Tomorrow I return to work. I am feeling the heat wave that has hit our area in the past two days and am wondering if my returning students will feel it too and be a little reluctant to return to their learning.
It takes a lot of organising to get back on track with work/study for me. I would like to have more felixiblility in my own work envirnonment.
How does this fit with some of my random thoughts about an adult learner's learning environment?
One of the obvious keys to adult learning must surely be the degree of flexibility that can be built into a learning environment - accessible whenever the student has time, space, motivation, convenience, etc. Yet most adult learners I know still need some sort of structure to enable them to get their learning done. The need for structure does vary enormously. Online learning only suits a certain few and others need face to face (f2f) learning either in a classroom or a seminar or one on one with the teacher/tutor to got them through. Some can cope with online learning after they have made sufficient personal connections with other students and learners.
What about the assessment environment?
Some adult learners need time limits to get assignments in - some even beg for due dates! While others want to take on the whole course in their own rapid time, finishing well before anyone else does. Then there are those who appear to ignore all due dates, end of year closures, etc - and don't ever get their assignments in. Some are happy to learn for the learnings' sake, never showing the slightest interest in assessment. Yet for me, assessment is one of the keys to learning. Assessment should consolidate learning and cement it in to the long term memory....as well as give some positive feedback about the progress a person is making.
I have really encapsulated and simplified some complex issues here - and I don't think I have said anything new.
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