If you are interested in obtaining an adult education degree online, you have picked an exciting and rewarding field of study. It is very rewarding for an adult to have the ability to return to school and take a field of study they have always wanted to pursue. With online education, this prospect is even more rewarding because you can adapt your courses to fit your educational needs and your learning style. Adult education degree online is a great way to get reacquainted with your educational needs and to re-establish a tradition of learning for yourself that may help your family learn as well.

Learning online is the popular choice for those that have been out of the learning field for some time. You can spend time readjusting to learning with an online degree course and you can meet the challenges of your course without wasting your time and without embarrassment. Getting an adult education degree online is a fantastic way to return your mind to study mode and to get yourself together in terms of having an educational future; there is no time that is too late for entering into adult educational studies and the internet has made this a much easier task.

Challenging Yourself

Some adults merely take an adult education degree online to challenge themselves. There can be nothing more rewarding for an intellectual than challenging one’s brain at a later age to discover that it is still up to the problems and challenges of a post-secondary level educational program. It is a great ego boost to complete adult education in an online degree program form. Taking part in these types of programs has become more and more popular among people of all ages and types. Challenging yourself to learn can be very rewarding, indeed.

With adult education degree online programs, you have the option of picking from a wide variety of program types that will challenge you to work hard at what it is you plan to do. You can develop new study habits as you learn with the technological advances of completing a course online. You never know what great knowledge you can pour into your brain, too, with an adult education degree online. Getting started is only a matter of looking into what there is for you, so get started on your future today.

By: Gerri Stone

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While we have all heard stories of child prodigies and the importance of learning music as a child, an adult can still learn to play an instrument quite well. Even with no prior experience, the right training can help an adult learn to play music just as well as a child. The main thing is to find the right way to learn, whether it’s through a tutor or self-study.

Adult learners come with their own baggage, often from childhood lessons. Adult piano students may have had bad experiences with music lessons as a child. These can range from scary instructors to endless exercises or abusive teacher-student relationships. Sometimes a teacher may have punished the student for not being skilled enough, while other times a teacher may have pushed a promising student too hard. This is one of the hurdles that come with learning music as an adult.

Accepting the teacher as an authority figure is another difficulty that comes with learning music as an adult. An adult has learned to be independent. An adult wants to take part in the development of curriculum and wants to be able to self-evaluate. It may be difficult for an adult to simply listen and take instruction from a music instructor. So the best avenue for learning music as an adult may be to self-tutor or to find an instructor who teaches by long distance via the internet. There are many wonderful piano courses available nowadays on the web: just type in something like “play piano” on any search engine, and you’ll find several.

Though the process of learning music as an adult is different from a child’s, it’s not necessarily harder. For a child, making music is magical, while an adult sees the work involved to get to the music making stage. It’s mainly a mental hurdle that must be overcome. Also, learning music as a child is part of the natural development process, while learning music as an adult is usually part of a larger goal. For example, an adult learns how to play an instrument to join the church worship team.

Learning music as an adult can also be difficult because of ingrained personality traits. Even the most outwardly confident adults get insecure when someone points out their flaws. So it goes with learning music. If a tutor is used, an adult can get embarrassed when the tutor corrects a mistaken note or technique. Some adults may have difficulty breathing and concentrating when they’re highly nervous. All of these can lead to a difficult learning environment.

Adults also demand comfort. This is why adults often learn an instrument in their own home. Children are less demanding about the hardness of a piano bench, for example. Adults may have back problems or other conditions that require a high comfort level.

So the basic ingredients for learning music as an adult are adaptable tutoring, reason for learning, confidence and comfort. By taking these key points and seeking the best method of learning for yourself, you can become an adult musical genius — well, maybe not a genius — maybe just a person who has more fun. Or maybe you’ll be the guy or gal at parties who knows how to play the latest song everyone is talking about. With the right teaching, grown ups can enjoy playing music wherever they go.

