Course Project Assignment: Adult Development and Learning

Course Project: You need to do a thorough course project paper each week because you will use the Week 1 through Week 6 course project work for your Final Project.
Important:

1. Please do not skip any assignments because you will need all course project work from Week 1 thru Week 6 for the Final Course Project. You will not be using Application 7 for the Final Course Project.

2. You should be working on revisions throughout the course. Please work on the recommended revisions from your instructor in content and writing each week. Do not wait until week 8 to do revisions. In grading your Final Project, the instructor will check to see that revisions have been done from original submissions.

In Chapter 12 of your course text, you read about adult developmental characteristics from various perspectives, including biological aging, psychological change, and the influence of sociocultural factors. You also read the article by Pinquart and Silbereisen, which stresses the impact of social change on human development. In Chapter 14 of the text, you explored various theories of intelligence, including traditional approaches such as the biological, individual differences, and cognitive processes approaches and more recent nontraditional approaches to intelligence, including multiple intelligences, practical intelligence, emotional intelligence, and the contextual perspective.

This week's Course Project Assignment requires you to apply these perspectives to your own adult development and then reflect on this process as an adult educator. Complete the following:

Part 1: Your Development (2-3 pages)

Consider ways in which your own development has been influenced by each of these perspectives and, in turn, influenced the ways in which you learn. Address the following:

Biological aging impacts us as natural aging, the environment, health habits, disease, and/or accidents drive change in our physical beings.

To what extent do you believe you have experienced changes in your body, brain, or senses? To what extent has this impacted how you learn over time?

The psychological model of development explores the internal experiences of the individual. Based on your Required Readings this week, consider the models presented by Erikson, Levinson, and others to describe your own psychological profile. How has this profile impacted how you learn?

The social and emotional worlds in which we live influence our development. Describe yourself relative to social roles as well as the timing of the events in your life. How have socially constructed notions of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation influenced your development and how you learn? How have changes in society influenced your development? How have your emotional reactions and experiences impacted your learning?

Think about your own intelligence. To what extent do you believe your intelligence is the result of biology? To what extent do you believe it is a result of your environment and experience? Describe what has contributed to and shaped your intellectual ability.

Part 2: Reflection (1-2 pages)

Reflect on what you wrote for Part 1 about your own development and learning. Consider how you might apply these insights to help you become a more effective adult educator. Address the following:

How might your new understanding of learning theories affect your current or future work as an adult educator?

In what ways might you need to broaden or deepen your thinking in order to help adults other than you to learn successfully?

Are there any other insights related to the process of creating Part 1 of this assignment that you would like to reflect on and share in this section of the assignment?

Be specific and provide concrete examples. Refer to this week's Learning Resources. Use required course materials to support what you are saying and cite in APA format. Include Optional Resources from the Resource Page or other resources that you have found on your own-as additional creditable sources to qualify for an A.

To earn a grade of A: Use creditable sources in addition to course videos and required readings and cite in APA format. Include additional resources and not just required resources. On the Resource Page each week: The Learning Resources are divided into three areas: Required Reading, Media, and Optional Resources (supplemental). Optional Resources (supplemental) count as additional resources.

The following Internet resources are unacceptable for citation purposes:

*Walden does not allow the following for graduate school. Please use a scholarly, professional, reliable source.

Wikipedia
WikiInfo
Anarcopedia
Edutopia
Cliff's Notes

How to do a Reflection or Reflective Essay

When you write a Reflection, you include your insights. You support what you are saying with course materials. Include information from course materials. Include Optional Resources or Outside Sources-in addition to required course materials. Cite in APA format.

Important: Reflection involves more than your opinions/viewpoints. You should support what you are saying with course materials and other resources.

Please note that the same Rubric that is used for Applications, is also used for Reflections/Reflective Essays. Therefore, the requirements are the same for Reflections/Reflective Essays and Applications. Yes, for Reflective Essays you need a reference list, in-text citations, and an outside source (If you desire an A, you still need an outside source--in addition to the text).

Remember to use correct APA style for any citations in your work.

Note: This assignment is the second section of your Course Project: How Adults Learn. Refer to the Grading & Rubrics area to guide your work.

(Assignment total length: 3-5 pages).