Absolutely! One of the great things about adult education is that everybody brings a wealth of experience to the party and we can all learn from each other.
It allows them to utilize experiences along with what they are learning in order to further understand the information that is being given to them. Also it helps to share these experiences with others to possibly open more discussion about certain topics.
Life experience can build confidence in both understanding problem and developing strategies in dealing with the problem. This is a technique used to cause learning "up" for students going to the next level of understanding.
Thanks for sharing that info Jaclyn!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
Hi Betty!
Once an instructors has shared experiences, I think that it hleps students feel safe in sharing their experiences as well.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
Hi Michael!
We all should be learning as we move through life. I find that even though so many of us have very similiar experiences, we all process them in different ways. These experiences help make us who we are and are very important in our continued learning process - so continue to allow sharing.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
It is important for adult learners to use life experiences because according to the literature it helps them to feel more successful. Not only is that a key factor but it is also proven that when you utilize personal experiences it helps to move learning from short term to long term memory, which is crucial when in the learning enviornment.
Everyone has an experience to bring to the table that will help them gain confidence...in turn will help the student gain proficency with learning.
I think everyone likes to tell their stories and as an instructor that has been in the field for many years I have many life experiences to share. I find when I share then others in the class share their experiences also.
Hi Carl!
How can you help redirect the need of that person so that other students pick up the dicussion and perhaps take in a different direction?
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
Ed106 Facilitator
Hi Ron!
I agree that balance is important to the learning process and staying in control of the classroom. Don't let students monopolize in life experiece sharing.
Good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
Hi Anne!
Nothing better than real life - is there? Students learn so much from each other particularly those younger students.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
Using life experiences in the classroom is what makes the students grasp the course work.
For many students who are returning to school as adults, it is because they did not do well in high school, and so have developed a sense of anxiety when re-entering the classroom. However, they have gained valuable "real-world" experience that they can access to be more successful students.
Marian
I agree with your statement that “Adult learners need to see the correlation with what is going to happen as well as how it impacts them in their current situationsâ€. I think we are saying the same thing. I found in adult learners, learning takes place when new knowledge is applied to old knowledge and the student combines the learned experience an expresses new knowledge. However, an instructor must be cautioned in that simply reciting past experiences is not learning.
I have noticed that allowing students to share their experience (as it applies to the topic) is listened to. The rest of the class is more at ease with a fellow student and is more willing to ask the questions they have.
It is important to demonstrate relevance and class rapport. From an instructor standpoint, it is key to display subject matter expertise without too much embelishment or too much self-focus.
I believe adult learners need to see the correlation with what is going to happen as well as how it impacts them in there current situations.
It brings diverse situations to life. We can learn as much from each other as well as from the teacher. It creates interest in each other and you can learn how others think.
Life experiences allows student to associate what was learned to what is being taught. If the student has life experiences and is in a class that reflects his/her career, the student could then apply academic terminologies to experiences. This methodology of learning encodes new information into learned behaviors. This learning processes becoming part of the learner’s long term memory and recall functions. This deep level of encoding and storage allows the adult learner to apply new concepts in the classroom and on the job.
