1. David Ferguson
Leah Hardesty
Sharon Knott
OLIT 561
March 27, 2011
Museum Exercise
Adult Learning @ Explora
2. Example 4 - Meaningful Reception Learning
• Knowles' 6 assumptions of learner centered learning.
3. Example 6 – Constructivism & Meaningful Learning and Schema Theory
The quality of observation was
active which gave meaningful
connections and they certainly
seemed satisfied with their
expectations.
4. Overall Team Contributions
• David Ferguson-Screven overview, behaviorism observation, bicycle pictures
• Leah Hardesty-Bubbles pictures and motivational learning, water pictures and
constructivism comments, Power Point development
• Sharon Knott-Music picture and observations about meaningful learning, water
picture, interview with Paul Tatter
Paul Tatter, the associate director of Explora, offered
this insight into the exhibits. He said,
"when an exhibit gets out of the way of the learning
experience, it has done it's job."
Notes de l'éditeur
Explora is all about hands on learning. The creators of Explora wanted to have an open and encouraging learning environment were people, kids and adults, have the ability to touch and explore the different exhibit activities. The exhibits in Explora provide visitors with an “achievable, tangible goal accomplishes several things: (a) it can initiate focused attention to unfamiliar information, even when the topic appears uninteresting; and (b) it can help them integrate new information with existing. Attitudes, and dispositions” (Screven, p. 168). David, will do the introduction with connections to Screven.
This sound exhibit seemed to motivate mostly prior knowledge learners for a longer time. Having any kind of familiarity with music would allow learners to be able to interpret experiences using internal cognitive operations based on their prior knowledge. The sound exhibit had a more intimate setting with room for only 2-3 people at a time. I watched quite a few couples enter, but for those who stayed and played longer, at least one of them had more prior knowledge, often music related. I asked. Paul Tatter did say the exhibits try to be all inclusive and that," even an auditory challenged learner could still feel the vibrations.”Considering Knowles six assumptions of andragogy:1. The need to know. Adults feel the need to know why they should learn (Knowles, 1984).2. The learners’ self-concept. As people mature, they become less dependent and more self-directed; thus, they develop a need to be recognized, and treated, by others as a self-directed human being (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007).3. The role of the learners’ experiences. Adults enter education with a lifetime of experience that "has several consequences for adult education" (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 1998, p. 66).4. Readiness to learn. For an adult to learn, the learning experience must align with his/her developmental tasks thus far (1998, p. 67). 5. Orientation to learning. Adults are motivated to learn new material if applicable to their real-life situations- adults are life centered (1998, p. 67).6. Motivation. Adults’ primary motivators to learn come from internal desires rather than external rewards (1984).It is important to understand what motivation means to both the adult learner and the adult instructor in order to build and utilize instructional strategies. Adult motivation is operated in three integrated levels of success + volition, success + volition + value and success + volition + value + enjoyment. The last level is adult has experienced the learning as pleasurable. To help adults learn in enjoyable manner is the task of motivating learning and motivating instruction.This couple had no auditory challenges. They were very interested and became involved a long time. Notice the graceful (but manly) body language of the learner holding the instrument and the smile on his listener's face. Fun learning is good learning. He is very hands-on and she is very ears-on; interactive and a good match with skills and/or prior knowledge.
