Adult Learner Narrative

Adult Learner Narrative
“I knew that it was time to get my life together when I saw my oldest daughter talking to her sister about how important it was to go to college. My youngest said, “Well mom didn’t go to college and she took care of us so why do I have to?” It was then when I decided that I refuse to be that type of example for my daughter and I knew what I needed to do….go back to school.” J. Richardson
While the conversation her daughters had was a driving point for Richardson to go back to school, shifts in her career had a big impact on that decision as well. Her family, the prospect of a better position and pay, and setting a great example for her family and peers are all things that motivate her to learn and become a better person.
Another motivation was the act of Globalization, the aspects of connection and communication in the workforce (MCB p. 12) was a driving force that caused her to strive for a better career in the healthcare field. As the healthcare globalization continues to grow internationally, so does the need for advanced education for those involved. With her position as an STNA, Richardson has had struggles with changes in work practices and lack of growth due to education limitations. (MCB p. 17) Richardson’s reasons for returning back to school fits with the research for why adults engage in learning activities.
Studies and Learning Preferences
Two studies that connected with reasons why Richardson decided to return are the study done by Aslanian (2001) and Boshier and Collins (1985) three clusters from using his EPS scale and Houle’s typology. Her reason for returning involved a life transition, a want for a career transition, is one that coincides with the study done with Aslanian (MCB p. 63) Richardson additionally fit in Cluster III from Boshier and Collins. Richardson wants to have a better professional career and using education as a means for achieving another goal, i.e. to become a nurse. (MCB p. 64) Richardson described herself as a visual, physical and social learner. She prefers to use flashcards, PowerPoints and notes to help her learn the information that she learns in class. By working in the healthcare field while going to school she has the physical and social learning style that helps her retain and utilize the information that she has learned. Richardson learns better with a formal setting rather than online learning. Lack of contact from the professor and fellow classmates influences her motivation to do assignments.
The formal educational learning that she has had was a GED program and the STNA training that she took at the local community college. (MCB p. 29) Both programs were curriculum driven and recognized with grades rather than the effort for the assignments and tests. (p29) In the nonformal educational learning aspect that she has experienced, she learned how to work with Microsoft office and online researching methods at the Cleveland Public Library. It this program that she combined her formal education with nonformal, by learning how to do additional research on the methods that she learned while having an instructor to help her when she needed it. (MCB pgs. 30-31) Richardson trained as a shallow water lifeguarding as a means of community-based learning and change for the betterment of her clients (MCB p. 32) “I once had a client that I had to take to water therapy 3x a week and every time that we went the lifeguard would always leave while they had therapy. I took it upon myself to speak with my employer to have them pay Red Cross to certify me in shallow water lifeguarding so that I could help my client in case of an emergency.” J. Richardson
Models of Adult Learning and Learning Experience The best models of adult learning that connected with Richardson was Jarvis’s Learning Process where “All learning begins with experience.
(1987, p. 16) and the third category of self-directed learning through Grow’s (1991, 1994) Staged Self-Directed Learning model. With the Jarvis’s learning process, we see the importance of utilizing the five senses when it comes to the student learning. As she continues to learn more and more about her field, it changes her as a person and through that change she changes her social world and so continues the “continuous nature of learning”. (MCB p. 102) Richardson resembles the third category of self-directed learning through Grow’s (1991, 1994) Staged Self-Directed Learning model by going through the four stages of learners. Currently, she is going through the first two stages. She is a freshman within her program and although she does have work experience in the field, she relies on her teachers telling her what type of things that she needs to do within the class and in regards to her learning. (MCB p.
117)
Richardson has had experience with Workplace Learning and has learned that a combination of Transformative learning and Narrative Learning has helped her become more successful in her learning and comprehension. Richardson is successful in content and interactivity focused learning activities. When she goes to lectures she is able to get all the information that the instructor has given to her and that works well with her notetaking skills. Working in the healthcare field simulations and group assignments in class are things that students are given on a constant basis and while she doesn’t always enjoy them because they operate on the physical side of learning, she has realized that they stick more with her. She does, in contrast, have issues with the production of information for assignments and certain aspects of critical thinking learning activities.
Self Reflection
In regards to myself, I decided to return back to school for means of career advancement in Higher Education.
My family and the goals that I want to achieve in my life are what motivate me to learn and take part in activities that help me towards my goals. Beginning my Master program is the leading thing that changed my thinking towards learning and learning methods. I consider myself to fit within the Aslanian and Brickell (1980) study that focused on life transitions as motivators for seeking out learning experiences. (MCB p. 62) I realized that in the past, going to college was something that changed my life and my thinking about “learning” and that has had an impact on my learning in the present and my career in the future. Career and family transitions, matching 56 percent of the learners within the sample, were also big reasons for me to return to school. Focused Learning activities involving content, critical thinking and reflection support my learning development. I consider myself to be a visual, verbal, and logical and a solitary learner and the use of these focus learned activities help me retain the information. Assigned readings, flashcards and PowerPoints help me with my learning which channel the content activities. Constant logical researching, responses to assignments and self-study and reflection on the learning are also things that help me when I learn. I learn both within a formal setting and also online learning. I enjoy having the structure that comes
with a formal setting and working with teachers and a set curriculum, Online Learning is also helpful because I am able to conduct my own research and even if I need assistance, I am also to get in contact with my teachers and classmates to get help, all while maintaining self-study. (MCB p. 39) I have had experience with Workplace Learning, Experience and Memory Learning and Transformative Learning, with Transformative and Memory having the most success in my education.
I am also a self-directed learner when it comes to things that I want to know more about. A great example of self-directed learning is the process that I am going through to teach myself photography and editing. I have goals for things that I want to achieve within photography, plans on how to go about the goals, ways to learn about photography and editing methods and then finally going to show what I know and then reflecting on the process, It is through this that the Spear’s model of self-directed learning resembles me. The learning does not occur in a linear fashion, but rather the information that I receive are gathered through one set of activities and it is stored until it fits within the other ideas on the same topic. (MCB p. 112)