Automation, online learning, and career changes are all massive trends happing in Adult education according to this article and various others I have come across lately. In reflection, I was in many resects part of the “Great Resignation”. Workers who during Covid and post Covid , realized that something needed to change in their lives. That commuting to a 40 hr work week was not making them happy and made them leave their careers to pursue something different.

I believe that it is important for future educators to understand that adults who return to school often do so as part a major changes in their personal lives that are tied to emotional significant aspects. As a future instructor it is important for me to consider this and reflect on my own path as an adult seeking new learning experiences. Furthermore, not everyone fits the same glove when it comes to Adult Education. Many simply want more internal opportunities to improve their skills inside their current fields. Others are looking at spending their remaining years of work, doing something that generally interests them and makes them happy.

The article notes a few major demographic predictions when it comes to adult education: There there are less men going back to school and more women returning in hopes of achieving better pay equity. There will be more learners over 50 as those who tried to retire early, will see their financial needs strained and thus force them to return. What does this mean as a future educator? That preparation for an influx of possibly older learners, particularly women, requires us to understand the needs of this demographic. Additionally, the new technologies required to teach online have changed so rapidly that when institutions offer hybrid educational experiences, we as instructors must have the skills to work in either form. Meaning many instructors themselves will be returning to school in a train the trainers type scenario.

Many of these trends reflect what I have learned about Andragogy. That as adults we focus our learning experiences on problem solving–ie they are problem centered. That our internal motivation’s and readiness to learn also propel us in to new experiences but that we also need reasons why we are learning what we are learning (Merriam and Bierema, 2014). When I left my previous job in the field of Social Services to find new horizons, it was a tumultuous, emotionally draining time that triggered many negative reactions. On the flip side, the opportunity for new learning experiences drove my hopes forward. It is important that we keep these things in mind and create meaningful and empathic classroom experiences.

https://www.continuum.uw.edu/latest-news/articles/post-pandemic-new-adult-learner