Session+2

 **Facilitator: Meghan Zador  Question 1: How do you believe adults learn? How do children learn? What are the differences? **

·  Adults have to have a purpose for the material. If it is not connected to them in some way, they are disinterested and unwilling to learn. Adults like to be actively involved, which means that the instructor is more like a facilatator. Children learn at different speeds and in different ways. They are more hands-on learners and are usually led by the teacher to reach the objectives. Objectives are should be outlined and related to real-world experiences. A few differences: Adults: More independent and responsible than children. Adults are more motivated especially when it is related to their own life. Children learn material when it is hands-on and engaging. A key difference I see it that adult learners are more independent and can relate the material to their own experiences where children need to be lead throughout the learning process. (MEGHAN)

· I believe that adults learn through practice and experience. As children, teenagers, and young adults, we are explicitly taught via lecture and direct instruction. As adults, I believe that we apply our critical thinking skills to evaluate what we learn in the real world and how its related to what we were taught as factual information. I feel that it is important to have a history and background information (i.e. curriculum as a child) in order to make well-informed judgments and conclusions. According to Lieb, adults are self directed and need facilitators to guide them through their own knowledge. I see that this course provides for this – especially through the final project which will require us to apply concepts of e-learning design that we have learned to our own domains of interest. The final project also connects to what Lieb references as our “foundation of life experiences and knowledge” and our need for relevance. For the face to face and online sessions, this Professor Schnupp has provided short and long term goals and objectives, tying in to the adult learner characteristic of being goal oriented. (JOANNA)

· Adults learn by communication, participation and practice. Children learn by lecture and emulation. They watch closely what they are instructed to do and what others do. Children are fearless on trying new things. They have no built in barriers. Adults have a lifetime of barriers that have come from past experiences. The key difference is adult learners need community and communication, children must be taught to communicate and work as a community or group. (LORNA)  · How do you believe adults learn? Adults learn by practicing and with experience. They also learn best when they are treated with respect. Adults have a wealth of experiences to draw from which they can incorporate in their learning. Adults might have a source of motivation whether it's advancement, or a personal interest. (Daniel)

How do children learn? Children can learn through concrete or abstract techniques. Similar to adults they also learn best when motivated. Also, children may prefer visual, tactile, or auditory learning techniques or tools. (Daniel)

What are the differences? One difference is adults have more experiences to draw from when learning (DANIEL)  · I definitely agree with Meghan that adults have to have a purpose for the material. Adults feel the need to find a reason and an answer to something, rather than just surfing the internet. Adults like to share their thoughts with others and receive feedback. Children on the other hand see learning as a burden when they are at school. They get through school because they have too, not because they necessarily want to (that is a judgement of mine). Children also like to explore and will not entirely focus on the task at hand. I think the Key Difference is that adults are much more self -motivated and focused, where children would rather do something they want to do. (SHANNON)  **Question 2: How do the Maryland Professional Development standards support the idea of building communities and promoting collaboration among adult learners? **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">There are different standards outlined that encourage building communities and collaboration amongst adult learners. Standard 3: Collaboration is a key to support this development. It suggests that professional development should create opportunities for teachers to work with a variety of others to gain better insight on specific issues relating to school and student improvement. It also suggests that there will be different points of view during the collaboration time period and the learners need to respect the others’ ideas. These collaboration periods need to be safe and supportive, which is outlined in Standard 5. (MEGHAN)

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The Professional development standards advise that adults are organized into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district. According to the standards, these a collaborative community should be a group of autonomous individuals that share ideas and influence one another. One of the the Maryland Professional Development standards is that professional development reflects how and why adults learn as well as what the best practices are in the workplace. The standards call for the combination of a variety of learning experiences and follow-up that include individual work, collaborative work, and frequent feedback. From what I know about this course so far, it follows the standards and indicators as we are required to complete a variety of individual and group activities. We are encouraged to learn from one another through follow-up and feedback. (JOANNA)

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Maryland Professional Development standards support the idea of a vibrant learning community and encourage collaborative experimentation through a process of planning, design, implementation and evaluation to ensure strong professional development communities. (LORNA) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Learning communities consist of groups of people whose goals are aligned. Maryland professional development standards encourages both individual and collaborative activities, practice, and reflection. They encourage problem solving, follow-ups, and emphasize feedback on work. (DANIEL) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Standard 3 definitely promotes community by stating that teachers collaborate in order to improve instruction. A community requires all to have a presence and state their opinions. The community will give feedback and comments, and although some may be criticizing others thoughts, they should always be positive in order to improve the way the community acts with each other. The standards also talk about how professional development is most effective when there are strong leaders, and leadership is therefore distributed to different parts of the community. This even relates to the duties for each of our teams. Work must be distributed between the community so ultimately they will all work together. (SHANNON)

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Question 3: Why is community so important for adult learners that it plays a strong role in the professional development standards **//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">? //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">

·  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Adult learners need to realize that why they are learning pertains to them and their careers and interests. When creating a strong community within the learning environment, adult learners can become more motivated and what they learn is more practical to their own lives. (MEGHAN)

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">According to Lieb, adults require motivation to participate in the learning process. Adults may have many barriers to learning including time, finances, and confidence. In order to encourage motivation for professional development and to reinforce efforts in professional development, a community is necessary. According to Lieb possible motivators for adult learners are social relationships and external expectations: both of which may be facilitated by a community. (JOANNA)

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Community provides the support and encouragement for new way of thinking, learning centeredness and goals that align with the larger professional standards. (LORNA) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Within a community, adults can learn from each other. Communities can also be a source of resource sharing. Adults can collaborate and share ideas, generating a wealth of knowledge. (DANIEL) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Community is so important to adult learners because learning by community reflects how we live our daily lives. Everyone is part of a community, be it a town, city, or even neighborhood. Adults are used to being social and expressing thoughts. Learning this way with a goal in mind to better themselves and improve their knowledge is important. Meghan, I agree that if the course relates to their lives, adult learners will have more motivation to be involved with the online community and be willing to post and receive feedback. (SHANNON)

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Question 4: In what ways can a well-fostered learning community compel adult learners to invest more in an online professional development experience? **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Adult learners have time to think about the topics in an online experience. The learners are not “put on the spot”. When working with others in a group, it sparks new ideas for the learners. (MEGHAN)

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">According to the literature review by Lowry, a well-fostered learning community may facilitate learner-centered, collaborative, and authentic learning. An online professional development experience may allow for convenient collaborative activities that are not restricted by physical place and time. One feature of an online learning community is that it may be accessible to any learner at any moment. This encourages participation and commitment. (JOANNA)

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Well-fostered learning communities compel adult learners by providing a support system that adult learners need to improve and experiment. Hands on professional development sets the stage for a comfort zone in which an inquisitive narrative can take place and learning is the goal. Follow up support with just in time tutorials and a community of learners to engage and collaborate with mentors their continued development. (LORNA) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">A well-fostered online learning community can promote conversations among adults. Online experiences can also strengthen and promote team building, leadership and communcation skills. Online communities can provide adults with flexibility with completing assignments. Adults do not have to be at a certain place at certain times. Online experiences permit adults to learn while maintaining busy schedules. Online communities can incorporate problem-solving, reflection, and resource sharing. Finally, online communities can allow adults to provide quick feedback on their peers work and thoughts. (DANIEL) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Adult learners want to engage in intellectual conversations with their peers, and want to better themselves. A learning community will bring adult learners together to a place where they can count on each other to expand their knowledge and interest on a particular subject. We live in and with different communities throughout our lives, so having that sense of comfort with an online community will definitely help enhance adult learners, their own motivation and eagerness to learn. (SHANNON)