Teaching Adults
I think that teaching adults is much harder than K12 students. Adults want value for their education and it is hard to tell adults what to do, you must guided them.
Ron
Hi Barbara:
Yeah, everyone is different. As teachers, we have the chore of relating to a smogasboard of generational students, both in terms of age groups, but also in learning styles and their expectations. But good teachers will endeavor to reach all their students in some manner.
Regards, Barry
I don't think you can generalize about any group. I have some recent high school graduates who are excellent students. I think these are my favorite students. They make it a point not to be influenced by their peers, who prefer to focus on their friends and social life. On the other hand, I have some mid-thirty and above students who whine and complain when they don't get exactly what they expected to get, and they expected to get spoon-fed instruction with no effort on their parts, and a job handed to them on graduation day.
I am finding that in teaching adults, sometimes the pressure they have on their lives outside the classroom like money,illness,children,transportation, babysitters ect. greatly impacts their in class proformance. any ideas on this
Hi Van:
I agree, usually, adults conduct themselves in a mature, professional fashion.
How awful it is then when that doesn't occur in this type of student group!
Regards, Barry
I agree there can be challenges teaching adults, but for the most part they are better behaved than K-12. There isn't as much, "Why do we have to learn this?" They can more clearly see the relation between school and the job they are hoping to get.
Hi Roger:
Great analysis of your class!
It's true that we have generational differences, along with age and different learning styles, instructional styles, attitudes, preparation, backgrounds, and motivations for being in the class to start with.
It's good if you can separate the groups and conform to their generational styles of learning.
I think something is a key that can work with almost any group of students and at least keep their attention. That is being honest and sincere, kind and caring, tolerant and patient, passionate and enthusiatic, approachable and open to opposing viewpoints in your delivery and presentation.
Assuming you have the resources needed to conduct class, this approach will be accepatable to most students and will be respected and the information trusted as reliable. It can be fun and enjoyable as well.
Regards, Barry
I have learned to divide the group we call adults into two groups. The first group is the older adult, 30's and 40's. The second group is the younger adults in their 20's. Many of the second group act like they are teenagers. Their educational experiences are very different from the older group.
The older group was expected to behave, take notes, do homework and experienced a higher level of discipline in public schools. The younger group has experienced less discipline and declining academic expectations.
My experience with the older group is they take a little more time to comprehend material because they aren't used to being in school and they also try to relate the material to their experiences. But they will be in class everyday and they are usually prepared.
The younger group learns faster but they have a higher absentee rate and seldom take notes. They tend to want the course material to be very specific in terms of the exams. They don't want to have to analyze the subject matter. They want know what will be on the test and that is the extent of their interest in the class.
I don't want to sound overly critical of the younger group. Their academic experiences are completely different from mine. This group never had a classroom door locked and were counted absent if they weren't seated at the start of class. I also had to filter through pages of notes in order to prepare for a test. Public schools typically don't require this any more. The concern is the consequences of a school failing state & federal standards rather than teaching students to understand 'broad brushes' of historic or philosophic movements.
The end result is you as an instructor have to design your material according to the makeup of your class. If I have more older students I can lecture more and if I have more younger students I use Youtube videoes and talk before and after the videos. I try to relate the material to their experiences.
Hi Dale:
Very true - behavioral problems don't disappear in the adult population. Ususlayy adults are just more creative in how they can cause problems!
I think one key is to lay a good foundation at the beggining of class. Guidelines have to be written and understood. A fun way would to give a quiz on the first day right after going over the syllabus and expectations.
Following through early (being a little tougher)at the beginning also shows that the teacher intends to follow through with the stated expectations.
Also, if we want an 80% average, the standard needs to set at 90%, or if we want 90% average, we have to set the standard at 100%. Most students will at least try to make the minimum expectations, some will, some won't and some will excell beyond. Therefore setting the standard higher will get more student compliance.
Regards, Barry
I agree with the statement that adults are harder to teach than K-12 but I find that the problem comes from the adult williness to learn and bring personal issue into the classroom. All adults do not act out however it only takes one spoil apple to turn the box outside out
Hi Jeffrey:
I think one key is to find common ground - and that usually is the professional course or career area the student has chosen. If all topics basically relate to the work setting, you'll be meeting most student needs.
Regards, Barry
I agree I feel the adults are very set in their ways and have a hard time learning new thing about a subject they thought they already knew. old habbits are hard to break.
That is a good point, Ron... I think a big difference in teaching adults is realizing these are student who, while they may act like they are in a classroom, do demand a higher standard.
I've had a big problem with this since about 1/4 of any class ends up being older than me, with most students right around my age demographic.
Most of my older student appreciate an authoritative classroom. I let them know very clearly why they are in my class, how it will apply to their industry experience, and what is expected for them to succeed in the class. as long as you hold everyone (including yourself) to a high standard, and stick to clear-cut objectives, it seems easier to manage adult learners' success.
Hi Maria:
Good post summarizing real issues to consider.
I think there are two categories that make smooth teaching a bit more difficult. One is the generational differences as you point out. The other is the differences within each generation.
For instance, we'll find stronger and weaker students within the same generation. Also, differing levels of "soft skills" - general manners and customs associated with getting along at work (and in society in general).
Your comment abot fear of technolgy is a strong one for some older students. On the other hand, I have students enroll for online or hybrid classes who don't even have an internet connection.
So I guess we take'em as we get'em, and in a way it's fun (in a work kind of way) to find a way to reach the variety of individuals and diversity of backgrounds we're charged to teach.
Regards, Barry
Teaching adults can be harder but I have learned to keep in mind their generational learning styles. By making an awardness of the different learning styles and the use of or fear of use of technology, students seem to come together with greater ease and help each other in the learning process. It's amazing to see them work together and to see how much they can learn from one another.
Hi Linda:
Truly, all roads lead to jobs and the workplace. I find that's always an easy and welcome transition because most all students are interested in getting a good paying job after they finish school. For GE, any time an example is needed, trying to find one related to a career field of one of the students would be a better example.
We can also ask the students for examples. I find they are rich with examples once we learn how to corall their chattiness.
Regards, Barry
I agree with your take on teaching GenEd classes. It seems that motivation is the key to getting them to put as much time into these classes as the classes in their fields. At the beginning of each class when I summarize what we will be doing for the evening, I try to explain how this information will relate to every day life and their careers (Why is it important to learn about how our nervous system works?), and that makes a big difference in how much my students engage in the instruction for the evening. We often have very animated discussions on how our subject matter relates to life.
Hi Josh:
Great point. GE classes have their focus and purpose. When a GE teachers can relate their course subject matter to the vocational field of their students, there will be more "AHA" moments.
Regards, Barry
Hi Peter:
Some adult learners feel entitled, maybe because they're paying and feel nothing short of perfection will be tolerated. That's a good sentiment in a way, as we ought do all we can for our students. But when adults start acting like children, are petty, complaining, whining pests, well, that's entitlment taken to the extreme.
Regards, Barry
We all seem to agree teaching adults is harder than teaching K12 students. I agree it seems to be the I don't want to be told I have to do something, and time limits. Getting material in on time for some students is very hard and this applies to gen. ed. classes. When students are learning in their field, hands on, they will work harder. With this in mind I try a couple of hands on projects in my gen ed class which draws more participation.
josh