By: Duane Shinn

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Kansieo.com

A Doctorate in Education (EdD) is the degree that opens any door in the education field. If you are an experienced education professional then this degree is designed to satisfy your needs both educationally and professionally

As you are aware a doctorate is a research level degree, and in distance learning the format is the same however with more flexibility to conduct independent research that allows you to manage you own schedule and allows you to utilize knowledge from your own practical experience in the field.

Most EdD courses offer a well-rounded education that is focused on diversity and equality as well as delivering an education that allows for sustained personal development throughout your career. In these programs you will discover that there is a balanced effort in both theory and practice. And you will gain a well-rounded education by exploring educational, social and environmental change in a range of settings.

An EdD distance learning degree is suitable for adult professionals in many education and related fields, like:

* Lecturers who are currently involved in the education field.
* NGO working in global settings trying to expand educational practices in diverse cultures.
* Teachers with masters degrees who are looking at higher leadership roles in their profession.
* Governmental employees or appointees who are wish to be involved at policy creation at the highest level.
* Professionals in industries that support the education community.

The distance learning school you choose for your EdD will need to be and adult education university with both accreditation and the ability to provide you with a high quality learning program in both teaching and research.

By: James Pentington III

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I once had a friend say to me that she would have loved to have learned to play an instrument when she was younger, but now “she’s not a kid anymore” and that “it’s just too late” for her to take adult music lessons.

My first reaction to her statement was how sad I felt for someone who has given up on the possibility of achieving something that she had wanted to when she was a child. It appeared that the thought of taking adult music lessons was something that she considered to be absurd. Afterward, I considered the fact that with a full time job, three kids, a husband, a home to maintain, and several other constraints on her time and sanity, it may not be practical for her to consider taking music lessons. The next day, I called her regarding a thought that had suddenly occurred to me.

Now I’m fast-forwarding to the modern day! Two months ago, I had dinner with Janine and her family. It was the first time in over a year since I had seen them. After dinner, Janine said “I have a surprise for you!” She sat down at the piano and played her favorite song, “The Wind Beneath My Wings” for me.

She was far from sounding like a concert pianist, but she sounded good. She had command over the instrument, had memorized the song, and was smiling all the way through it. She thanked me immediately after she was finished performing.

There are many advantages regarding downloads of adult music lessons. Here’s a few!

1. You won’t be inconvenienced getting to another location at a specific time every week!

2. You can watch and listen to a download (that will come straight to your computer) as often, and whenever you choose!

3. Most series of downloads are less expensive than 2 music lessons that would be out of your way to get to!

4. You can download lessons for any age and level that you choose to.

You can’t achieve what you give up on. The time is now and yours for the taking!

By: Andre R.

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Caffeinated Content

Learning music as adults is different than what we did as children. Have you noticed just how excited a child can get when they get a new technique or understanding of theory? How about gleaming an understanding of a new chord, improved sound, or completing a new song?

These learning experiences were fun, new, exciting, and enchanted us with curiosity. However, as adults, our frustration levels are high due to our lack of time and ability to focus on our intended hobby or pursuit, particularly when we consider music.

In this day of instant gratification, our frustration and disappointment levels go up even higher as we struggle with all the obligations of time. We need to be able to step back and take a look at our learning challenges.

How can we get back to a fun filled learning experience? There are three issues I would like you to consider in order to get on the right track.

It’s a Journey

The first thing to understand is that it is a long journey. Actually it’s a lifetime journey. This is a mindset where we have to acknowledge that it’s not that we can’t do it, but how are we going to make the trip.

Most of us don’t have the time to master anything like a musical instrument in a short period of time. If playing music is your goal be realistic about the time you can devote to this pursuit.

Plan on making a consistent effort and devote a small amount of time every day to your goal. Add more time when it is available. 5 to 10 minutes of focused time will gain you far more than an hour of worry about how you aren’t doing enough.

It’s done in steps

Second, it is done in steps, you start out with a little knowledge and add to it step by step.

Come to grips with learning to play music is just like learning a martial art or any sport for that matter.

