Gardners Theory Essay

Submitted By shugasha
Words: 562
Pages: 3

a. Paragraph 1: Write a paragraph summarizing the four contexts that motivate learning (Practical, Personal, Experiential, and Idealistic). b. Paragraph 2: Write a second paragraph that focuses on the particular context that you believe motivates your learning (i.e., Practical, Personal, Experiential, or Idealistic). Use a specific example to demonstrate how this context motivates your learning.
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Motivation for returning to school when you are an adult learner is brought on by many different factors in life. Each factor is personal and should reflect the individual’s interest or reason for seeking that knowledge. A researcher by the name of Malcolm Knowles cited four different contexts for an adult returning to college. The four sets of conditions or contexts are: Practical, Personal, Experiential and Idealistic. In the practical context, the student is faced with the new concept of returning to school, so he would cope by seeing what he will be getting out of this experience. For example, he will be making more money which in turn will allow for his children to attend the private school that he and his wife have been looking at, but until now have been unable to afford. In the personal context the student identifies with how the outcome will affect him in a very individual way. Or in other words he can see his goal and how going back to school will make him a better person. This learner is on a path of self-discovery. The experiential motivated learner can see all sides to the equation. He knows how the past has brought him to the place he is now, and he sees the future or his goals becoming more attainable. It is the successful integration of the two that can make or break this person’s college experience. Finally we have the idealistic context, which to me, sounds like the eternal student. The idealistic thinker is interested in learning the theory of how he came to the point of being an adult student. He also is interested in the act of learning