CHAPTER 2:

Child,
Adolescent,
and Adult
learning
 INTRODUCTION
Several factors both internal and external to the individual relate
to the kind, or even rate of learning. One of these factors is age,
which in fact is tied to developmental levels. Human development
goes through stages, each having unique characteristics. As such,
it is h social expected that patterns of growth and development
differ from one developmental stage to the other. Hence, there
are differences in learning among individuals across
developmental stages. These differences may either be in rate of
learning, quality of knowledge or skills acquired, approach to
learning or perspective to learning, to name some.

It is important for teachers to be aware of and know patterns of

behavior that characterize developmental levels. Knowing this
will enable teachers to decide what and how to teach students,
as well as the kind of instructional materials, activities and
opportunities to be given in the classroom, as well as the
teaching methodologies to be used.
ENGAGE
 Learning point: Principles of
cognitive development

1. Development proceeds in an orderly and predictable

pattern. Development occurs through developmental
milestones, defined as the appearance of developmentally
more advanced behavior, which appear in a predictable
manner. Thus for example, a child babbles before he learns
to talk using one-syllable words. Or he rolls over before he
learns to crawl.
 Learning point: Principles of
cognitive development

2. There are periods of rapid growth spurts in

between periods of slower growth. It means
development is not constant. For example, a learner
might proceed through a rapid growth at early
childhood, but slower cognitive growth in
adolescence.
 Learning point: Principles of
cognitive development

3. Different individuals develop at different rates. Most often,

average age for the entire development period is used to
describe learnersThis is simply an approximation due to
individual differences. Still some learners reach developmental
milestones early, some later, even if they are within the same
developmental period.

4. Development is continually affected by both nature (heredity)

and nurture (environment) (Hurst, n. d.).
 Learning point: Principles of
cognitive development

The above-mentioned principles of growth and development are

necessary for teachers to know, so they could better address the
learning needs, abilities, and expectations from learners. Hence, if a
teacher, for example, knows that his kindergarten pupils are on the
average, 5 years old, he can say they are still at an early stage of
cognitive developmentTo maximize the development of cognition at
this level, he develops and approaches his lessons starting from the
concrete level, and proceeding to increasing levels of abstraction. For
example, in developing the concept of the number 4, the teacher can
introduce the pupils to this concept, first by using objects to illustrate
the concept.
 LEARNING POINT: YOUNG LEARNERS

Following are the characteristics of young learners.

1. They can learn through talking about themselves, families, and

their lives.

2. They are curious to learn and discover new concepts on their

own.

3. They like to use their imagination and discover things.

4. They naturally need to touch, see, hear and interact to learn.

5. Their attention span is very short, thus they need engaging and
entertaining activities so as not to lose their interest.
 LEARNING POINT: YOUNG LEARNERS
6. They like to cooperate and work in groups.

7. They need support and encouragement while learning.

8. They need to work with their students individually because they

need to be guided ("Differences of Young, Adolescent and Adult
Learners," 2018).

Given the characteristics of young learners, teachers should be

innovative in coming up with varied tasks and experiences for
young learners. Since they like to work in groups, use this as an
avenue for socialization. The approach to teaching should be
more of cooperative learning where young learners are able to
learn from each other.
 LEARNING POINT: ADOLESCENT
LEARNING

Following are the characteristics of adolescent learners.

1. They are in search for personal identity.

2. They are in need of activities that meet their needs and

learning expectations.

3. They become disruptive when they lost interest in the

lesson or if they feel bored.

4. They need help and support from the teacher and to be

provided with constructive feedback.
 LEARNING POINT: ADOLESCENT
LEARNING

5. They can draw upon a variety of resources in the

learning environment including personal experience, the
local community, and the internet.

6. They need the teachers to build bridges between the

syllabus and their world of interests and experiences.

7. They can learn abstract issues and do challenging

activities.

