Adult Learners and Professional Development

Jezabel Hartle

CCHE 670

Literature Paper
Adult Learners and Professional Development

Adult Learners and Professional Development

Adult learners are considered life-long learners especially within their professional

career. There are many theories associated with these life-long learners. One theory associated

with adult learning and professional development is the reflection theory. The reflection theory

plays a huge role in professional practices (Moon, 2013). What is learned in professional

development can be reflected on and used in a job setting. This is one way reflection is seen

being used during professional development. Reflection can also be used in the classroom while

the professional development is taking place. Examples and scenarios are asked of adult learners

in professional development courses. It is also asked that adult learners reflect on their own jobs

and how they can use this information to help improve their workplace.

Along with other non-traditional students, adult learners should thrive in self-directed

lessons with professional development. By allowing adult learners to choose the direction their

professional development will take them, will increase the success of their journey (Trotter,

2006). These professional development courses are made for adult learners to learn and use in

their everyday professions. By creating this self-directed professional development course, this

helps employees become more successful at work. This will also continue the chances of these

employees taking more professional development courses and becoming lifelong learners.

Professional development courses are an excellent way for adult learners to develop and grow.

These courses allow adult learners to continue to reflect and use their experiences as examples or

scenarios to share with the class. Experiences are very important in adult learning for they are

used as resources (Trotter, 2006). These professional development courses also allow for further

advisement even out of college. Adults are given advice from their coworkers, teachers, and

other professionals in these professional development courses. Adult learners are also given

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Adult Learners and Professional Development

support and feedback for what they have experienced and learned. This feedback helps when

adult learners want to implement or create new techniques for work. The most important aspect

of professional development with adult learners is the fact that it is continued motivation and

encouragement to learn new information and take on new roles. Research has been conducted

that support professional development courses helping staff collaborate, problem-solve, and self-

study in their achievement (King, 2002).

One example of how professional development is helping adult learners and their way of

learning is with new technology. Technology has been developing rapidly amongst schools and

companies. The rapid changes in technology can affect the adult learners by confusing,

intimating and frustrating them (King, 2002). Courses must be made to cope with these new

skills and knowledge. This new technology creates additional needs in the learning process for

adult learners. It is difficult, but professional development and training courses must be created

to assist adult learners. Not only do the adult learners learn these new concepts but educators as

well. These professional development courses must be made and taught by someone. This

means the teacher of these courses also participated in lifelong learning. In this case,

transformational learning takes place mostly in technology and professional development. This

process describes critical reflection and self-examination of one’s worldview (King, 2002).

Transformational learning helps adult learners frame their understanding of the changes people,

or the teachers, experienced. Understanding this process can help adult learners understand and

learn these new concepts and create experiences of their own. Professional development courses

help adult learners realize they are not only educators or lifelong learners but also appropriate

theory, research and practice to these courses. The focus before has been the integration of new

technology in curriculum. With adult learners, it is best to focus on professional development

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Adult Learners and Professional Development

when integrating new technology. These courses will allow adult learners to choose how they

want to learn this new technology and create experiences that they may use to adjust their

learning. If adult learners have prior experience with technology, this can help shape their

learning of new technology in professional development courses. With these experiences they

may share with their colleagues and determine what went well or what went wrong while

learning how to use this technology. They may then implement these techniques on the new

technology they will be learning. Towards the end of the course period, most adult learners have

a change in perspective with technology and see exactly how this could benefit their lives or

current work situations.

Professional development courses promote transformative learning and can help adult

learners grow. These courses help adult learners review their beliefs, assumptions, and values

while trying to implement new information. Professional development courses contact experts in

the field who try to engage adult learners in sharing their experiences and determining what they

could do better. By sharing as a group, these experiences allow others to gain new information

and apply these new skills and opinions to their learning. This theory impacts adult learners’

lives and understanding. Adult learners no longer have an opinionated and biased view of their

subject or new learning experience, for they have practiced adding other views and experiences

into consideration. Usually these courses take the form of discussions, small group projects, and

hands-on experience. This allows adult learners to practice this transformative learning in real

time during the professional development course. These courses try to continue their impact by

having employees complete a survey after the professional development course has ended. This

allows for improvement and gives the adult learners exactly what they are asking for.

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Adult Learners and Professional Development

With all of this feedback regarding professional development, there have been policies

created that support learner-centered professional development. Not only do these policies favor

adult learners and professional development but the teachers or educators of these courses as

active and reflective participants in the change process (Darling-Hammond, & McLaughlin,

1995). These policies favored professional development because of the need for knowledge

sharing based in real situation opportunities instead of in-service training. Adult learners need to

be able to share what they know or have experienced, discuss what they want to learn, and

connect new ideas and strategies to their own (Darling-Hammond, & McLaughlin, 1995).

Professional development course in most companies do all of this. This is why they are

separated from training. Training does not allow adult learners to connect new ideas and

strategies or discuss what they want to learn. Trainings are already created and implemented to

go over the basic knowledge and tools a person needs for the job at hand. Professional

development allows for the opportunity to grow and develop new ideas. These policies have

found that professional development can be done through organizations or a “critical friend”

relationship (Darling-Hammond, & McLaughlin, 1995). They found that systems need to be in

place such as blocks of time to work and learn by collaborating, team planning, sharing, and

evaluating, and cross-role participation. These policies also found that the way staff

development is funded and managed must be adjusted. This will guarantee the success of new

policies by reviewing and managing responses to teacher and learner needs. Teachers must also

rethink the way they are teaching these professional development courses. They must be willing

and able to learn new skills and un-learn previous beliefs and practices (Darling-Hammond, &

McLaughlin, 1995). Not only do the adult learners need to collaborate and see new methods

from their supporting classmates, but teachers need to do this as well. This can help shape the

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Adult Learners and Professional Development

course and learning experience. As stated by Darling-Hammond, & McLaughlin (1995),

teachers should also be able to observe, assess, and reflect on the new practices before teaching

the professional development course. They must change their course design to be participant

driven. Professional development teachers must connect the work with the adult learners and

involve the sharing of knowledge. They must support the group with modeling and coaching.

Research has shown in order to be successful in professional development, the teachers of

the course play a big part. Not only do the courses need to cater to the adult learner and be

student-centric but teachers must also change their views and styles as well. Lesson plans must

be made around these employees in order to promote success in their work ethic. This not only

benefits the employee but the teacher as well. These professional development courses not only

help employees grow and continue learning but also help the teachers or educators as well. This

shows that professional development is a lifelong learning opportunity for both students and

teachers.

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Adult Learners and Professional Development

References

Darling-Hammond, L., & McLaughlin, M. W. (1995). Policies that support professional

development in an era of reform. Phi delta kappan, 76(8), 597-604.

King, K. P. (2002). Educational technology professional development as transformative learning

opportunities. Computers & Education, 39(3), 283-297.

Moon, J. A. (2013). Reflection in learning and professional development: Theory and practice.

Routledge.

Trotter, Y. D. (2006). Adult Learning Theories: Impacting Professional Development

Programs. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 72(2).