Using Life Experiences in the Classroom
Why is it important for adult learners to be able to use their life experiences in the classroom?
I think it is very important to use life stories in the classroom. Students are eager to learn about real life situations that have occurred in their chosen field.
Using life experiences makes the students comfortable with learning new things because the can fall back on the knowledge the are already familiar with.
There is a large body of research on what is known as andragogy which is a theory that gives insight of how adults learn. Adults bring lots of life experiences and prior learning to the classroom and these should be embraced. By embracing this and tailoring instruction to their needs it gives personalized attention, increases their motivation, and it helps the adult learners feel like they can be successful. To help with this it’s best to find out about your student not just through a skills / prior-knowledge inventory, but ask about their interests and experience of work, school, and personal friend/family lives. Knowing what their goals for school also helps in this area. When teaching you can solicit students to draw on their past and you can model this behavior too which gives great meaningful examples which is beneficial for all students. Another way is to incorporate reflective learning opportunities that encourage students to tie it to real life experiences and help bridge information.
... always helps to communicate and connect with others in any setting,especially in an educational atmosphere
When adult learners use life experiences in the classroom, it only enhances the learning process. When students can relate life events to classroom theory, it makes it seem more real.
To make students feel as though they can be successful too.In addition, it's always a nice break from the textbook version of the subject matter.
First, because the students love it, especially if there is humor involved. It also makes them excited about the possibilities of them doing the same in the near future. It's also nice to go off the text book version of the subject matter.
A lot of what adult learners have to bring to the classroom is experience, especially if they have been out of school a lot time. They want to feel like what they have experienced in valuable, even if it has not been in an academic setting. They want to feel like they have something to bring to the table that is worthy of acknowledgment.
Using life experience in the classroom is very important to the students. It gives the students a chance to see how others have become successful despite of challenging obstacles.
Most students I have encountered as an adjunct professor have not had a foundation or basis for learning in quite a long time. Whatever baseline they were once provided by their primary education, whether substantial or not, is likely now faded or gone all together. What they all have is life experiences. To get them up and running and have them feel like they are on course again, their life experiences are footholds that they trust implicitly. Tying lessons to these footholds gives them confidence and security.
Being an older instructor enables me to access a plethora of life experience that I can relate to the material I'm delivering. Students then can connect the education they receiving and how it ties in with a real-life human...me!
At the tech school that I work at, there are a lot of older students, retraining or out of the Military. I enjoy to ask what experience in life they have had. The other students enjoy the interaction and often join in. After that they seem to learn not only from me but from each other.
I agree with the use of examples as much as possible
Its helps them to relate to the lesson.
Why is it important for adult learners to be able to use their life experiences in the classroom?
Adult Learners have experience and learning is built through experiences. Giving students more knowledge about learning through life experiences will help in developing better skills in learning from new experiences. As materials are presented and studies experienced student can relate from past experiences and the motivation to learn new materials in their studies increases. Motivation to continue in the learning process helps in developing new skills needed in a chosen profession and allows for flexibilities to learn more complex concepts. Experiences are needed to conceptualize any subject at a higher level.
I think this allows them to relate to the profession they have chosen to pursue. Things always seem to make more sense when you can relate them to past experiences. I use life experiences often in my lecture.
When adult learners can use life experiences in the classroom, it can immediately lead to a feeling of success and accomplishment. The diversity of the adult learner allows for a multitude of educational and work experiences that can certainly transfer to what they are currently learning. There will be many new concepts and vocabulary students will be learning, but using life experiences, past or present, offers them a glimpse at the relevance of their education. They can make a connection to their life experiences and their new educational goals.
According to the module it is a foundation and building block they can build their future. Their past experience and knowledge of life is relevant. They can be successful.
I believe that using life experiences is very important. Each student has a different answer on the life experience. It helps the student inact with the class.