You start out as a white belt, novice, or newbie and add abilities to gain the next level of experience and expertise. In music we start as beginners and advance to intermediate, advanced, amateur, and for the few with the passion and talent to professional and virtuoso.

Realizing that it’s the steps that get you there, makes it easier to set goals as smaller increments of effort and time. Adopt this concept and you will overcome hurdles in both accomplishments and lowering of frustration levels.

Failure is the path to success.

This idea of failure is our third issue. Many of us get into a frame of mind that we can’t fail. To the point where I’ve seen people not even start because they thought they might fail or be disappointed.

When I was learning music as an adult I would watch the kids perform at our mini concerts. We would watch a newbie just total crash in front of everyone. Our teacher would get up and explain the challenges of performing for the first few times and have everyone give the performer a hand for having the courage to get up and give it a go. The second and third times up the lessons of practice and preparation started to pay off and they got better and more relaxed with each performance.

I was so motivated by this I was one of the first adults to volunteer to play in these performances. Yes I failed several times as well, but acknowledging that I could fail just motivated me to do better next time. Now I love to perform and at one point performed a 25 minute Beethoven sonata as a turning point in overcoming all the previous downfalls.

Whatever the learning method, it has to be done in steps. Take this into consideration and it will reduce the frustration levels. Allow yourself to fail, no better yet, go out and fail just to see what it is like. Take the experience and see how you can improve it for the next time by focusing in small steps to use the failure as a path to success.

By: Brad Chidester

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adult learning

After you’ve been out of school for a few years, the idea of taking adult education classes can seem intimidating or even scary for many people. After all, most people have their life somewhat organized after they’ve been out of school a while. They may have a job, a family and children, and feel quite secure in their role as an adult. So going back to school can in some ways be seen as a step backwards, away from the reality and security of adult life.

But the truth is, deciding to attend adult education classes can be a big step forward in your life, even though it may not seem that way at first glance. Continuing or completing your education as an adult is richly rewarding, and we’ll give you the satisfaction of having achieved something important in your life — a type of milestone.

One common reservation about going back to school is finding the time in your busy life for study. But with a little commitment and preparation, all of us can find creative ways to free up time during the week. Perhaps you will need to cut back on your extracurricular activities, or delegate certain responsibilities to your spouse for a period of time. But as someone once said, anything worth achieving requires sacrifice.

If you’re interested in continuing your education, but nervous about the concept of going back to school, there’s good news: it is now possible to attend online adult education courses, bypassing the traditional classroom altogether. Online learning also is easier to work into your schedule for several reasons.

You see, unlike traditional classroom education, online learning is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are normally no fixed times when you must “attend” classes; instead, you are presented with a series of tasks, which you can then complete on your own time frame.

Even those of us with hectic job and family schedules can find a few minutes here and there to study online. And the more you get into it, the more you will find creative ways to make the most of the time you do have available during the week. Online education conforms to your specific situation — not the other way around, and is without a doubt the best way to go back to school as an adult.

But besides being able to work your studies around your schedule, online education saves you time and money in other ways. For example, you never have to rush home after work, just to grab a quick bite to eat and then rush back out the door to drive across town for a class. This saves you gas money, a great deal of stress, and makes the most of the free time you have, so that you can continue to have a life while you study.

And Internet educational resources have developed to the point where you can study for a wide range of adult education degrees online. Many people also find this way of studying easier, because classes are normally presented in video format, which means that you can watch them over and over again as many times as you like until the information “sinks in.”

If you have been considering adult education, but were nervous at the prospect of going back to school, online adult education could be a perfect solution for you to advance in your career and life.

By: Craig Thornburrow

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adult learning

Adult learning is a sensitive issue to handle especially in the field of providing accurate knowledge, understanding with a practical approach. There are three basic things included in the adult learning namely; the motivation to learn, curriculum designing for adults, and things already known to them in the classroom. Let us discuss all of these in brief:

Motivation to Learn

1. The basic reason for which adults go out for learning experiences is to cope with the changes occurred due to constant life-changing events such as marriage, divorce, a new working opportunity, a promotion and other such events.

