Surprisingly, I have had only a few adult learners in my classes over the years. Most of my students are between the ages of 18 – 25. I can also recall that each of those adult learners was a challenge to teach in some way. One in particular was indeed full of self-doubt and was typically despondent every time he entered the class. I always made an attempt to engage him in one-on-one conversation as he always arrived early to class. As much as I tried I could not find a “kink in the armorâ€.
Then this particular design class had a group project. I intentionally paired him up with the brightest, most talented student in the class. Amazingly, this troubled adult learner came out of his shell and presented skills to his group that I had no idea he had. It turns out all he needed was team interaction. His work experience was anchored in that so he needed that dynamic to function comfortably in the classroom. I think that experience then gave him the confidence he needed to do well in individual work. He needed that validation by his younger peers, but he also needed the proper venue to make that happen.
