Saturday, February 5, 2011

Happy Birthday Perpetual Andragogy! with a revisit to Why Go Back to School Now?

I can't believe it's been a Year already! Thank You for reading what I have to say as an Adult Learner and taking this wonderful journey through the World of Academia with me. Your words of encouragement, with your public and private comments, only reinforces  my decision.

Looking back on this first post, I see I have strayed from my original plan of drawing correlations between Knowles' principles of the Adult Learner and my real world application through experience. I believe I still have the spirit of this theme though. 

 CSN (my first college) is almost as old as I am.

Have you, or someone you know considered a return to college? If yes and you don't know where to start, hop on over to the wiki. (just click the blue wiki button at the top right) It's not too late and no one is ever too old. Heck I'm (darn, those number keys aren't working) but let's suffice it to say my first concert (age 4) was Paul Revere and the Raiders. How's that for a flashback?   

Thank You again for reading. I am having great fun! I just love adding all this Scholarly information to my life experience. It feels right; that it should be this way. If you have any questions about college as an Adult Learner, drop me a line at Kathleen@perpetualandragogy.com

I'm claiming bragging rights for coolest college commute!
This is on the way home from UNLV



Why Go Back to College Now?

I wanted to be a Librarian, but when I looked at the qualifications, it required a Bachelor's Degree. (actually a Master's, but more on that later.) OK, but where to start and would it be worth it? 

The Chetham Library was founded in 1653 and is the oldest known Library in the English speaking World. Photo used with permission granted by Darby Sawchuck. Be sure to visit this wonderful Photographer.

After much research and positive self-talk, I mustered the courage and enrolled. I started slowly, with only a couple of classes, just to get my feet wet. At orientation I learned of a course called College Success. It was recommended for Freshman and Nontraditional Students.

Returning to college after 25 years well qualified me for  Nontraditional student status. Out with the math class, in with the College Success class. I added The History of Rock and Roll. "You can actually get credit for that?" I marveled, 
"Sign me up!"

What's That Sound?: An Introduction to Rock and Its History (Second Edition) That was in the Fall of 2008. It is now Spring Semester of 2010 and forty class hours later. Along the way, I have learned something about myself. I don't learn the same way my younger traditional classmates do. With experience comes different ways to think about problems or theory set forth in standard curriculum. I ask more questions, hoping I am not dominating the discussion, and look for more interactions and applications of what is being presented.

I knew there had to be others like me, or somebody must have addressed this aspect of education. A bit of research later brought me to Malcolm S. Knowles and his theory of Andragogy. In his chart, Andragogy in Practice, I found the Six Core Adult Learning Principles. 

The Adult Learner, Sixth Edition: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource DevelopmentProfessor Knowles and his contemporaries wrote this from the outside looking in. I have the great benefit of writing from the perspective of an Adult Learner in Action. In future Blogs I will share a learning experience, draw correlations between the experience and one or more of Professor Knowles' principles, then relate it to you in what I hope will be an informative and entertaining style.


Until then, I leave you with this.

 Hernry Latham Doherty from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory 

Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study. 
Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life.