Time Management Skills and the Adult Learner, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Learning and education are two particular aspects of development that are specifically designed to equip human individuals for growth. Relatively, it could be analyzed that this is the reason why human individuals tend to provide time and financial allotments for the sake of acquiring the right kind of education that they could best embrace. Most of these individuals pick educational choices that fit both their skills and desires for personal growth and development. However, it is undeniable that acquiring knowledge or education specifically involves a huge consideration over the need to manage time and concentration on activities that are related to educational courses that individuals are enrolled in.

This is where the challenge comes in. Among regular students, it could be noticed that they have the chance to really focus on their studies especially that they have only these matters to give attention to. Notably though, when a student is already an adult learner, other concerns should be given attention to especially when it comes to dealing with other responsibilities that they are expected to complete. It should be noted that adult learners often need to jog several responsibilities such as home chores, work, family time and leisure time altogether. And when education is added into the matter then the situation even gets much harder to contend with. This is the reason why it is very important for adult learners to consider specific procedures of developments and adjustments that would allow them to welcome changes in their lives as they embrace the possibility of completing their studies even when they may have other responsibilities to take care of.

The discussion that shall be presented herein shall provide a better understanding on what adult learning is and the challenges that are related to the situations that adult learners have to experience in school, at home and even at work. This discussion hopes to clarify matters, hence making it easier for the adult learner to find a way to make time itself work for all the tasks and activities that they are expected to complete within a certain span of time. Putting focus on time management is expected to make definite courses of changes that are to affect the learning procedures that are related to the successful learning applications that adults need to contend with as they acquire the skills needed to improve their professional status as well as their personal being.

Understanding the Factors of Adult Learning

The aspect of adult learning options has been defined to have increased the capacity of workers to perform better in their tasks. Relatively, this type of education is provided to those who are still willing to develop their work competency and achieve self-based progress that serve as their source of confidence in completing the jobs that they are hoping to engage in. Relatively, here are some of the most important reasons why people work hard to make sure that they get to incur supporting adult education to the education they may already have received before:

1. To make additional skills on their capacities hence making it easier for them to develop their process of work especially in relation to the need of creating extensive reputation that would assure them of better pay or better chances for promotion.
2. To redefine themselves along the lines of making definitive changes as they embrace the course of progress probably suggested by their employers
3. To get an additional source of competency which they could use to improve work
4. To support the lack of education that one may have had experienced in the past

These reasons are only among the many basic issues by which adult learners depend upon their desire to acquire better learning from facilities and organizations that are designed to provide them the kind of learning that they are wishing to receive. While some reasons are work-related, it could not be denied that others are rather personal and are defined to fulfill the self-worth that one has towards himself.

There are also different measures by which adult learners are being served with their desire and need to learn further. These measures include the following:

• Organization-directed adult learning program

Most often than not, in line with the desire of organizations to produce and utilize highly competent individuals but do not want to go through all the tedious schedules of hiring new employees, administrators of the group tend to create programs that would provide an additional source of knowledge and understanding for their existing systems in the organization hence making it easier for them to proceed with their tasks in an everyday basis.

This particular approach to adult learning is considered to be quite an investment especially for businesses aiming to create a more extensive program that could make it easier for them to improve the performance of an already existing workforce.

Most often than not, adult learners undergoing these programs have to pace with the other employees who are enrolled in the process hence imposing that they should be given the chance to improve their performance and their position alongside their colleagues. This is the reason why it is expected that adult learners who engage in programs such as this one are able to better contend with the desire of the organization to impose better performance on the part of their people.

• Online Certificate Learning

The choice could either be personal or organizational. Online certificate learning programs usually involve fee payment that could either be paid for by the organization or the individual himself depending on the clauses of the contract that both parties are supposed to sign before the actual program occurs. The students in this aspect of learning environment are known to have better control of their time as they are to handle their learning responsibilities online at their own convenient time. Nevertheless, this aspect of adult learning involves extensive self-discipline was one tries to contend with the requirements and the lessons that are presented to them in every class.

• Proctor-defined adult education

Usually handled alongside the application of occupational therapy, proctor-defined adult education is more dependent on the need to provide extensive directional instructions to adult learners with regards the points that they could still improve in their way of performance relating to personal development patterns.

The proctors themselves decide on what lessons need to be taught to the learners based on an assessment approach that is applied before the actual implementation of the occupational therapy that is expected to make improvements on the situation of the adult learner/s being addressed.

Each type of adult-learner program provisions primarily require the students to devote some time for the lessons that they are to be presented with and for the activities that they are to be asked to complete. This particular consideration does provide a specific challenge to the learners especially if they are scheduled to complete other tasks during the days of their schooling while also intending to focus on the lessons they are being expected to grasp. This is the reason why there are instances when some adult learning programs are not able to provide remarkable outcomes as expected. Understandably, no matter how seemingly effective an educational program is, no student would be able to survive its challenges if the learners themselves do not have dedication towards the completion of the said programs. True, it takes extensive discipline for one to make sure that the lessons they are presented with during every class session are not put to waste. To make sure of this, time management is an essential aspect to consider.

