The Classroom Environment: Strategies for Engaging and Supporting the Adult Learner

1. The Classroom Environment:Strategies for Engaging and Supporting the Adult Learner Chris Swanson Johns Hopkins University August 31, 2010

2. Adult Learners

3. How we Teach

4. Classroom Climate Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

5. Classroom Climate • Culture of Learning & Respect • Know students’ names • Know students’ motivations • Know students’ learning styles • Heterogeneous grouping • Food and Breaks; For every 1 hour in class = 5 minutes (Hayes, 2005) • Understand comfort level • Assignments • Meeting formats • Precipitating factors

6. Learning Styles • Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences • Linguistic • Logical-Mathematical • Musical • Bodily-Kinesthetic • Spatial-Visual • Interpersonal • Intrapersonal • Natural • Broad Styles • Visual • Auditory • Kinesthetic http://www.businessballs.com/howardgardnermultipleintelligences.htm

7. The Truth About Adults • Experience • Opinions • Diversity • Pride • Goal/Task Oriented • Autonomous

8. Experience • Allow students to pick topics and direct discussions • Use open ended questions to facilitate conversation • Use data and references • Dialogue with students • Play to strengths • Use project based learning activities

9. Opinions • Recognize adults have opinions, and they are not afraid to express them • Adult learners may pre-judge you, your content, and your style based on a number of factors • Active listening • Establishing protocols and boundaries • Mutual respect • Distinguish fact from opinion

10. Diversity • Different experiences • Different learning styles • Different motivations • Different “Life Spaces” = different precipitating factors • Culture and experience can influence comfort with material • Universal Design for Learning

11. Pride • No one likes to be patronized • No one likes to be degraded • Adults are use to being points of authority • Be empathetic, be sympathetic, be fair

12. Goal/Task Oriented • Adults are conscious about time • Competing priorities • Relevance must be clearly established – avoid “Busy work” • Accept that the content may not be the passion; value is associated with relevance • Make task/broader outcome connections

13. Autonomous • Most adults are paying for the work • Adults perceive themselves as points of authority • Adults make their choices – better or worse • Projects and work effort should reflect the investment the student has made

14. Experience “Adults have accumulated a foundation of life experience and knowledge that may include work-related activities, family responsibilities, and previous education. They need to connect learning to this knowledge/experience base. To help them do so, teachers should draw out participants’ experience and knowledge that is relevant to the topic. They must relate theories and concepts to their students’ prior experience and recognize the value of experience in learning.” - Stephen Lieb, “Adults as Learners,” 1991: http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm

15. Opinion “Adults need to be shown respect. Instructors must acknowledge the wealth of experiences that adult participants bring to the classroom. These adults should be treated as equals in experience and knowledge and allowed to voice their opinions freely in class.” – Stephen Lieb, “Adults as Learners,” 1991: http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm

16. Diversity • “Adult learners have varied experiences and different learning styles. Use a variety of teaching methods to create the best learning environment for each student. Use a variety of different auditory, visual, tactile, and kinesthetic teaching methods. Have groups work on problem-solving activities. Adults are often self-directed, so encourage adult students to work on their own.” - Teaching Postsecondary Today, 2009, www.teachingpostsecondarytoday.com

17. Pride • “Many adult learners have been out of the classroom for awhile and may lack self-confidence. People will not ask questions if they fear being ridiculed. To provide a safe learning environment and add to student confidence: Be supportive, encourage questions, and treat each question with dignity.” Teaching Postsecondary Today, 2009, www.teachingpostsecondarytoday.com

18. Goal/Task Oriented “Adults are goal-oriented. Upon enrolling in a course, they usually know what goal they want to attain. Therefore, they appreciate an educational program that is organized and has clearly defined elements. Instructors must show participants how this class will help them attain their goals.” – Stephen Lieb, “Adults as Learners,” 1991: http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm

19. Autonomous “Adults are autonomous and self-directed. They need to be free to direct themselves. Their teachers must actively involve them in the learning process and serve as their facilitators. Specifically, teachers must get participants’ perspectives about what topics to cover and let them work on projects that reflect their interests. Teachers should allow the participants to assume responsibility for presentations and group leadership. {Teachers} act as facilitators, guiding participants to their own knowledge rather than supplying them with facts.” - Stephen Lieb, “Adults as Learners,” 1991: http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm

20. References • Balliro, L. (2005). Clues to classroom management in ABE. System for Adult Basic Education Support, Winter, 15-18. • Berk, R.A. (2003). Professors are from Mars, Students are from Snickers. Sterling, VA: Stylus Press. • Hayes, R.L. (2008). Learning about adult learners: Approaches to classroom management with an emphasis on compressed format. FaCIT News for CMU Faculty, 2(11), retrieved March 2, 2009 from Teaching Central: Central Michigan University website: www.facit.cmich.edu/teaching-central/issues/feb08/adult_learners.html. • Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, (2003). Classroom management. Retrieved March 1, 2009 from www.jhu.edu/gifted/teaching/classroom.htm • Lieb, S. (1991). Principles of adult learners: Adults as learners. Vision, Fall, 23-25. • Teaching Postsecondary Today, (2009). Teaching adult learners. Glencoe-McGraw Hill. Retrieved March 3, 2009 from www.glencoe.com/ps/teachingtoday/webresources.pthml

21. Contact Information • Christopher Swanson Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education (410) 516-9853 chrisswanson@jhu.edu