Learning Contracts Essay

kidnap finishvasedness make outs be being apply in post-secondary education. openhandeds approach information as problem solving and in theory by implementing acquire finds, the pupil becomes more than involved in their take in tuition assist. This make-up discusses the use of a instruction contract, the advantages and disadvantages for using contracts and the general design of a cultivation contract. The use of skill contracts provides opportunity for the assimilator to be more involved in their stimulate scholarship and apply relevance to their own educational experience. culture Contracts Contract decideing is, in essence, an alternative delegacy of structuring a stoping experience It replaces a subject plan with a process plan. Malcolm S. Knowles (1991, pg. 39). In the early 1970s, the concept that heavy(a)s square up divergently than baby birdren was introduced by Malcolm Knowles. This theory of andragogy has inspired research and controversy. The complexity of magnanimous information and need provides opportunities to explore new regularitys of teaching. Implementing learnedness contracts is an alternative way to structure the education experience. Definition.Learning contract by definition is an agreement between disciples and teachers that make the student certain freedoms and choices about(predicate) completing tasks yet requires the student to sate certain contingent propositionations (Definition, n. d. , p. 1). According to Knowles (1980), contract teaching solves, or at least reduces, the problem of dealing with wide differences within any sort of self-aggrandizing learners. Knowles (1986) defines a learning contract as containing specifically 1. the have it awayledge, skills, attitudes and values to be acquired by the learner (learning objectives)2. how the objectives are to be genteel 3. the target witness for their accomplishment 4. what evidence will be presented to demonstrate that the ob jectives have been accomplished and 5. how this evidence will be judged or clear. In academic settings the contract as well as specifies how much credit is to be awarded and what grade is to be assumption (p. 38). Understanding the purpose and advantages of learning contracts and being fitting to apply them in our future careers as heavy(a) instructors will armed service prepare us for the variety of learning styles our students will have.Purposes of Learning Contracts Learning contracts have seven-fold purposes. One purpose is that it can enrich and extend the curriculum. They can interrelate educational needs to individual needs. The responsibility of learning is share by the student and the educator. Learning contracts can also challenge the abilities of highly able students and provide alternate options that can be altered specifically for the differences in abilities, learning styles and interests of individual students. The contract is a tool for structuring the lear ning process.Uses of Learning ContractsFindings from research about enceinte learning have shown that when braggys go about learning something naturally, they are highly self-reliant (Tough, 1971, 1979). Coincidentally, when adults learn on their own initiative, they have a deeper understanding and more permanent memory of when they learn by being taught. Core adult learning principles view the adult learner as the primary source of data for making hale decisions regarding the learning process (Knowles, Holton, & group A Swanson, 1998, p. 183). Contract learning is compatible with the spirit that adult learners are self-directed learners.Online instruction is an example where contract learning can be highly effective. In an online milieu, instructors are not physically meeting with the students to discuss learning goals, objectives and expectations. Learning contracts can help talk over and define the learning goals and outcomes. Sample learning contracts can be dictated on a web page and the student can memorize which contract lift out suits their learning goals. Students can also engage in online discussions about the different options with their peers and gain a broader perspective through shared knowledge.Learning contracts can also be highly effective in the corporate world. Training employees is costly and can require large investments from organizations. Learning contracts allow the employee to take responsibility and increases motive in the learning process when they are able to relate the training directly to their job responsibilities. Contracts can also clearly define the companys expectations of the outcomes. When the expectations are defined, both instructor and trainee can track ramp up and stay focused on the companys business goals and strategies. Learning contracts are useful in research.Research learning contracts provide form and structure to an unstructured environment such as the research laboratory, while ensuring maximal flex ibility (Contracts, n. d. , para. 2). It allows the student to control their own learning. Contracts allow students to define learning objectives, activities, rate of progress and methods of assessment that will evaluate the students success or failure. Advantages and Disadvantages of Learning Contracts Advantages. in that location are many advantages for learning contracts in adult education. Learning contracts enhance the adult learners self-directed learning experience.They promote creative and critical thinking for the student and develop their succession management, planning and decision making skills. They can target specific individuals and their specific learning activities. Each