Adult Learning & Neuroscience

LuWaune Netter

In this module, we will explore adult learning theory (andragogy), particularly Malcolm Knowles' 6 Assumptions on adult learning as well as a little bit about neurobiology of learning. Why do we want to learn about andragogy and neuroscience? Simply put, knowing how the human brain works when it comes to learning, and knowing how adults are motivated to learn, can help us facilitate more effective learning environments for adult learners. When we know what is likely to engage and motivate our students and offer activities that help students learn effectively, we can smooth the path for meeting our teaching and learning objectives.

Autonomy - Connection - Mastery. Motivation, Cognitive Conflict (a.k.a. Productive Struggle) and Active Learning. (5:38 min)

Explore Adult Learning & Neuroscience
We invite you to explore the wide variety of materials below, but there is no expectation that you will read them all.

Research-based Teaching Methods You Can Implement Now

Check out Small teaching : everyday lessons from the science of learning, by James Lang and/or Small teaching online : applying learning science in online classes The Antioch Library offers both as free e-books to Antioch students and employees.

I can't recommend these books more highly for a jump start on implementing research-based strategies like: Predicting, Interleaving, and Retrieval Practice.

More on the Neurobiology of Learning

Neuroscience: learning in 4 steps - Attention, Active Engagement, Feedback, & Consolidation (4:11 min)
Brain-based Learning - The Neurobiology of Learning (5:10 min)
The Neuroscience of Learning (3 min)
How We Learn As We Age - The science that proves that we are all life-long learners. TEDxAlex Castel (18:42)
BOOK: How We Learn - The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens by Benedict Carey
BOOK: The New Science of Learning - How to learn in Harmony With Your Brain by Todd Zakrajsek
People discount the value of temporally distant rewards to an extreme and irrational degree. Bryan, C., Yeager, D., Hinojosa, C., Chabot, A., Bergen, H., Kawamura, M., & Steubing, F. (2016). Harnessing adolescent values to motivate healthier eating. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(39), 10830–10835.
Metacognition - Vanderbilt University CFT

Putting it to Use in the classroom

"Retrieval Practice is a simple research-based teaching strategy that dramatically raises students’ grades. When students retrieve and bring information to mind, this mental challenge produces durable, long-term learning. Easy learning leads to easy forgetting. Stop cramming, reviewing, and re-teaching. Instead, simply ask students what they remember. No prep, no grading, just powerful teaching." --- Argues Poojarwal
BOOK: Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning, by James Lang
BOOK: Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes by Flower Darby and James Lang
Using Adult Learning Principles to Create Effective Training Erik Black, PhD University of Florida (1:35:19)
Teaching Adult Undergraduate Students

Learning Outcomes

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Identify the principles of adult learning theory (andragogy)
Understand the basics about the neurobiology of learning,
Apply the principles of andragogy in your educational context,
Use research-based teaching methods in your courses.

The neuroscience of emotion and learning (9:43 min)

On the Neuroscience of Social Connection

You might be wondering what the neuroscience of social connection has to do with how adults learn. I admit it is tangential to the main topics, but Matthew Lieberman's book, Social: Why our brains are wired to connect, illustrates the idea that in the brain, social pain is equivalent to physical pain and I think this ties in nicely to the neurobiology of learning, social-emotional learning and to our next module, Trauma-Informed Pedagogy. While the video below doesn't talk about learning explicitly, I think you will see the relevance and why I included it: