One of the six tenets of Malcolm Knowles andragogical model is the concept of adults as self-directed learners.  He argues “Adults have a deep need to be self-directing” and that the psychological  definition of “adult” is one who achieved a personal understanding of being in charge of his or her own life, and responsibilities for decisions.  This understanding also involves accepting the consequences of ones actions and decisions.

     For many, the idea of adults having a need to be self-directed is difficult to understand and occasionally difficult to accept because many experience just the opposite in the academic setting; Face-to-Face, Hybrid, or Online.  To truly understand the concept of being “self-directed” one must look outside the traditional classroom setting to examples exhibited in an adult’s everyday life.  Some examples of an adult’s need to be self-directed can be seen is such situations as:

• A desire to improve time management skills
• A desire to develop the skills necessary to receive recognition or reward
• Wishing to learn coping skills
• Wanting to know how to lead and inspire subordinates
• Determining which gas octane level is best for a particular type of vehicle
• Determining the type of diet necessary to reduce cholesterol, weight, etc.

     So, if adults have such a deep desire for self-direction, why does this characteristic seem to all but disappeared in education and training situations?  If adults are self-directed learners, then why do they often complain that the instructor didn’t teach them anything, or that they had to “do all this reading.”  Aren’t they, according to Knowles, supposed to be self-directed learners?  The answer, surprisingly, comes from Knowles himself.

     Knowles argues that when adults enter an environment or situation that bears the words “education” or “training” they quickly revert, pshcyologically, back to their elementary, secondary, and post-secondary days and put on their hats of dependency, fold their arms, sit back, and say, “Teach Me” (Knowles, 1984).  When we as teachers encounter this situation, we automatically assume that this is the way they want to learn and quickly begin teaching them as if they were children again.  As a result the adult is placed a situation of inner conflict where their psychological need is for self-direction while their intellectual map tells them “learning = dependency.”  How do people react to psychologcal conflict?  They withdraw from the situation.

     While this certainly provides an explaination of some of my own experiences, it begs the question; How do we break out of this “vicious” cycle?  One incident that sticks most vividly in my mind is the question of an “adult” student who, despite my best efforts to ignite the spark of self-direction, asked “Are you going to teach us anything,or do we have to figure this all out for ourselves?”

     So, this is my quest for the week; to uncover those “secrets of the masters” who know how to ignite that spark regardless of the medium - Face-to-Face, Hybrid or Online…..    

References

Knowles, M.S. (1984). Adult Learning. In R.L. Craig (Ed.), The ASDT Training and Development Handbook (pp. 255). Boston: The American Society for Training and Development