Age Diversity in the Classroom
I have taught classes composed of half traditional and half non-traditional students. I have found that the diversity sometimes works for the best. The older students provide new and different perspectives to share with the younger students, and the younger students bring a lot of energy to the classroom. Have others had good experiences with this type of diversity? Or, what problems have others encountered with it?
I agree the blend of two different groups really has a positive effect on the learning process.
I am a automotive instructor at a nation wide school. We often times get many different age groups mixing together. In most cases, the old more focused students can make the younger, less motivated students, rise up and perform well above their initial potential and make them realize they can do anything they set their minds to do.Of course there are exceptions but as a rule, it is a pleasure to have older, more focused and motivated students in my classes.
I have found it to be a bit difficult dealing with the traditional and nontraditional student. The age barrier becomes a problem because the native student is set in their ways and sometimes dont want to extend their knowledge.
Hi Mike,
Personal motivation does drive the learning of students. We have to try and understand what that personal motivation is and then develop support around that motivation to help the students stay engaged.
Gary
Hi Louis,
You are right about the diverse backgrounds and experiences helping to bring different perspectives to the classroom. This enables rich discussions to be take place throughout the duration of the course.
Gary
It's my opinion that age doesn't matter; personal motivation is what keeps the student going
I have found that the mix of older non traditional students along with students fresh out of high school can be challenging and interesting at the sametime. It is challenging in having the students beable to relate to each other and it is very interesting when you have very diverse opinions on subject matter you are going teaching. The diversity does lead to a higher understanding an dlearning of the material.
I have had very positive results with different ages in my classes. The younger students tend to look to the older students for encourgment and vice versa.
In the classes that i teach, i see students ranging from 17 to 65. I find that each group offers their own challenges, but brings their own rewards as well. It is nice to see both groups help each other. The older group tends to teach the younger ones about life as well as what they know. The younger group tends to want to dazzle the older group with all the new technology exposure. All in all, it works quite well and the students reap the benefits of having a mixed classroom.
Michelle, I had an on-line class that met only once in a classroom and it was very interesting to see the age diversity when we met and remember some of the discussions we had, had. If a student is open minded enough all people perspectives are appreciated. I certainly didn't always agree but there sure was some interesting discussions.
Darci, I have also had a mixture of students in classes I have taught. So far this has been a beneficial environment. Students with more life experiences can share those experiences and those with some current social skills such as new social terms used by kids or techonological skills that some folks are just not comfortable with can be shared also.
As a non traditional student and makeup instructor, I enjoy having the age diversity in my classes. It brings a certain liveliness and curiosity to the class. We all learn from each other.
I am a recent gradute from Bethel University. I was an adult learner in a cohort setting. Our ages ranged from mid-twenties to mid-fifties. I can say that I appreciated everyone's insight and believed I had a better learning environment because of the age diversity in the classroom.
I have seen it work both ways. sometimes the older student takes on a "parent roll" and other times they want nothing to do with younger students
As an older learner i find as you said i almost want to panick at times when dealing with digital media do to lack of experience in that field.I also find that getting support from someone lets say younger helps
I found it helpful depending on what subject I am teaching. In computer classes, I have the older demographic to be almost panicked at times; digital media is not that old, that they can bring a wealth of experience to the classroom. On the other hand they always seem more fascinated and excited about what the programs can do.
I enjoy having a blend of traditional and non-traditional students in my classes. Each of these two groups of students contributes so much to each other. Also, each of these two groups of learners not only contribute information and skills helpful to the other but also provides a healthy amount of competition in learning.
