Managing time as an adult learner - Research Paper Example

?Managing time as an adult learner A Review of the Literature of the Literature on time management is chiefly confined to books. While academic journals on time management are very few in number, scores of books are sprouting which offer chunk of classified techniques of time management. Most of such books style themselves either as hand book for professionals or personality development (how to) books for youngsters in the span of entering or leaving their colleges. The hand books are specialised in particular fields of life such as nurses, managers of corporate, engineers etc., whereas personality development books render generalised intricacies and guidelines on time management. Adult learners are nowhere placed as target audience/reader/listener. Research journals on time management are also found to target mainly the managers. In this paper I attempt to identify the area observable for research on time management among adult learning community. Understanding the adult learning methods in vogue becomes mandatory to evolve feasible time managing techniques for adult learners. Review of literature throws light on the basic qualities of adult learners. Time management knacks are not new to them. However, inability to adhere to the techniques of time management by adult learners is found to have been caused not merely by their situational factors but also by the training modalities. Further researches are extensively required especially by the psychologists and teaching community in this regard. Introduction: Literature on time management and literature on adult learning focus their targets in two different but parallel trajectories. While academic journals on time management are very less in number, literature on adult learning too is meagre. (Dorothy MacKeracher, 2004) The efforts being carried out by NIACE (National Institute of Adult Continuing Education) is note worthy. However, the institute focuses its attention purely on developing Adult Education on macro level to sustain the growth and overall development of Great Britain. Adult learners, unlike youngsters who have specific goals, always have specific and ready-to-fire goals that are tangible such as qualification for current job/up skilling for promotion/ career change1. To locate the research-deserving area with regard to time management by adult learners, the following research questions are framed: a)While time management is a universally acceptable tool for success, is it specifically adaptable to adult learning community as a whole? b)What are the causes that restrain adult learning community from adhering to time managing techniques? Understanding the course of time management as well as that of adult learning becomes prerequisite. Time management nuances are contained in broad classification of focussing, planning, organising, acting and learning (Dodd and Sundheim, 2008). Adult learning, as formulated by androgogy specialists is classified in to the following steps namely planning, applying and understanding(Trivette C.M et al, 2009). 1)While time management is a universally acceptable tool for success, is it specifically adaptable to adult learning community as a whole? 1.1 Interactive training: Adult learning theorists have much focussed on the teaching community enabling them to give out fruitful training to adult learners. Most of the literatures on adult learning are in the type of a trainers training module. Review of those literatures reveals that nuances of time management for adult learners are embedded here and there. By selecting a training session designed interactively, which contains application opportunities, a learner can actively take part in the learning process. Through interactive application methods one can score more learning outcomes. In contrast, content oriented sessions that render didactic sermons consume quite a long time to bring to achieve learning objectives. (Foley, 2004, p.91) 1.2 Devising ones own learning objective: Having clear cut and tangible goals in hand they (the goals) can easily be fragmented in to small parts on the basis of workability in accomplishable slots. Further fragmentation will lead to exact objective which could be measured. Going through a thorough needs assessment process is preferred before designing the learning objectives. Out of crippling shortage of time one may be tempted to skip this process of needs assessment. But such kind of skipping in fact it amounts to spoiling the entire learning spirit. (Elaine Biech, 2005, p.57) 1.3 Sharing experiences: Sharing experiences and comparing learning outcomes with co-learners (Nancy et al, 2010, p.236) is considerably productive in minimum possible span of time. By enlisting the learning outcomes and tasks side by side more than one task that give out a single outcome could be grouped and selected for refining. The above processes of enlisting, identifying and grouping could be carried out using the learning outcomes of co-learners and the selected task could alone be executed by the learner to improvise the learning process within the minimum time spell. 1.4 Attentive observing: Passive observation during group discussion may be termed passive learning by adult learning theorists. While depicting the role of both dominant and quiet participants in group discussion, Jarvis (2004, p.168) puts forth that quiet participants remain passive whereas dominant participants come to the front to express their views. Attentive listeners are sometimes wrongly identified as passive listeners. However, passive observation concomitant with evaluation of others views forms part of active learning. The end result of such evaluation may trigger further discussion or give out a decisive view of the adult learner. Even if it leads to subsequent discussion, then the next part of discussion will certainly open a new vista provided the evaluated views are lucid. The net result of this mode of participation is bagging considerable learning outcome in pragmatically minimum time. 2)What are the causes that restrain adult learning community from adhering to time managing techniques? 