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TEACHING OLDER ADULTS.
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Defines & examines traditional pedagogical & more self-directed andragogical methods in leisure education, effectiveness, applicability, centrality of older adult's attitude to learning.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Defines & examines traditional pedagogical & more self-directed andragogical methods in leisure education, effectiveness, applicability, centrality of older adult's attitude to learning.
Paper Introduction:
One of the principal challenges for the leisure profession in the next few decades will be the provision and management of learning programs for the elderly. The past two decades have witnessed an enormous growth in the demand for leisure education and as the population ages the need will become much greater. Since the 1970s education researchers have shown, however, that adult learning differs considerably from children's learning. In general adults are self-motivated, self-directed learners and ordinary pedagogical approaches do not fare well with such individuals. The term andragogy is used to describe "the process of helping adults learn or facilitating self-directed activities" and leisure professionals need a comprehensive understanding of andragogical principles as they apply to leisure education (O'Dell, 1997, p. 46). A review of the characteristics of
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After World War II when many people's traditional schooling wasdisrupted educational opportunities became more flexible. Pedagogical and andragogical learning also feature considerabledifferences in the learners' orientation toward learning. Butandragogical learners are motivated by internal desires such as increasedself-esteem, self-confidence, or self-actualization. 46). A third major difference between pedagogy and andragogy is thelearner's readiness to learn. (1998). 27). e., learning that is requiredby a job). E., Lemke, J. In this type of learning it isthe experience of the instructor that is important and serves as a resourcefor the learner. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 68(6), 45-49.Zmeyov, S. One of the principal challenges for the leisure profession in thenext few decades will be the provision and management of learning programsfor the elderly. 1 6). Also basic to the child-adult distinction from which Knowles' (198 )theory proceeds is the concept of the learner's experience. Thus in andragogicallearning the learner is self-directed because s/he has chosen to learn ordoes so in order to accomplish some goal (i. Lifelong learning involves informal(everyday), formal, and nonformal (leisure) education. Subsequentprosperity led to greater leisure and "more responsive forms of adulteducation emerged" to meet a growing demand for lifelong learning(Arsenault & Anderson, 1998, p. 3 ). Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 69(3), 27-31.Haggard, L. Leisure educationcontributes to the lifelong identity-forming process in which people"actively seek to understand themselves in relation to the world aroundthem, and to maintain a sense of self-consistency and positive regard"(Haggard & Williams, 1992, p. H., Ostiguy, L. 1 7). International Review of Education, 44, 1 3-1 8. J., & Pickens, C. In the case of elderly individuals leisure education is part of theiradaptation to aging and the possible loss of competence in some areas dueto age-related constraints ranging from professional retirement to illnessor diminished physical capacities. 46). 45). B. (1992). (1993). Andragogical learning can also bemotivated by external factors such as job requirements but for elderlylearners these outside pressures have largely disappeared and theirlearning involves personal worth and identity issues. 1). 332). Leisure repertoire in a sample of Midwestern elderly: The case for exercise. But for those born after194 it was increasingly seen as a source of meaning and self-definition--"an integral component of one's lifestyle" that, like lifelong learning, isseen as "fundamental to human existence" (Arsenault & Anderson, p. Thus in andragogical learningadults provide learning resources for themselves and for other adultlearners. (1997). The instructor is also responsible forthe evaluation of the learning. J., Griffee, T. 332). Since the 197 s education researchers have shown,however, that adult learning differs considerably from children's learning. A total of 76 million Americans,one-third of the population, will be elderly or approaching their senioryears and as a result "an adult and older adult oriented society ismaterializing" (O'Dell, 1997, p. Thus when leading olderadults in leisure education the leisure professional needs to set asidepedagogical approaches and bear in mind that adults who freely choose whatthey wish to learn are in need of facilitators and resource persons ratherthan teachers. 87).The individual who no longer has a reason to remain current on professionaltopics may, for example, elect to devote leisure time to related subjects--a doctor may enjoy reading in molecular biology. e., those who have completed theircareers and have sufficient time "to engage in learning as a form ofleisure or to adjust to life transitions" (Arsenault & Anderson, p. In order tobe effective in meeting these needs, however, leisure professionals need tounderstand how elderly adults approach the learning process. As this population ages the trend isalso toward a greater proportion of elderly persons who are "healthy,affluent, well-educated, and geographically mobile"--all characteristics ofthe lifelong-learner clientele traditionally interested in leisureeducation (Knox, 1993, p. But inandragogical learning many different stimuli can make the learner ready andan adult's readiness is increasingly oriented to "the developmental tasksof his social roles" (Knowles, 198 , p. 39). And, althoughnonformal education can be undertaken at any stage of life, it is a primarylearning path for the elderly, i. In general adults are self-motivated, self-directed learners and ordinarypedagogical approaches do not fare well with such individuals. Since there is usually considerable variation in experienceamong any group of adult learners diversity is a common fact ofandragogical learning. But adult learners naturally have far greater and morevaried experience and this "reservoir of experience becomes an increasingresource of learning" (Knowles, p. ReferencesArsenault, N., & Anderson, G. Individuals born in those years will reach ages 5 to 7 in the first decades of the new century. Competition forgrades and avoidance of failure are among these pressures. 