Adult Learning Theories And Experiential Learning

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The adult learning theories reflect the ways in which the adults assimilate skills, attitude, knowledge, and information. The theories are the organised set of principles, which explains the process through which adults gain, retain, and recall the knowledge. In the field of education, the learning theories have played an important role in understanding the process of learning. These theories are widely used by the teachers and instructors in as guidelines, which significantly help in selecting appropriate tools, techniques, and strategies that can facilitate the learning process (Arghode, et.al., 2017). Adult require more clearance and insights considering how the learning will benefit them. With the changes in the environment

The three most popular adult learning theories include Vygotsky Learning Theory, Social Ecological Theory, and Experiential Learning. Each theory is different from the other and can be adopted according to the needs and requirements.

• (Festus, 2015) presented that Lev Vygotsky proposed the socio cultural theory of human learning. It describes learning as a social process as social interaction plays a vital role in the development of cognition. The model suggests that learning occurs in two levels, first through interaction with others and second through zone of proximal development. The zone area is known as the area of exploration for which students are cognitively prepared. In this situation, the students need assistance and social interaction, which helps in developing skills and capabilities. The teachers use scaffolding approach to support the learning and understanding of the students. The socio-cultural environment provides the individuals with a variety of tasks and demands, which helps in connecting and engaging with the society and world. In the teaching context, the application of the theory helps in considering both the teacher and the student as active agents in the learning process (Khalid,

The importance of learning has increased in the context of social changes and environmental development. The social learning has been defined as learning that occurs through the reciprocal interaction with the environment and others. It is said to be a metaphor that provides a way in order to understand the complexities of the factors that influence directly and indirectly to the education. Every adult is contributing towards the contextual factor and become a part of complex ecology with the system of interdependent social relationships of self-sustaining. The adults are learning in the ways at the workplace through educational trajectories and the complex intertwining of the social institutions like labour market, workplace, and community. Different social roles such as employees and citizens are at the various stages of the life-course. The social ecological theory suggests that there is an immediate and larger environment that influences the overall learning of an individual. Bronfenbrenner has presented five levels of environment, which include microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and choronosystem. (Ban, et.al.,