The Adult Learner Part 2: Where the Mark is Moving

Image Credit: Pixabay

Author: Andrew Phillips, MD
Originally Published: Common Sense September/October 2017

Last month we explored the arguments for and against adult learning theory. We began with medical educators’ attraction to the subject, evaluated the philosophical and psychological concepts behind it, and concluded that it is unlikely that there is a difference in how adults and children learn, making learning theories specific to adults unproductive for learner and educator alike. In this article we will evaluate the alternatives that are most popular and best supported in cognitive and educational psychology, and that have early support in medical education literature.

The Adult Learner: Has Medicine Missed the Mark?

Originally published in
Jul/Aug 2014 Common Sense 

Author: Andrew W Phillips, MD MEd
AAEM/RSA Publications Committee Chair

On a recent whim I searched Google for “emergency medicine education fellowship” and “learning theory.” During this entirely non-rigorous search I found that most of the first forty hits were programs specifically mentioning their emphasis on teaching Adult Learning Theory. In fact, even most non-educators reading this have probably heard of ALT. I would wager, however, that you have not heard of Situated Cognition, Cognitive Apprenticeship, Social Learning Theory, or Sociocultural Theory.

Who cares? Why does this matter to the everyday practitioner? Why does this matter to emergency medicine (EM)? The answer lies in the often gross misinterpretation of Adult Learning Theory and the strong case that it does not qualify as legitimate theory, thus leaving learners and teachers selling each other short of the most effective education. Additionally, the medical education community is beginning to move away from emphasizing Adult Learning Theory, and it is important that EM practices education with the most accurate information possible.

This is a two-part series that will first explore the criticisms of ALT, and later offer a breadth of alternatives that together inform us well about how we (adults and children) learn.