Ruiz wrote an interesting post in which he challenged Knowles’ six assumptions of Andragogy outlined in Unit 6 of our course website (Leadership 500, n.d.). He argued that each of the six assumptions about adult learners could support or inhibit their learning. I think Ruiz was successful in making the point that teaching adult learners cannot happen without looking at them from a holistic perspective. Their life circumstances and life experiences have an impact on their ability to be successful learners. Therefore if one is to successfully teach an adult learner, you have to take all of that into consideration.
Having professional conversations with people about their goals and professional development are probably no less complicated for leaders. The individual in front of you is the sum total of their beliefs, experiences, and circumstances. The questions I am wrestling with currently are how to motivate someone to change if they don’t see the need to change, and how to have difficult conversations involving critical feedback without the person becoming defensive. I would love to see more practical examples of transformative leaders in real life so I could observe their approach in this regard.
Leadership 500 (n.d.). Unit 6 notes. In Unit 6 [Web page]. Retrieved from https://create.twu.ca/ldrs500/unit-6/unit-6-notes/
Aw, this was a really good post. Taking the time and actual effort to generate a great article… but what can I say… I put things off a whole lot and never seem to get nearly anything done.