1 / 23

Are Adult Learners Different?

Are Adult Learners Different?. Everyone is a life-long learner, as a non-traditional student in a classroom setting, continuing education for their profession or training that enhances their work performance . . Overview and Discussion.

tonya
Download Presentation

Are Adult Learners Different?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Are Adult Learners Different? Everyone is a life-long learner, as a non-traditional student in a classroom setting, continuing education for their profession or training that enhances their work performance .

  2. Overview and Discussion • Due to the diversity that adult learners bring into the classroom, teaching needs to embrace those experiences and education. By expounding on their previous knowledge, learning can occur at faster rate, be multifaceted, and encourage students to learn from other students. • Adult learners are able to understand complex theories • Use life experiences and diverse educational backgrounds to associate learning • Are motivated to learn

  3. Purpose and Expectations • The educator will gain insight on the differences adult learners require for optimum learning and comprehension. • This discussion will provide information on strategies to use when teaching adults.

  4. How can instructors better accommodate and encourage adult student success in a classroom setting? • Make allowances for structure that they may not be familiar with. • Focus on content but take time to instruct individuals on certain aspects of course they may not know such as APA writing guidelines or new technology. • Treat them like the adults they are. • Adults have life experiences that add to the classroom either in discussions of "real- life” situations or as mentors to their younger classmates.

  5. What works best? • Be efficient with lessons and activities. • Move fast and don’t waste time. Take into consideration that many adult learners have jobs and family. • Allow time in class to finish requirements that are important to the instruction • Consider and acknowledge the technology gap. • May not be as computer-savvy but have longer attention spans and able to concentrate on complex material longer.

  6. Understanding the adult learner.Adult learners- • Want to know why they should learn something. • Are autonomous and self-directed. • Are task-oriented • Are goal- oriented • Have life and professional experiences that are beneficial to course content or could bias their openness to new ideas

  7. Demographics of Students • Instructor may have to change direction during course by revising course objectives, activities, examples, assignments, discussion and communication strategies to fulfill students needs. • Adult learners should be actively involved in what they want to learn and how to go about it.

  8. Seven Teaching Strategies to use for Adult Learners

  9. Strategy One Recognizethatlearning is a social activity. • Incorporate the use of small groups and community building activities • Students may need coaching in specific group skills • Set ground rules, assign roles, have mixed or similar ability groups, give clear assignments, monitor groups so that learning is taking place.

  10. Strategy Two Integrate learning into life Use student’s background to incorporate course work into a context they can relate to by using analogies and examples. This provides positive reinforcement when the student can understand “why” they need to learn something.

  11. Strategy Three • Enable learning by doing Practice is the best way to gain mastery of subject, skill or concept by: • Answering and creating questions, doing projects, discussions, summarizing, taking notes or journaling, hands-on activities, doing worksheets or teaching another student • Use memory techniques to enhance retention and retrieval.

  12. Strategy Four • Encourage learning by research • Student will retain information longer when they are given the opportunity to develop and understand the material on their own terms. • Students enhance their own learning when they “think about thinking” or metacognition.

  13. Strategy Five • Remember that everyone learns differently and may start from a different level of knowledge • Try to find out as much as you can about your students so that you are able to give them what they need without “dummy-down” teaching or assuming that they know more than they do.

  14. Strategy Six • Make learning fun • Keeps learners engaged and involved resulting in non-threatening environment encouraging questions ,answers and discussion.

  15. Strategy Seven • Build in assessment but do not mislead yourself into thinking you can measure learning Quantitative assessment becomes more difficult when content complexity increases. Progress can be translated not only in terms of outcomes by also by improvement of processes. Use peer feedback and individual reflections as assessment instead

  16. What to expect? • Adult learners are motivated by personal growth. • Unlike younger students who are accustomed to being compared by test scores, adult learners are challenging themselves. Encourage growth from the beginning of the session to the end of the session in ability and/or skills by including this as part of the actual grade.

  17. Average Learning Retention Rates

  18. Active Learning • This video demonstrates how Active Learning happens in a traditional setting or an online class.

  19. As the Instructor! • Allow time in class to finish requirements that are important to the instruction • Be extremely flexible-build safety nets that allow for limited number of late assignments to maintain flexibility, accountability and expectation of work. • Be creative- use activities that engage or entertain. • Pair highly motivated students with less skilled to increase peer encouragement, interest & attendance.

  20. Task Analysis • Analyze what is important for students to know • Base lesson or instruction on time availability, background knowledge, specific learning and teaching strategies needed, and metacognitive monitoring that students need for comprehension.

  21. Conclusion • To be an effective communicator and instructor to adult learners, it is necessary to incorporate on the previous knowledge that the learner brings to the classroom and build on that knowledge. • Metacognition is needed to enhance learning. • Make learning an enjoyable experience by incorporating small groups, discussion, and assessing on what and how students learned the information.

  22. Literature Review • I incorporated four different resources to provide information on adult learners. These articles and booklets gave insight on the differences of adult learner versus younger students. One article was based on technical learning, while another emphasized online learning and course writing. The other two based their findings on what works best for adult learning but could also be used for students at any age. The you-tube video demonstrates how active learning happens. For the most part, all the resources integrated the use of the seven strategies that I have included here.

  23. Works Cited • http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/tips-for-teaching-adult-students/ http://www.seedgrad.iastate.edu/images/Correia_Yusop_TeachingOnline.pdf • http://www.doe.virginia.gov/federal_programs/esea/title1/part_b/even_start/adult_reading_instruction/adult_learners.pdf • http://www.pested.msu.edu/PesticideApplicatorCertification/RTAT%20Manual/RTATSection7.pdf • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsDI6hDx5uI&feature=related

More Related