2. It is found that that the ratios of people who have faced many changes seek out more learning opportunities than the people who have encountered less in their lives. It simple means that motivation comes through practical implementation.

3. One’s perception plays a great role in seeking out the learning opportunities in one’s life. It is very obvious that people choose learning opportunities entirely on the basis of their life’s experiences and situations.

4. Some adults do not wait for any incident or situation to get influenced for seeking the right learning opportunity. They are willing to engage in any learning things that may interest them.

5. Making the knowledge practical for usage and usable in life can be the biggest motivating source in life.

Curriculum Design

1. Studies reveal that adults are less interested in multiple concepts and theories at the same time; instead they prefer to be taught by a single concept and theory, heavily supported by examples.

2. To rotate the learning cycle of any adult learner, a tutor has to infuse new ideas into the existing concepts and theories.

3. Some people like contradicting older axioms and thus found pleasure in re-evaluation of the old well-established concepts and theories.

4. Some people give emphasis upon quick learning tips and techniques and unusual tasks to get the absolute fun.

5. Having a well-developed mentality sometimes can make a person stubborn and make it difficult to face the criticism in most people. Therefore, most people prefer tried methods in order to take fewer risks.

In the Classroom

1. To maintain the interest in the classroom, emphasis must be given upon the physical as well as psychological comfort of adults. Short lectures, provisions of taking breaks, easier approaches and convenient environment are important.

2. Usually, adults have high self-esteem and ego that may clash while carrying out a lesson or lecture.

3. People with bad basic learning may develop a refrained feeling about classroom lecture.

4. The expectations of an adult learn is usually higher than a beginner. They expect to learn faster and become critical in case they failed to learn in the pre-decided time schedule.

5. The practical life experiences of adults vary a lot. They bring their experiences in the classroom to and apply their learning to evaluate their experiences.

Find a tutor Chicago and get the best learning experiences. Tutor Chicago is considered as value addition to the education and has created own niche when it comes to imparting the real knowledge.

By: Anirban Bhattacharya

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Adults approach learning differently than children. While a child may accept an authority figure in the classroom imparting knowledge, the adult is not.

Often published articles about music instruction and playing refer to children and their psychological and educational development compared to students that do not study music. How an adult learns is an important issue to consider while formulating music instruction.

Some areas to contemplate if you are studying music or teach music to adults are:

Self-Direction

Adults generally assume independence and expect to take part in the process of developing instruction as well as an active position in the evaluation of their performance. They prefer to work at their own pace in the areas they choose and feel that their “grade” or result should match their expectations of what they should receive.

The best avenue of instruction for an adult then is not a large classroom with an authoritative instructor but either through independent study, where they in a sense act as the student and the instructor themselves, or one-on-one with a respectful tutor that facilitates the attainment of knowledge.

Level of Physical Comfort

Kindergarten students may sit around in a circle on the floor or a high school student may concede to sit in a small desk with a hard wooden seat, but adults prefer and demand comfort. Some adults are set in their ways so to speak, they “like it how they like it,”period.

To address the desired comfort level of adults either the classroom accommodates, or they choose to hire a tutor to instruct in their home or they learn through an independent course at home. They might also want to consider the instrument they choose in relation to how it is played. For example, a smoker that gets winded quickly might have more success learning the guitar or piano as opposed to a wind instrument like a saxophone or trombone.

Insecurity or Embarassment

Some adults are uncomfortable learning new things or not knowing how to do things. In their employment or at home, they may feel confident about their abilities and problem solving skills but in a new situation, they may feel inadequate or awkward. To counteract these feelings of insecurity, embarrassment or inadequacy adults usually overcompensate by trying to do everything perfectly, they ask the instructor many probing questions to try to focus information and requirements, and take their time to accomplish tasks in order to avoid mistakes.

In music instruction, the adult wants all the information they can get a hold of, they are less inclined to try things without some kind of knowledge base. Whereas a child may blow into a trumpet and not worry about how badly it sounds, whether they know how to read the music or where to put their fingers, they do it just for fun, adults want to master it and not “make a fool of themselves.”

