Using a Learning Contract

The point of using Knowles’ self-direction approach is to encourage the learner to take increasing ownership for their learning.

Here’s a question: “Does every learner really have to attend every class or every tutoring session? Can’t they learn some items on their own at times?” A learning contract can build literacy self-direction. Much like a job.

• I have provided a sample of a learning contract. It is not the learning plan; rather, it is a task-oriented activity focused on just a few concrete items the learner can take on by themselves.
• The learner and teacher need to agree on what, specifically, will be learned, by when, and how it will be learned, as seen in the sample.
• The “how” should be named—with the resources and activities to be used in the contract. How will the objective be demonstrated to you…and the learner? What will completion look like?
• When you reach an agreement, both should sign and date the contract.
• If the outcomes are not attained, this might indicate more one-on-one teaching session(s) are required. Then maybe a new contract…?

The point(s) when a learning contract can be very useful will depend on revisits to the Intake Inventory and placement test to get a good sense of the confidence and schedule of the learner.

The joke with self-directed learning is: “Teachers and tutors should try to teach themselves out of a job.”

Recommendation Note

If you have a local library, consider asking them to bring in a copy of Knowles’s classic The Modern Practice of Adult Education—the 1980 edition. Or even buy one…or have your program buy one for you. Amazon or the used book site ABEbooks can be good sources. Knowles’s book changed the face of adult education across the entire adult education field and is still highly relevant for what we are discussing here. Check out his concept of andragogy.

Knowles, M.S. (1980). The modern practice of adult education: From pedagogy to andragogy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Knowles, M.S. (1986). Using learning contracts: Practical approaches to individualizing and structuring learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Pratt, D. (1998). Five perspectives on teaching in adult and higher education. Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing.

Quigley, A. (2006). Building professional pride in literacy: A dialogical guide to professional development. Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing.

Wlodkowski, R. (1999). Enhancing adult motivation to learn: A comprehensive guide for teaching all adults (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.