What are some characteristics of an effective instructor of adult learners?

The class I am a facilitator in gives a pre test the first day of class that is not graded, we then give the students a feed-back sheet showing them how they scored broken down by section's of the test, this feed back guides them to specific areas that they need to study. It also confirms their strong and wek areas an is a great help for them to pass the final exam.

Many of the subjects I teach do not lend themselves readily to lots of styles. For example, Anatomy and Physiologiy: students must memorize a lot of information, and it's hard to make relationships between different body systems until all of the systems have been covered. Would love some ideas on how to approach tis problem in the classroom

I have had success with challenging the class to invent a new mnemonic. It's fun and by the time we're done they won't forget it.

First of all analyze the problem. Write down what is given, then start thinking all steps are to be taken to solve the problems. I'm math instructor and use logic and problem solving in math.

Problem solving is an integral part in College Math that involves problem solving using venn diagram . I enjoy teaching problem soving . I also learnt a lot from this course.

It is good to know that there are other educators in the world around us that believe Critical Thinking is an integral part of the learning process.I'm teaching College Mathematics where we use critical thinking and problem solving.

Critical Thinking is made of a combination mainly: self-directed thinking and discipline. In everyday language critical thinking is thinking outside the box.

I think one of the keys to helping students transfer information from short term memory to long term memory is to revisit similar topics in future classes or concurrent classes. As our students move through the 5 semester curriculum we try to expand on or revisit past topics to help them move this information into Long Term Memory!

I introduce a new topic using guided note taking,then I use a PowerPoint Presentation to make sure the students get the main points and to reach the visual learners;then I use role playing if possible to act out the situation; and finally I ask a students to paraphase the presentation. Sometimes I give each student an envelop at the beginning of class. They are not to look in the envelop before or during the lecture. After the lecture we review the lecture using the preset questions. This has worked very well because the students do not know what their question will be therefore they have to pay close attention in order to be able to answer their questions. If they miss their questions they must find the answer in the textbook.

Most adult learners want to direct themselves and in many cases determine their learning path. They want to be actively involved in the learning process; therefore, I give some simulations in the beginning of a new class so the students can see that what they are learning is applicable to their choosen career. Near the end of the class the students will be allowed to choose from several projects to complete which directly relates to their choosen career.

I am curious how good and bad an idea guided notes are. I can see how they would keep many students on track. But I can also see how I am conforming their material processing strategies, and severely limiting it.

When I have a classroom of 28 students in Document Processing I, my students see document processing in many different stages. I emphasize that this course is really keyboarding using the touch method and using orange skins which in the end will increase their keying speed and accuracy immensily provided they follow instructions.In this class we will also learn to format business letters, reports, memos, and ruled tables. I bring concrete concepts to abstract thinking by teaching how each documnet will be used in their choosen career field. Is this what you mean by what role concrete thinkg play in the learning process?

To practice problem solving skills in the classroom/clinic/lab environment we use case studies very much like the House M.D. t.v. series. Students are presented with a clents condition and must explore which technique will be best to benefit their clients.

Our students must find balance between the different types of intelligence to be successful in the natural health environment they will be working in. I have found that our clinic/lab environment is the perfect forum to teach these skills. Some students naturally have more emotional intelligence innately and by being mentored by other students and intructors they are able to mirror the emotional intelligence it will require to be succesful with clients and the community.

Our program is accelerated and intensive requiring the students to become quickly proficient at application of techniques. Our students work in a clinic environment to be able to practice their reasoning skills to determine which techniques they will employ for the benefit of their clients. I believe this workshop/lab type of environment provides the perfect format to practice the skill of reason and outcomes possible.

I am an instructor at a trade vocational college and have found immense benefit of employing the critical thinking style of question format in lectures. The students become more engaged in the lecture and are better prepared to process logical outcomes of why the material being covered is important to them and their clients benefit wise.

Adult learners are really special. They are excited to learn new things. I am very happy to teach them. and this has opened new ideals to help them success in their new adventure and hopefully some I can guide to other new adventures.

I believe highly that in order to teach an adult learner, we must keep the class room motivating, exciting and challenging so that our student can use their brain, short and long memories.

I think all of these processes get at one basic point: making problem solving a more conscious activity. That is, problem solving seems to be something we do on a regular, daily basis, and we seem to do that largely without thinking about it. These activities are nice for making that process more conscious, so that I am aware of the problem-solving happening.