The instructor or teaching method needs to be able to respond to the adults’ intense need for detail and affirmation. While an adult may do well in a formal education setting for a music theory or history class, when in comes to playing an instrument private instruction is a better choice to put the student at ease and allows for plenty of inquiries.

Prior Experience and Application

Young students have few experiences to afford them the ability to imagine a ‘real life’ application of knowledge. Adults may have decades of knowledge and experiences brought into the classroom with them and they can see how information may apply to other aspects of their life or to other areas of study.

When an adult is learning to play music, they want to be able to apply their knowledge and experiences. So many adults do not desire to learn music just for the sake of it, but to be able to play at their church or in a band or to compose their own music. They come to learn music with a goal and prior expectations.

Adults that desire to learn music are goal oriented, exercise autonomy, and require respect and comfort. So if you are planning to learn a new skill, such as playing the piano, or you are a teacher planning your curriculum consider the unique requirements of the adult student.

References:

Kearsley, Greg. Explorations in Learning & Instruction: The Theory into Practice Database Andragogy (M. Knowles). http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html>

Lieb, Stephen. Principle of Adult Learning. http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committtees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm>

Smith, M. K. planning your curriculum ‘Malcolm Knowles, informal adult education, self-direction and anadragogy’, the encyclopedia of informal education. http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-knowl.htm.>

By: Pamela Stevens

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Create a video blog

Online learning is the hot topic these days as millions of dollars are being invested in new technologies, such as the Internet, with the expectation that education at all levels will be revolutionized. Newspapers now have feature sections about the Internet and technology-related self-help books are proliferating. Technology is frequently hailed as the “magic pill” that will somehow provide solutions to the organizational and political issues that are endemic to adult education. Adult and continuing education programs are rushing to become players in the new world of global technology, searching for new applications while fearful of “being left behind.” Discussions seem to center around the impact of technology on online learning provision, but perhaps these discussions are reflective of the past rather than predictive of the future.

Online learning technologies have been primarily used, historically, to extend access to classroom instruction to rural or isolated sites. For the most part, adult online learning programs have done that with high levels of success long before the Internet or computer networks were cost effective. Efforts such as Project Leap in Mississippi and the GED on TV are excellent examples of successful and effective online learning programs. Overall, it is evident that online learning programs have exceeded their potential in enabling adults in rural and isolated communities to gain access to instruction.

However, is providing access to “a traditional classroom” reason enough to expand investments in such new technologies as desktop video conferencing and the Internet? Is the goal simply to make a better mouse-trap (i.e., a faster machine to deliver traditional classroom-based instruction)? We can improve our existing online learning programs cheaply by simply upgrading existing broadcast and cable systems. Instead, the emergence of new technologies enables us to shift our focus from the delivery of classroom-based instruction to the delivery of new materials and the facilitation of new ways of learning. In this environment, issues of instructional content, information resources, leaning theory, and quality are paramount. The question is not, “How can we transport the classroom?” but rather, “What can we do with the new technologies to reform, change, and improve adult learning?”

Clearly, we are no longer talking about online learning but rather beginning to envision distance learning:

o What does learning look like when it is not bound by four walls and the knowledge base of one teacher?

o How can we modify our organizational structures to enable learners to interact from a distance with more than one instructor, other learners, and extensive, accessible resources?

o How can we begin to conceptualize and initiate learning experiences that capitalize on this new extended learning environment?

Using technology to create new models of adult learning may have an impact on the adult education provision system. Adult education programs will become hubs of learning instead of just places to learn. Does this mean that formal classroom-based instruction will be viewed as obsolete and will be replaced? Actually, the number of classroom-based instructional settings could increase as adults encounter educational demands in new settings. Those who had never before considered entering an adult education program via the front door may soon enter on-line, realize their educational needs, become motivated to learn, and then choose to participate in adult education classes that provide face-to-face interactions.

