Learning as Adults

I was recently thinking about the way adults learn and why is it that we find it so hard to change practices even though we learn so many new ideas, strategies and principles. One reason could be that we only give ourselves time to read and understand new ideas, but don’t wait long enough for us to internalize them. Adult learning is not so much about understanding new information, or memorizing it. It is more about using information effectively in what we do.

Here’s one way that this can be done easily. The next time you finish reading an article, a book or watching a video that’s related to your profession, take a few moments to reflect. Think about the answer to this question- “Based on what I have learned, I will ______________.” Decide on a small action, a measurable goal, or even just a one time project that you will do to apply what you have read. When you implement that, you will be one step closer to becoming a better teacher and a more effective professional.

Why is it that we read so much, but find it hard to implement in our classrooms?

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