2.1 Chief cause of restrain: Barriers to time management vary from person to person depending upon the age, knowledge, profession, responsibilities, work environment and resources (Bhatti, 2011, p.239). Adult learners are well aware of the classifications of time management techniques. However, they are unable to scrupulously follow the nuances because of various reasons such as preconceived values, physical discomfort (Prem Lata Sharma, 2006) and the most important factor that drives them out of time management practice is any two mutually opposing life situations like contrasting obligations between the role of a parent/worker and a learner (p.31). 2.2 Life style barrier: Initial anxiety and challenge to beliefs are speed breakers that slow down the adult learning process itself wherein concentrating on time-management techniques would be completely out of screen. The most complex barriers to time management are generally psychological such as downtime fear, and worries on life (Burns et al, 2014, p.551).Going through the process of climbing the Jenny Roger’s (2007) ‘competence ladder’ one can attain the peak of competence. As an adult learner, being aware of the prevalence of low level competence would provide confidence and control over managing the time of passing that low level. (Roger J, 2007) 2.3 Information overload: Acquiring too much of learning materials in an unsorted and unorganised manner would be a barrier of time management. (Finkelman, 2009, p.412). Although her perception on information overload is specifically focussed towards nursing community, when the views of Bhatti (2011) on varying nature of barriers to time management is read along with her perception, it can be evolved that her view holds good for adult learners too. We can well interpret information as learning materials, which would certainly interfere with time management when poured in unmanaged. 2.4 Focusing the actual area of control: In time management, some areas such as learning certain things within the stipulated deadline would not be in the control of participants. While planning a plausibly perfect time management it would be nice to concentrate on area where renegotiating (Winstanley, 2004, p.30) time could be made effective instead of repeatedly struggling with tasks the deadline of which are not in ones control. Dead lined tasks must simply be executed and the actual time required for execution must without any hesitation be allowed in the time management planning. Concluding discussion: Answers to the above two RQs reveal that managing time by adult learners are found to get retarded by both psychological and physical discomforts. Reasons for physical discomforts in respect of adult learners range from clinical perceptive to lifestyle and work environment aspects. Barriers caused by psychological discomforts are susceptible to be alleviated to some extent, since adult learners are already aware of the time management knowhow and realize the value of it. Alleviating barriers caused by physical discomforts lies not merely in the hands of the learners alone. The teaching community has to nourish environmental adaptability in adult learners apart from providing necessary information for learning. More in-depth research focusing on individual types of barrier is required. * * * * * * Reference list – Anita W. Finkelman (2009) p.412, Leadership and Management in Nursing, New Delhi, India, Peasrson Education, Dorling Kindersley (India) Bhatti J.R (2011) p.239, The Dynamics of Successful Personality Development and Projection, Second Edition, New Delhi, India, Pearson Education, Dorling Kindersley (India). Carole M. Trivette, Carl J. Dunst, Deborah W. Hamby and Chainey E. O’Herin (2009) Charecteristics and Consequences of Adult Learning Methods and Strategies, Winterberry Research Syntheses, Vol.2. No.2) Asheville, NC: Winterberry Press. Diana Winstanley (2005) Personal Effectiveness: A Guide to Action, London, Chartered Institute of Personal and Development, Cromwell Press. Dorothy MacKeracher, (2004) pp.140, Making Sense of Adult Learning, 2nd Edition, University of Toronto Press Inc. London Elaine Biech (2005) p.57, Training For Dummies, Wiley Publishing Inc, Indiana. Griff Foley (2004) p.91, Dimensions of Adult Learning: Adult Education and Training in Global Era, Open University Press, Berkshire, UK Jenny Roger (2007) pp.13, Adults Learning, Fifth Edition, Open University Press, McGraw – Hill, Berkshire, UK ) Marie A. Chisholm-Burns, Allison M. Vaillancourt and Marv Shepherd (2014) Pharmacy Management, Leadership, Marketting and Finance, Second Edition, Burlington, Jones & Barlett Learning. Nancy Lloyed Pfahl, Kay M. McClenney, Terry O’Banion, Leila Gonzalez Sullivan and Cynthia M. Wilson (2010) p.236, The Learning Landscape of Community Colleges in (Eds) Carol E. Kasworm, Amy D Rose and Jovita M Ross-Gordon (2010) Hand book of Adult and Continuing Education, London, SAGE Publications Inc. Pamela Dodd and Doug Sundheim, (2008) The 25 Best Time Management Tools and Techniques: How To Get More Done Without Driving Yourself Crazy, Capstone Publishing Ltd, UK Peter Jarvis (2004) p.168, Adult Education and Lifelong Learning: A Theory and Practice, New York, Routledge Falmer. Prem Lata Sharma (2006) pp.26, Adult Learning Methods :Sarup Teaching Learning Series 22, Sarup & Sons, New Delhi, India. Read More