An interesting perspective QG but I beg to differ on a number of points.
I've quite a lot of experience of teaching adults - to MSc and PhD level in universities, in a dojo, and more recently as a flying instructor. It is certainly a very different parish to teaching youngsters, because adults have opinions and commitments that are far more compelling than what most people under 18 have.
But, I do find in all of these environments that directed learning is important. I find in most cases I need to direct students to specific preparation exercises between lessons - a lot of which is reading. I send my Jiu Jitsu students off to practice kata in their back garden, PhD students to prepare their own notes on a subject they need to understand, or flying students to practice route planning. And all of them to read up on stuff they need to understand.
There are however two major differences between these adult learners than if I was teaching under 18s.
- Firstly, they have far more ownership of failure. So, I have to give them every opportunity to pass, but the ability to fail on their own conscience.
- Secondly I cannot simply tell them what to do. I will discuss with them what is appropriate, and agree a plan and philosophy of learning that we then jointly created, rather than what I simply dictated to them.
This second to a large extent may be because I am also generally teaching either a single, or a very small number, of individuals. A large class is a very different beast anyhow.
Progress tests have their place in all of these environments. I will put a student through a practice skill test before presenting them to an examiner, and give detailed feedback. I'll put a Jiu Jitsu student through a simulation of the nastier bits of a grading, and I most definitely put my PhD students through a mock viva before they go up for a real one. Again however, the existence of this is by agreement between I and my student, albeit with very strong direction from me, the teacher.
G