8. Their personal initiative and energy are moved into

action through meaningful involvement with relevant and
current content ("Differences of Young, Adolescent and
Adult Learners," 2018).
 LEARNING POINT: ADULT LEARNING

Malcolm Knowles is a theorist on adult

learning and who popularized the concept
of andragogy. This term means the art and
science of helping adults learn, contrasting
it with pedagogy which is the art and
science of teaching children. He did
research on adult learning. Based on his
findings, following are posited about adult
learners' characteristics along five areas:
 LEARNING POINT: ADULT LEARNING
1. Self-concept - Adults move from dependency to increasing self-
directedness as they mature. They can direct their own learning,
meaning they can initiate their learning even without the help of
others in planning, carrying out, and evaluating their learning
activities.

2. Adult learner experience - They draw on their accumulated

experiences as their resource for learning.

3. Readiness to learn - They are ready to learn when they assume new
social or life roles.

4. Orientation to learning - They are problem-centered and they want

to apply new learnings immediately. They are interested in subjects
that have immediate relevance and impact into their job or personal
life.
 LEARNING POINT: ADULT LEARNING
5. Motivation to learn. They are motivated to learn by internal rather
than external factors ("Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy," 2011).

What makes adult learners different from adolescent and young

learners?

1. Adults are more disciplined than adolescents.

2. They have a clear understanding of their learning objectives.

3. They need to be involved in choosing what and how to learn.

4. They prefer to rely on themselves and work on their own pace.

5. They come to the classroom with a wide range of knowledge,

expectations, and experiences.
 LEARNING POINT: ADULT LEARNING

5. Motivation to learn. They are motivated t

6. They are able to do a wide range of activities.

7. Adults learn at various rates and in different ways

according to their intellectual ability, educational level,
personality and cognitive learning styles.

8. They come into the classroom with diverse

experiences, opinions, thoughts, and beliefs which need
to be respected ("Differences of Young, Adolescent and
Adult Learners," 2018).
 The following table shows the differences between adult and
adolescent learning in terms of characteristics of the learning
experiences.

PEDAGOGY (ADOLESCENT) ANDRAGOGY (ADULT)

• Teacher-structured •Learner - structured

• Minimal control by the learner • Minimal control by the teacher

• Focus on training for events to come • Focus on assimilation of learning from past
experiences

• Encourages convergent thinking • Encourages divergent thinking

• Focus on memory • Focus on thinking/doing

• Content supplied by teacher/class materials • Content supplied partially by students

• Based on specified content standards • Outcomes evolve as learning progresses

 Educational
Implications for
Teaching Adult
Learners
On the basis of the characteristics of adults, following are some implications for teaching this group of
learners, and suggestions given by Malcolm Knowles.

A. Set a cooperative climate for learning in the classroom.

B. Assess the learner's specific needs and interests because these are the more important things he wants to
learn.

C. Develop learning objectives based on the learners' needs, interests and skill levels.

D. Design sequential activities to achieve the objectives.

E. Work collaboratively with the learner to select methods, materials and resources for instruction.

F. Evaluate the quality of the learning experience and make adjustments as needed, while assessing needs for
further learning.

G. The experiences provided them should be problem-centered rather than content oriented (Kearsley, 2010;
Knowles, n. d.).

H. They have to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction.

The physiological changes being experienced by
adolescents at that stage, influence their emotional,
cognitive, social and even physical development. The
growth spurt occurs at this developmental stage.
Because the influence of peers is very strong at this
time, expectedly, they are confronted with many
distractions and other concerns that veer their
attention away from their school activities and
experiences. Thus, it is important for teachers to be
visibly supportive of the challenges confronting the
adolescent students. It is also important that teachers
guide and support them, so that they are able to reach
their highest and proximal level of development.
Adolescents also tend to be impulsive and they have
their own unique interests, as well.
 THANK YOU!

REPORTERS:

Steven Makilan
John Cliff Arsenal
Jerra Earl Joy Rodriguez