students experience can be unique to them and hold back their own prior knowledge and experience. The contracts also allow students to work at their appropriate pace and can increase the students motivation which in return can increase their class participation. Contracts can help keep students on course if the contracts are specific and concrete.This can also help minimize miscommunication or misunderstanding of expectations and outcomes. The contract also provides a means for the learner to receive continuous feedback regarding progress toward accomplishing learning objectives. Disadvantages. on that point are disadvantages to using learning contracts. Contracts can be time consume to develop. They typically are more detailed and require you to put in more work in the developing stage. Also, students can have disorderliness especially if their prior learning experience has only been the traditional method of instruction in a classroom.If students are only familiar with instructor taught learning and have not learned to be self-directed learners, the student could have difficulty adapting to this method. The learning contract method in pedagogic learning may require more instructor involvement verses student driven in andragogic learning. The attitude of the educator can have an bow on the learning contract as well. Some educators feel the learning contract gives the student too much control. Designing Learning Contracts There are many different ways to design a learning contract.Learning contracts can address the diverse learning needs of different students and may be designed to suit a variety of purposes. disrespect the flexibility, there is a general format starting with identification of the content that will be learned. Specific methods and strategies that will be used to learn the content should be identified. Specifying resources to be used in order to learn the content and determining the type of evidence that will be used to demonstrate the learning should be identified. Last, the evidence that will be validated and by whom needs to be defined.Having clarity will lead to meliorate performance and allow for revision of learning objectives if needed throughout the learning experience (Learning Contracts, n. d. ). Conclusion and Recom mendations Conclusion. Malcolm Knowles introduction of andragogy has influenced adult education. A distinguishing typical of adult learning programs is the shared control of program planning and facilitation (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 1998, p. 133). Engaging adults as partners in their learning experience satisfies their need to know and appeals to their self-concept as independent learners.Learning contracts are a tool that encourages students to come in more actively in their own learning experience. It is an alternative method of structuring a learning experience unique to individuals. It enables educators to work with differences among a group of learners. Learning contracts, more so than any other type of instructional method, create the conditions for individualized instruction. The contract method will not be effective if the adult learner is passive in their own learning experience. Disadvantages include extensive planning and commitment as well as excessive focus on individual success (Duggan, n.d. ). In general, adult learners are going to be self-directed learners as opposed to child learners. Based on the five assumptions learned in WED 486 regarding adult learners adults need to know why they need to know adults need to learn experientially adults approach learning as problem solving adults learn best when the topic is of immediate value and adults need to integrate new ideas with what they already know, learning contracts are an effective tool to enhance a self-directed experience. Recommendations. supererogatory research related to contract learning involves the fairness of learning contracts.In the traditional method of instructor taught learning, all students are apt(p) the same syllabus and information on what it takes to earn a particular grade. In the case of learning contracts, they are individualized to the learner. The contract may be specific as to how each learner will control earned grades but will the content be equal? Addi tional research is recommended to determine if contracts are efficient if not all students are covering the same material. References Duggan, T. (n. d. ). The disadvantages of training agreements.Retrieved from http//www.ehow. com/list_6075915_disadvantages-training-agreements. html Guidelines for writing. (n. d. ). In Learning contract guidelines PDF. Retrieved from https//dsacms. tamu. edu/sites/sllo. tamu. edu/files/LearningContractGuidelines. pdf Knowles, M. S. (1980). The modern practice of adult education from pedagogy to andragogy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Cambridge Adult Education. Knowles, M. S. (1986). Using learning contracts (p. 38). San Francisco, CA Jossey-Bass Inc. , Publishers. Knowles, M. S. , Holton, III, E. F. , & Swanson, R. A. (1998).Beyond andragogy. In (Ed. ), The adult learner (5th ed. , pp. 153-183). Houston, TX Gulf Publishing. Learning contracts. (n. d. ). In How to create and use learning contracts PDF. Retrieved from http//fcpsteach. org/docs/directions-l earning%20contracts. pdf Research learning contracts. (n. d. ). In webGuru. Retrieved October 1, 2011, from http//www. webguru. neu. edu/undergraduate-research/structuring-ur-experience/research-learning-contracts Tough, A. (1971, 1979). The adults learning projects. Toronto Ontario add for Studies in Education.