Monday, 11.06.2007
Step One...Lifelong Learning & You

As you decide to enrol in an adult education course, it is important to consider some
points, which will have an influence on the enjoyment, you gain from learning and
which will ensure your success.

First amongst these factors will be your motivation and a positive attitude towards the
different tasks, which will be presented to you. This approach will need to be backed
up by practical skills in organising yourself to make the most of your time and the
resources available to you. Naturally, your learning style and particular talents will
have a bearing on how you tackle your work so that you can save yourself
unnecessary effort by learning some simple techniques for dealing with all the
information which will be presented to you.

This Guide offers you some thoughts and tips on how to make the best of your adult
education course and to get into the right frame of mind for lifelong learning.

You - The Learner

As an adult you perform many roles each day. You may be a friend, a parent, a
worker or a neighbour depending on where you are and whom you are with and the
way you act in any role expresses your values and what you consider important in life.
Now that you are to be a student, you need to take stock of the values, which you
attach to your new role and to the characteristics, which you will bring to bear on your
time in the classroom and at private study. Understanding yourself and why you want
to study is important – Your motivation for returning to study can be varied, it might
help you to focus on what is driving you by putting this list of reasons in order of
preference.

My Motivation to Study

• To Further my Education
• To Broaden my Career Prospects
• To Learn and Develop a New Skill
• For Myself
• To Learn a New Hobby
• To Make New Friends
• To Fill in the Time
• To Gain a Qualification


From Waterford Institute of Technology’s WIT Adult & Continuing Education
Study Guide