Adult Learning Styles: Discussion on Kolb's Theory of Learning Styles and Silver and Hanson's Learning Style Inventory
Introduction
While
education and the learning process have been given great relevance in the
modern world, it has not being until fairly recently that adult learning has
been given closer attention and the knowledge base on adult education and
training comparatively improved. Knowles, Holton and Swanson (2005, p.35) point
out to the incongruity of this lack of interest in adult learners given the
fact that the great teachers of ancient times (Confucius, Jesus, Aristotle and
Plato) were all teachers of adults and not of children. Rothwell (2008)
proposes that the reason for the lag in interest in adult learning as compared
to childhood learning was from the misguided assumption that people do not
learn much after childhood. New realities have rendered this assumption
obsolete as the need for adult education has risen over the past few decades.
As a
result of modern day realities, adult learning has become an important and
indispensible faucet of today’s society. Despite this, research into adult
learning remains fairly limited compared to childhood learning research. Due to
the limitation in research on adult learning, most adult educators have a
stereotypical description of adult learners (Rose, Kasworm & Ross-Gordon,
2010). This misguided notion has led to the creation of a barrier to effective
learning by the adults therefore greatly hampering the education process. This
paper shall set out to perform a detailed research on the common adult learning
styles in existence. The significance of having knowledge on the learning
styles to the learners and the adult educators shall also be articulated.
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