class as well as different cultural perspectives that I might not have considered. As America continues to allow people from other countries through her borders, educators at all levels must consider the cultural aspects of the students they teach. I plan to continue my readings even after the semester ends and hopefully will be able to post interesting information on my blog for others to see and consider.
