Adult education W. Smith G.M. Timčák 2002

What is adult education? Lifelong Learning--continuing or adult education--is a continuous learning process designed to maximize the quality of life for individuals, organizations, and societies faced with an ever- increasing rate of change. Bill Smith & Barbara Calhoun

Andragogy vs pedagogy People who take the initiative in learning (proactive learners) learn more things, and learn better, than do people who sit at the feet of teachers passively waiting to be taught (reactive learners). They enter into learning more purposefully and with greater motivation. They also tend to retain and make use of what they learn better and longer than do the reactive learners.

Differences 1. Self-concept. 2. Experience. 3. Time Perspective.

Learning vs. Teaching Learning is a conscious, self-directed process which occurs within us, at our direction, resulting in a modification of one or more facets of our behavior. Teaching is something you do to somebody. Learning is something that happens within a self. In one sense teaching doesn’t exist. Only learning exists and, more often than not, exists in spite of teaching.

Effective Adult Learning Learning must be personally meaningful if individuals are to become actively involved. We require an understanding and supportive social climate in order to learn and grow. We need to feel free to communicate honestly with fellow human beings. We require understanding of the nature of learning and of our behavior as learners in order to make effective use of the learning process.

Conclusions In brief, a basic purpose of education in all teaching-learning situations is first to help the individual learner open himself up for learning by being able to bring his problems and needs for learning to the surface and to listen and accept relevant reactions about his problems and behavior. The second purpose is to help the learner gain methods of experimenting, analyzing and utilizing experiences and knowledge resulting from daily problem solving.