Proper Practices of Time-Management

When an adult decides to enroll or engage in an adult learning program, he should be aware that such a decision would involve several adjustments on his part especially regarding the activities that he is able to complete in a day. This is the reason why proper scheduling becomes an essential aspect of the daily living routine of an adult learner. No, responsibilities of adults cannot simply be put aside. These responsibilities are most often than not the priority points that they should give attention to. Nevertheless, learning is also an important part of their being as this involves the possibility by which they can still accommodate the hope of improving themselves towards becoming better individuals or employees as desired.

How then could adult learners juggle all these responsibilities all at the same time? Time management basically involves the creation of the referential value that each activity has on an individual. The process of identifying the value of activities should also coincide with the desires by which they hope to create personal developments as well as the manner by which they aim to improve their relationships with other individuals they deal with everyday. Most adults have families to support. This means that they have to work full time for these individuals and for themselves as well. How could such an active life be adjusted to accommodate further learning? Usually, the answer lies on what kind of adult education is one willing to take. If for example the company is the one providing the learning program, then most likely, the administrators themselves would be the one to designate the specific schedule for the program which the employees only need to comply with. If in case the learner decides to take personal steps in developing their professional and career performance through online certificate programs, it would best help if the learner sets a learning schedule that would be most convenient for him, probably after he finishes all the tasks he need to complete during the day. As considered, focus is very important when adult learners contend with the activities they have to complete in connection with their lessons. Hence, for those enrolled in online education programs, it would best help if they pick the right time when they have already relaxed and they have nothing else to worry about when they set their schedule for online learning programs.

As for the occupational therapy related education, it is essential that the learner confide with his employer with regards the matter and establish a schedule that would both work for his employment integrity and his learning needs. At this point, agreement between him and his employer should be given attention to; as well as an agreement between him and his therapist or educational proctor. It is only from this particular developmental adjustment that favorable outcomes could be expected to come to realization.

Conclusions

Sitting down and drawing out the activities that are to be attended to should be given attention to when adult learning programs are to be considered by an individual. Creating schedule chart is a specifically helpful process that would allow adult learners find a better way of getting benefits from the programs they are enjoined with. Relatively, it is the desire of the learner to gain more from the program that he is engaged with that dictates his capacity to make adjustments on his personal activities and the specific issues that he become specifically involved with so as to accommodate more time for learning. As seen from this presentation, adult learners need to make sure that they are prepared, focused and ready to take in the lesson’s most important gist so as to be able to benefit well from the program and this could be done through creating effective scheduling systems.

References

Alamprese, Judy. Helping adult learners make transition to postsecondary education. Adult education background papers. http://www.c-pal.net/pdf/transition.pdf. (Retrieved on April 5, 2012). This documentation provides a clear-cut discussion on the difficulties met with by adult learners and how these issues could be properly resolved through planning and proper time management.

Steeley, John. How to Be a Successful Adult Student – Overview of Five Life Skills. http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Be-a-Successful-Adult-Student—Overview-of-Five-Life-Skills&id=4231843. (Retrieved on April 5, 2012). This web article provides a useful definition of the important life skills that adult learners should give attention to especially when they are considering to enroll in learning programs alongside the need to handle their personal and professional responsibilities at the same time.

Sloss, Margaret. Adult Student: Tips for Success & Resources. http://new.dso.iastate.edu/wc/support/ResourcesPacket.pdf. (Retrieved on April 5, 2012). This online document gives a clear definition of how adult students could survive the challenges of learning even when in the midst of pressure especially regarding time issues.

Wetzel, David. Stress Management in Continuing Education Coping With Anxiety Caused by Social and Academic Requirements. http://david-r-wetzel.suite101.com/stress-management-in-continuing-education-a156116. (retrieved on April 5, 2012). When stressed, adult learners tend to lose track of what they are trying to learn. In a way, this web article provides useful suggestions by which such pressures could be dealt with in the aim of creating a more responsive attitude on the part of the learners themselves.

Adult Learner: Study Skills Guide. http://www.wit.ie/StudyatWIT/AdultEd/StudySkillsGuide/Revised%20Study%20Skills%20Guide%20Nov%202008_red5_printer.pdf. (retrieved on April 5, 2012). This web document recognizes that adult learners already have some useful backgrounds they can depend upon as they desire to continue their students. Cross relating these matters to other options of developmental learning skills is suggested in this presentation to have a great impact on how an adult becomes highly benefited by the lessons he gets from adult class.

Top 10 Time-Management Tips for Online Students. http://onlinelearningtips.com/2010/03/08/top-10-time-management-tips-for-online-students/. (retrieved on April 5, 2012). While online learning may pose to be beneficial for adult learners, it also requires heightened discipline on the part of the individuals involved. This article provides the ten most important courses of scheduling development that an adult learner could take into consideration.