How successful we are in moving from the familiar model of online learning to the future model of distance learning will depend in part on the assumptions and preparations we make now. We can begin to define and plan for what we want to happen. To influence the future, we must be proactive. To wait passively, will relegate us to the role of adjusting to changing technological and learning environments that will be thrust upon us, We suggest six assumptions as points from which to develop a model of distance learning:

o Traditional classroom-based models of online learning will be enhanced not replaced by the new technologies. Classroom-based models of online learning will change, but they will have an important and viable role. New technologies will be used to enhance formal learning. Students will have Internet tools at their fingertips to help develop their own learning paths.

o Self-authoring of learning activities will be commonplace. In the past, the resources required to customize learning were not available to teachers, let alone adult learners. Networking technologies, such as the Internet, and multimedia databases will greatly increase access to learning resources on a scale unknown to adult education. Distance learning will, at some level, be about customizing learning for specific learners.

o Instructors will become facilitators of learning not transmitters of knowledge. Research has shown that advanced skills are acquired not through the transmission of facts but through the learner interacting with content Learners learn more effectively when they create, build, and interact with knowledge, thereby constructing their own meaning.

o The future of learning will be about connecting learning to the world of work and home. New technologies can provide those important links so learning will be relevant and skills developed in one setting can be transferred to other settings (home, work, school).

o Collaborative learning will be stressed. Most adult learning emphasizes individual achievement and solving problems without the aid of other people. However, in the world of work and personal relationships, collaborative problem solving is not an exception but rather the role. Collaborative learning focuses on processes rather than isolated topics or simple one-word answers. With the development of collaborative computing, adult learners at different places can come together on-line to collaboratively solve problems anytime and anywhere.

o Staff development and teacher training will need to be continuous and ongoing. Traditional staff development models of workshops and conference presentations will not meet the need for continuous on-going technology. New methods of continuous improvement and training will need to be developed. Technology will help, but staff development will need to be readily available.

Planning for the future of distance learning requires envisioning how learning should change for a changing world. Distance learning will only be successful if it is educationally grounded and not driven by the technology. Technology will be a powerful tool that we use for a continuous renewal, reflection, and improvement. However, it will not in itself create a learning community of thousands of teachers and learners interacting and borrowing resources while at the same time building and providing new resources. Only people with ideas can do that.

By: Mathew Simond

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If you haven’t already–as a public speaker, you should dedicate yourself to a lifetime study of adult learning principles. It will pay you colossal dividends.

And there’s a lifetime of “adult learning stuff” to learn. Today we’ll look at one such principle; Elaborative Rehearsal.

It’s more than practice. It’s a proactive approach of making the most out of past learning in order to maximize new learning.

For your audiences to make the most out of this proven learning and memory technique, you will have to teach them. Most adult learner just aren’t aware of these methods. Here are five tips you can pass alone to all of your audiences.

1. Proper Note Taking. For a learners notes to enhance one’s memory, it is important that a learner is able to record the speakers ideas in their own words. And, as a presenter you need to tell them so.

2. Paraphrasing. This is like the above note taking, except that care is given to the actual words the note-taker uses. Ideally, the words the learner replaces the speaker’s with has equal or added meaning to the learner.

3. Predicting. It will help a listener to project a speakers message into the future. This “projection” allows a person to simulate the material they are learning in the theater of their mind.

4. Questioning. A good Q and A will help your audience learn your principles better. Challenge your audience to come up with creative and meaningful questions, and then dig into them together.

5. Summarizing. There much talked about the concept but it is seldom used in most learning environments. Plan a specific, “Now what did we learn here today?”

There’s a lot more to the idea of Elaborative Rehearsal than these five tips, and we’ll discuss them in future articles.
The “take-away” today is the need for the public speaker to “train” their audiences how to use elaborative rehearsal to their greatest learning benefit.

One thing that will help your audiences to be able to “practice” your message is a strong visual representation of your message. The presentation world calls these graphics by many things, Process Models, Method Maps, Matrix’s, and Hierarchy Models, etc.

Wayne Kronz

By: Wayne Kronz

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Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress