Adults Learn Because They Want To Learn
You may, as an adult, notice a striking difference between your attitude toward learning now as compared to when you were an adolescent. In adulthood, you likely find yourself eager to absorb new skills and information, a stark change from questioning the usefulness of high school trigonometry. At some point, “when will I ever need to know this?” became “I need to know how to do this right now.”
This difference is central to what sets adult learners apart from child learners. The value and motivation of learning in adulthood become intrinsic, no longer forced upon us externally by adult educators, parents, or lingering degree requirements. We can often see learning in adulthood as directly translating to upward mobility at work and in life, pay increases, and our new skills and knowledge are often directly applicable to our jobs and everyday life. Adults choose to learn when a need for learning presents itself. For adults, “there is no division between a period of learning and application of what has been learned earlier. Learning and application are interwoven, both continue and both reinforce each other” (CYC).
Think back to the early weeks of the pandemic. Many of us started on a sourdough bread-making journey, the results of which may or may not still live in a jar in the back of the fridge. We were starting at square one. Many of us had never baked a loaf of bread in our lives. We could have just used a packet of yeast and called it a day, but instead, we sought to learn a new skill entirely. We wanted to rely solely on our own grit and determination. So, we took online sourdough starting workshops. We joined virtual bread baking groups. But no one told us we needed to learn this skill. No one, not even the CDC said, you must stay home and quarantine, and you also must learn the ancient art of sourdough. Ultimately, as adults, we decide whether or not we want to learn. We decide what we want to learn. And most of us, 90% to be exact, take on at least one self-directed learning project per year. Whether it’s complicated bread-making, book clubs, furniture rehab, or certification training, we take it upon ourselves to learn not just because we want to, but because a need or opportunity propels us toward it. We learn what we need, we use what we learn, and the cycle continues.
The fact remains – adults want to learn. Why else would there have been 6,000 different titles of the For Dummies books published in the U.S. since 1991? As we get older, things change around us, for some generations more drastically than others. New technologies and new security challenges present themselves daily. A proactive approach to learning is the best way to take charge of your career
What’s The Difference Between Child and Adult Learners?
Malcolm Knowles was a pioneer in differentiating adult learning from that of children. In the early 1980s, he “popularized the concept of andragogy (the art and science of helping adults learn), contrasting it with pedagogy (the art and science of teaching children)” (TEAL). Through this work, he determined that adults:
• Are able to self-direct their own learning.
• Come to learning with years of life and experience behind them; these experiences provide a backdrop for new information and skills to build onto, connections that support understanding, and more perspectives to derive deeper and more nuanced meaning.
• Possess a readiness for learning when life presents new challenges or opportunities.
• Learn new skills or knowledge that is immediately applicable and is often acquired in pursuit of problem-solving solutions.
• Are more intrinsically motivated than children, who are more commonly extrinsically motivated..
How Do We Create A Culture of Learning For Adults
Three things are true; adults want to learn, they learn in response to a need, and they learn differently than children. All too often, corporate training models are based on school-based models of learning. But adults have vastly different motivations for learning than children, as well as varied learning styles. Adults have far more limited time to fit learning into busy work and family schedules. They also need to be able to apply new skills and knowledge relatively quickly. While workloads are already at max capacity, we all stand to benefit from employees upskilling themselves, seeking certifications, etc. Creating a culture of learning is the best way to make it happen. So how do we go from zero to culture-of-learning hero?
- Be the change you want to see. Those in leadership roles should be an example to those around them, sharing new things they’ve learned, challenges they are facing, mistakes they are learning from, etc. Be open and invite constructive criticism.
- Create an environment that instills a growth mindset. “The growth mindset is based on the belief that basic qualities can be cultivated through effort. Although people differ in talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments, everyone can change and grow through application and experience. People who cultivate a growth mindset embrace challenges and persist through them when things get hard. They see criticism as a chance to learn, see the success of others as inspiration, failure as an opportunity to grow, openly experiment with challenges using a variety of tactics, analyze mistakes, and are patient and open to opportunities for mastery and growth. Instead of thinking ‘I can’t do this,’ they think ‘I can’t do this yet’” (Intelligent Change).
- Provide dedicated learning time for everyone. Give space and time for employees to share their own learning, growth, or challenges. This can be as simple as asking “What did you learn today?” or opening the floor to monthly “Lunch And Learns” where employees are able to learn from one another. You can designate hours in everyone’s work schedules for training, professional development, or skill-building workshops.
- Provide quality learning resources. A culture of learning is far more achievable to those who have access to quality resources, from corporate training programs, to hands-on workshops, and supporting materials. Trainings need to appeal to a variety of learners in both content and learning style. Corporate training programs are far more effective when they cater to a variety of adult learners. Professionally designed and customizable training courseware will go far in accomplishing this.
At 30 Bird, we are all about quality learning materials. We engage in standard instructional design practices to create our courseware, and we employ the best subject matter experts in the industry. We design our courseware specifically for adult learners in corporate settings or training centers. Our guiding principles are clarity, accuracy, and consistency. The more effortless and transparent our courseware is for you to teach or learn from, the better we’ve done our job. Use our exceptional content as a starting point, then make it your own. Customization can be as simple as branding content with a custom cover, in your colors, and featuring your logo. Or, you can take content from multiple courses and rearrange it to suit your curriculum design. You can even have us help you create entirely new, custom content. We have a variety of certification training and test prep courses available as well as engaging, relevant, and straight-to-the-point professional development courseware. We make creating a culture of learning all the more exciting, accessible, and customizable to your specific needs.
Sources:
https://hsi.com/blog/what-is-adult-learning-theory-and-why-is-it-important
https://lincs.ed.gov/sites/default/files/11_%20TEAL_Adult_Learning_Theory.pdf
https://www.ispringsolutions.com/blog/adult-learning-theories
https://www.intelligentchange.com/blogs/read/what-is-growth-mindset-and-how-to-achieve-it
https://www.pluralsight.com/blog/software-development/developer-learning-culture
