Development of Adults – Implications for Education and Learning

Pre-requisites: There are no particular requirements.

Course objectives: Introduction into the forms, trends and dynamics of development of adults and training for critical reflection of their implications for education and learning.

Course description: Theoretical course: Learning and society. Theories of the development of adults. Educational needs and capabilities of adults. Biological and psychological changes in adulthood. Cognitive changes. Intelligence. Memory and brain. Experience and learning. Aging, learning and wisdom. Authenticity, autonomy and self-directed learning. Transformation and other developmental perspectives in the learning of adults. Ethical problems of adult education. Practical course: Depending on the subjects of doctoral dissertations and professional needs and interests of students, certain problems and questions from theoretical course are being reviewed in the form of students’ essays, research and reports.

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the programme student will be capable: - of understanding the character and dynamics of development in adulthood; - of understanding the interdependence of development and learning in adulthood; - of critical analysis of the implications of developmental theory in the process and the practice of education and learning.

Literature/Reading:

• Colaruso, C.A., Nemiroff, R.A., (1981) Adult Development, Plenum Press, New York.
• Jarvis, P., (1992) Paradoxes of Learnin, Jossey Bass Publishers, San Francisco.
• Jarvis, P., (1995) Adult and Continuing Education, Routledge, London – New York.
• Schulz, R., Salthouse, T., (199) Adult Development and Aging , Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
• Feldman, R., (2005) Development Accross the Life Span, New Jersey.
• Williamson, B., (2001) Lifeworlds, and Learning, NIACE, London.
• Willson A.L., Hayes, E.R., (2000) Handbook of dult and Continuing Education, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
• Merriam, S.B., Caffarella, R., (1999) Learning in Adulthood, Jossey-Bass, San Francusco.