Learning Needs of Adult Learners
There are numerous best practices to apply towards meeting the learning needs of adult learners, to name a few:
• Take an inventory of your students’ prior knowledge and experiences. When instructing students, make efforts to acknowledge students’ experiences and build on what they already know.
• Determine why students are motivated to be adult learners. Work with students to meet their personal goals.
• Identify your students’ learning styles. Use a variety of teaching techniques that will work with a variety of learning styles.
Along with those practices mentioned, we may also sometimes ask the learners who seem to be struggling, exactly what they need in order to do better. Recently I asked a learner aged 33 who was constantly nervous and apprehensive, exactly what she needed. Her answer was simply to know that someone was there to understand her and support her in her learning. As a result of gaining that understanding of her particular need, I simply made supportive comments before and after class, and wrote a few more words of encouragement on the assignments she turned in. Those little bits of extra effort paid off, and the student now is now brimming with confidence and doing earning higher scores! Sometimes just asking the learner what he/she needs, can provide the information you as the instructor require in order to meet that need.
-CAJE-
Jocelyn,
What are your strategies for determining individual student's "strengths and weaknesses to learn?"
Jeffrey Schillinger
Knowing every students young or older adult they have their own individual strength and weaknesses to learn. An knowing what are their strength and weakness it helps a lot and motivates me more to apply different method of teaching that could easily be understood through out the classroom period. And also, knowing what their expectations from their instructor toward on their learning process it gives me more ideas to share other techniques to teach the adult learners.
Dr. Floyd,
Great post. The words "supportive sincerity" really describe how we need to interact with students.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Asking learners what they need is most ideal when they have been otherwise unresponsive. Such requires an attitude of humble service on the part of the instructor.
Additionally, with reaching out via encouragement and supportive sincerity--there is merit to listening to the student and considering their input. What students think is important to share may open up a venue to really connect, in a way that is meaningful and impacting from their perspective. Even more so in the case for adult learners who have relevant experiences of their own to share -- that will possibly benefit all in the learning environment.
If or when students are unresponsive, the obligation to ". . . arrange conditions that will activate, support, enhance, and maintain processes [that assure learning occurs] . . ." does not become void. It is in every instructor's best interest to learn about their learners.
Kenneth,
Thanks for this post. Adults do need consistent, timely feedback. Online adult students can really benefit from phone calls rather than just email messages within the LMS.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I have found that adult learners need more communication than younger learners. They need constant feedback about how they are doing and want to discuss it rather than get something from you through email.
Taking the time to sit down with them once in a while and review how they are doing gives them the confidence they need to be successful.
Clifton,
Thank you for this thoughtful post. Making supportive comments before and after class, and writing words of encouragement are simple and powerful ways to reach students.
Jeffrey Schillinger
