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Adult Learning
Two principles of adult learning guide the design of instruction in the early childhood program at Honolulu Commmunity College.
- Adults learn best when they are actively involved in their own learning.
- Adults learn best when those facilitating their learning demonstrate appreciation and respect for what adult learners already know and can do.
These principles are represented through instructional activities and learning assignments in the early childhood program. The goal of class activities is to offer active learning experiences in which students:
- share and critique their own ideas and practices
- role-play situations commonly encountered in interactions with children, families and colleagues
- observe shildren, adult-child interactions and program environments work and play with materials
- express ideas through art, writing, demonstration and practice
- cooperate in small groups to explore and consolidate ideas and to develop presentations to colleagues, families and communities
- study and research principles and practices by reading journal articles and books, viewing videos, and conducting interviews with professionals in programs
- listen to short "mini-lectures"
- participate in facilitated discussions about topics of general interest or concern to students
- collect ideas and materials from a variety of sources including one another, programs they visit, community agencies, other professionals, conferences, workshops and others