It is so important to use your experiences and those of past students as well. It gives your current students an excitement of what to expect and look forward to and also shows them that there are people enjoying the career they have chosen and they are successful. My students always enjoy hearing my stories of being in the field. They are always interested to hear them.
I've read several of the posts from the original question for adult learners to use their life experiences in the classroom and certainly agree it is very important, psychologically, as they experientially apply the lessons to their lives. However, as one student relays their "story" it may tune out several others to how it contextually applies to a specific lesson. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the instructor to be attune to the "point" and tie it to the leson or run the risk of loosing the class. Also, there always seems to be a few that a willing to speak up with their experiences while others do not feel they have anything to share...again, it is up to the instructor to bring them in with questions or physical cues.
It is important for adult learners to be able to use their life experiences in the classroom because they are different from traditional daytime students. Adult learners have already had experiences in a wide array of work training and schooling prior to pursuing career education. They tend to relate new learning to what they already know through life experiences. As educators, we need to encourage the adult learners to bring their life experiences to the classroom so they can connect new concepts and theories learnt in the classroom to their past experiences. The bottom line is that adult learners value classroom discussions if they can see the applicability in their lives.
I often will ask if the students or someone in their family have experienced "X". This way they can relate to the subject matter.
This also makes the information applicable to not only their chosen career but to them personally.
Using life experiences connect people in various levels and help overcome their insecurities in their mind and motivate them to be like others
and overcome short comings and hitches in learning process.
Life experiences provide a couple of good things; they provide an avenue for the student to contribute, they provide real life examples of how the material will be used and they provide a change of pace for the presentation. They can also lead to interesting discussions to further explore the topic.
As these courses have brought out a couple of times, the recognition of past successes is acknowledged through sharing life experiences. I may be struggling now but I have struggled before and I succeeded. As adults we can get bogged down in what is happening in the here and now and may need prodded to rememeber I was here before and I made it.
My father was very insecure in his lack of formal education. He was a very successful business man but just having a GED was not enough. At 60 years old he found a school that would give him credit for his life experiences. He went to that school because they recognized his success in the servce, community and business world which cushioned him in the struggles he had with English, Math, and other pre-reqs. His proudest day was when he graduated with a BA. He had succeeded with other challenges, he could manage this one too. Right?
I have found that when I take a class that I always get more from sharing with my peers than I get from the instructor. I think this can always be used in the classroom. If the student is able to share life experienes, this enhances the learning experience and the studnets gets more out of the class when they participate.
I find that it helps the students relate to the material when you share life experiences with thwm and also ask them to share theirs as well.
I teach in a PTA program, using example that I pull from my experience as a clinician really engages the students and helps the to understand why the course content is so important. They are provided with example situations which may happen to them one day and it really helps to spur their attention.
Using real-life experiences or examples helps integrate the material for students and I believe it leads to better retention (my students always remember a lesson better with a story - regardless of whether it is my story or that of another student). It can also help students relate to a concept.
Using life experiences in the classroom help the students relate to the course content easier.
Focus, Motivation and building strong learning skills and interacting with fellow classmates. Builds on respect, increasing one's self-esteem and continuously striving toward excellence.
THey are living in the outside world, away from academia, so know consequences of actions. Validating their experiences by providing opportunity to apply what is their experience to the subject of the course helps me also.
It keeps students focused on their end goal
Sheena,
this is very true & when we have a mix of younger & more mature learners, it helps the younger folks learn from more than just the instructor.
Dr. Ryan Meers
This is important because it can give them a sense of accomplishment, while trying such a daunting task as going back to school later in life. Also it is important for the sake of showing those that are not as experienced that although they may have taking time away from school the time was well spent and it ultimately can help with an understanding of the course content and application of the information.
Adult learners love to share their experiences, and I beleive that part of that is due to the fact that they like to feel that they are contributing to the class. Also, it can feel good to brag to your peers about how your life experience is relevant in the classroom! When students feel like they are contributing, they are engaged and involoved, experiencing a deep level of learning.
Facilitates real world applications, instillation of memoriy techniques, as well as the experience of the presenter
When student relate subjects t life experiences they have a vested intrest.
