Jeffs Book Blog: Mentor: Guiding the Journey of Adult Learners: Mentor: Guiding the Journey of Adult Learners
The book involves various stories with real life scenarios that include a very in-depth message regarding the learning process. Daloz refers to the learner as a "traveler" which I really like as we do travel through life and the learning process. I am a huge advocate of behavioristic learning and Daloz discusses how some learning has changed our lives forever. In part two of the book he describes the learning process as a transformative journey, life altering changes. Travelers react in a variety of ways to this discovery. For some the new challenges is a "welcome freshness," for others this process can be a stiff challenge and will be achieved only after considerable turmoil, and for others the pressures prove to be too great and they retrieve to their comfort zones without venturing forward into the unknown. Wow, so many interesting concepts that involve real life meaning making transformations.
Ok...Finally. Ok..Wow, now I can't get into my blog to record pertinent information from my book to comment on. This summer semester has been quite the nightmare. Anyways, the book I read, Mentor: Guiding the Journey of Adult Learners is quite the interesting book. Alot of real life scenario's/stories depicting a distinct meaningful learning message. I also like the fact that several authors and researchers/theorists are mentioned. The transformation from Piaget and his theory of different stages that people pass through regarding growth and development to Loevinger, Kohlberg, and Gilligan's approach on "pre-conventional stance of survival to a conventional orientation to be fit and accepted by society, from our very own personal survival to our wish to conform and be accepted.
ReplyDeleteThere is a chapter that really stands out to me and it talks of the role of the facilitator(teacher). Providing structure to even adult learners is encouraged along with expressing positive expectations. One student interviewed, described her mentors as "they gave me confidence in myself," "kept pushing me and telling me I could do it," and "had faith in me even when I didn't."
Do you feel that as adults, that it is still important to receive positive feedback and reinforcement when striving to achieve goals and objectives, or even after we complete a project? And does that positive feedback, as compared to very little feedback or no feedback at all, predict our motivational tendencies?
The book refers to education as "care." The proper aim of education is to promote significant learning. In my undergraduate program 300 years ago, I referred to significant learning as "real learning," learning that produces a significant change in one's attitude and behavior. Daloz talks about asking broader and deeper questions of the relationship between oneself and the world. Meaning making has always been an intricate part of my "being." The stories depict real meaning and it allows me to relate to these stories on a very personal level. As a mentor of adults, the term care runs very deep and Daloz emphasizes this through all of the stories. He explains that we continuously put together structures that give our life meaning. In the adult education program, it has been just that for me from class to class. THe discussions, the reflections, it has all been an invaluable meaning making process for me and a very priceless experience.
ReplyDeleteHe compares our journey to that of courage and explains that success at the educational venture is "less a function of brains than of balance and courage." His analogy is that of walking, "invoking a deliberate forward thrust, throwing us off center, demanding compensation." "Each step in it's own way threatens us with annihilation." I will admit that there were segments of the book that were so incredibly in depth that I did not completely grasp the real intent of each story as the whole complexity thing was beyond my realm of thought.