2016 Annual Conference

What is adult development? What relevance do adult development theories and models have to the practice of adult basic education? Our philosophy of adult development informs our teaching. For example, if we believe that people mature by passively absorbing knowledge and reacting to their environments, our instruction differs from others.

The target audience for this sessions hopefully will be teachers and other professionals who have direct contact with adult learners in their college or university. Since research show that the aging population is enter college at about 73 percent; it is important that practitioners are prepared to address this population different from that of the average student 18 to 22 years of age. Adult learners learn different from the traditional student. Therefore, it is important that this audience is targeted. Adult learners learn different the traditional student, there the teaching method should be tailored to meet their needs.

This session will highlight the four lenses through which adult development will be seen. These four lenses are: behavioral/mechanistic, cognitive/psychological, contextual/socio-cultural, and integrative. The presenter intent to discuss each of these lenses and show how they impact the lives of adult learners and their development. This presentation will show that programmed learning is one method of instruction used by teachers who champion the behavior/mechanistic approach of development. The second/psychological/cognitive approach to development asserts that people reach more complex, integrated levels of development through active participation with their environment. The contextual/socio-cultural perspective on development works from the point of view that adult development cannot be understood apart from the socio-historical context in which it occurs (Miller, 1993). The integrated approach to adult development takes a holistic view of adult development. This perspective is focused on how the intersections of mind, body, and socio-cultural influences affect development (Clark & Caffarella, 1999). Teachers who espouse the integrated approach to adult development believe in the interconnection between mind, body, spirit, and socio-cultural factors. They are interested in promoting students' growth intellectually, physically, emotionally, aesthetically, and spiritually (Miller, 1993). Therefor, those believing in the integrative approach recognize the intersection between mind, body, spirit, and socio-cultural factors.