I stumbled upon this accidentally. It’s an online course, with material also available in downloadable pdf format, covering the basics of the adult learning, androgogical model. I disagree with much contained in that approach, but there is still good material in it, and truth is that anyone dealing with adults in learning situations should at least be aware of the principles and terms, if only to be able to discuss them sensibly.
Adult Learning: From Theory to Practice is an online course intended for tutors in the Canadian adult literacy community. The course may be used by individuals in a stand alone, self-paced format, and/or by groups in various formats, both online and offline.
The course focuses on a teaching-learning continuum, one end of which is directed learning and at the other, facilitated learning. The main point raised and discussed throughout the course is that adult learning is highly individualistic and fluid. As such it requires that tutors be very flexible and utilize a range of teaching approaches and methods in order to enhance learning.
The first module of the course looks at current adult learning theory, while the second module relates this theory to the practice of adult education. It also covers a variety of factors that influence adult teaching and learning. A third and final module provides tutors with some thoughts on and tools for dealing with the myriad of factors that influence adult teaching and learning. “Tips for Tutors” have been included throughout the course. It should be recognized that the intent of the course is to stimulate adult literacy tutors to reflect critically on the notion of a teaching-learning continuum and should not be viewed as a “how-to” course. An excellent resource for more practical information is Peter Renner’s “The Art of Teaching Adults.”
(See http://www.peter-renner.com/books.htm#art)
Each module concludes with a multiple choice quiz. These will assist you to assess your grasp of the foundational information contained in each module (i.e., as discussed in the first section of Module 1, to acquire the basic material and process it to a moderate degree). In the online version of the course, the quizzes are interactive in order to provide you with immediate feedback for each question. In the PDF version, the answers are listed in Annex A.
There are also sections entitled “Points to Ponder” scattered throughout each module. These are designed to stimulate critical thinking or deeper level processing of the material (as discussed in the first section of Module 1). There are no right or wrong answers for these; rather, they are issues each individual educator must decide upon for him/herself. Each point is accompanied by a discussion piece to assist you in discussing/reflecting on it. In the PDF version these may be found in Annex B, while in the online version a link is provided.
You can find out more and grab the material by clicking here.