39). San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.Mobily, K. Thus thematerial must be directly relevant to these purposes and suited to theindividual. R. But, as the distinguishing characteristics ofpedagogical and andragogical learning make clear the traits are generallythose that apply to either children or adults. They look foreducational opportunities that enhance the quality of life and leisure andthey take part in programs for the elderly or in "self-directed learningabout general education topics, auditing standard courses, taking studytours, and participating in mutual aid societies" (Knox, 1993, p. Leisure education programs thus include"preretirement education," programs for "coping with difficulties of laterlife," programs that concentrate on issues in the "transfer of power acrossgenerations," and numerous other problem areas (Knox, p. Strengthening adult and continuing education: A global perspective on synergistic leadership. Although the term pedagogy was traditionally used to refer to thescience or profession of teaching in general Knowles (198 ) wished todistinguish between the ways in which adults and children learn. In pedagogical learning the students are dependent on the instructor. 29).Those who have spent a lifetime learning will continue to do so in theirfree time both before and after retiring from work. 332).Education is also a major means of dealing with transitions in life amongpersons of all levels of education and this tendency will continue amongthe aging population. The modern practice of adult education: From pedagogy to andragogy. Adults may wish to learn inorder to enhance performance in some aspect of their lives. 43). Leisure and lifelong learning: New learning horizons for older adults. Identity affirmation through leisure activities: Leisure symbols of the self. The leisure professionalwho works with elderly learners is, therefore, less a teacher than afacilitator. Chicago: Follett.Knox, A. In pedagogicalsituations learning is a matter of acquiring the prescribed material andunits are necessarily ordered according to the sequence of the material.Andragogical learning, on the other hand, is often learning geared to theperformance of a particular task, the solution of a specific problem, or toenable the learner to live in a better way. Andragogy: Origins, developments and trends. Theories of education often assume that the transmission of knowledgefrom one generation to the next is the primary purpose of learning.Andragogy, however, "considers the learner as the real subject of his orher learning process" (Zmeyov, 1998, p. In such cases the instructor takes on the total responsibility for what istaught and how it is to be learned. The andragogical learner is responsible for her/his ownlearning and in leisure education "has freedom of choice in objectives,content, forms, methods, sources, means, terms, time, place, evaluationprocedures, and teacher" (Zmeyov, 1998, p. Delivering leisure programs to adults. Headapted the term andragogy to refer to "the art and science of helpingadults learn," thereby delimiting pedagogy as the art and science ofteaching children (Knowles, p. I. But as a person matures his or her "self-concept moves from one of being a dependent personality toward one of beinga self-directed human being" (Knowles, 198 , p. Leisure time wasoften thought of as an unacceptable indulgence. As Knowles says, the learner's"time perspective changes from one of postponed application of knowledge toimmediacy of application, and accordingly his orientation toward learningshifts" from subject-centered to problem-centered (198 , p. The past two decades have witnessed an enormous growth inthe demand for leisure education and as the population ages the need willbecome much greater. Pedagogical and andragogical learning are differently motivated.Pedagogical learners are directed by outside forces. They will be both teachers and learners in this process andprimarily need to be given the room in which to function. Journal of Leisure Research, 25, 84-99.O'Dell, I. Leisure education depends upon "the freedom to choose learningactivities that will enrich one's life" but the existence of suchopportunities and an open attitude toward leisure resulted from changes inAmerican society (Arsenault & Anderson, 1998, p. J., Woodard, R. S. M., & Williams, D. (1998). A review of the characteristicsof andragogy demonstrates the vital importance of this educational approachin the context of learning programs for the elderly. In pedagogicallearning the student begins with very little experience of a type thatcould be called on as a learning resource. In pedagogical learning the instructorinforms the student what needs to be learned in order to advance to thenext level of mastery and when s/he is ready to move on. C. This adaptation is partly "a matter ofmaintaining or enhancing competence, thereby retaining self-determinationthrough a repertoire of leisure activities" (Mobily et al., 1993, p. (1993). Journal of Leisure Research, 24, 1-18.Knowles, M. 28). The termandragogy is used to describe "the process of helping adults learn orfacilitating self-directed activities" and leisure professionals need acomprehensive understanding of andragogical principles as they apply toleisure education (O'Dell, 1997, p. 39). Both types of learning can, of course,occur among children or adults and, depending on "maturity level,experiences, orientation to the activity, motivation, needs, and purpose"the individual will fall somewhere on a continuum between the completely"leader-directed" and the entirely "self-directed" educational orientations(O'Dell, 1997, p. 39). Leisure education isoften a means of finding the substitutions that overcome the inherentlimitations of aging. Parents, forinstance, may learn about child-rearing in stages as their children mature. It was also in the postwar years,from 1946 to 1964, that the great population explosion known as the babyboom took place. (198 ).
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