If a student can relate to a situation that they already have comited to memory,and assosiate it with the current topic, they are more likley to remember it.
It is important for adult learners to use their life experiences in the classroom because it helps validate their achievements while also allows them to feel successful.
It adds to their ownership to the class and therefore their desire to make it an accomplishment.
As mentioned in this module, adult learners bring a wide diversity of life experiences to the classroom. In my field, those experiences range from prison to publishing. One of the life experiences I share with them is no matter what walk of life you come from, we all have past experiences that will be usefull to you in the future. You may not think so at the present time, but you will come to realize it in the future.
Andre,
I like all of what you said; particularly the part about sharing failures & successes. Our students will fail & if we can share our own stories of learning & bouncing back from failure this will help them to not quit.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I think real life experiences are important because it draws your students in. It also helps them to relate to what they can and will be doing. Many of my students get more involveed and interested when I use real life applications to the field the are studying.
Adult learners often come to class feeling as though they have failed or "wasted their time". The need to understand that life teaches us everyday and that their experience will make them stronger and better prepared to succeed. Sharing life experiences in the classroom creates an open forum that will allow hesitant students to open up and feel as though their experience is relevant. It is in these discussions that the students sometimes become the teachers.
Using life experiences in the class room allows students to take part of class activities. Some students have good experiences and some have a less desired experiences. At any rate, it allows students to share, interact, and be aware of pitfall to be cautious of!
Being able to link lecture and textbook reading to actual real life situations puts learning in perspective. Many career college students react well to real life scenarios
Using life experiences in the classroom allows students to recall their prior successes and/or failures. As a result, it motivates the student through the pride of the prior success (promotes a "you can do it, just persevere" attitude) or encourages a student to "try again" due to a prior failure. As a note, I often share my own failures as well as my successes with the students.
by letting them to express their life experiences i believe that it makes them feel better about the new change their making. It also allows younger students a chance to hear things from other people instead of instructors all the time
I agree. Plus, when students get to share their experiences with the class, they feel heard and feel as if the class and instructor know them more. This results in more comfort, ultimately helping them learn more effectively with this group of individuals and not feel as intimidated, but rather accepted.
When having a discussion, students should feel free to bring their life experiences to the forefront. When students bring their life experiences, students tend to listen and it makes the discussion a lot more interesting. In addition, by talking to about their life experiences in relation to the material, they are making a connection that will help them internalize the concepts learned.
It helps them find a connection between past experiences and their current education and career goals. New concepts, theories, and ideas have relevance to them.
Dale,
and it's a great way of showing that we know we're not the only ones who've had life experiences, they have too.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Listening to and allowing students to give their own life expierences and how the instructional material relates to them gives other students a chance to view it from a peer perspective.
kisha,
your statement is right on. It really is important to help our students see how these concepts play out in their fields.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
this is an important part because it help students to connect with something that is real. They can use those experiences and apply them to their educational career. With true stories they relate.
I think using real life experiences in the classroom helps put it in better perspective for the students especially adult learners. I have found that adult learners especially the ones that have been out of school for a while have some difficulty understanding some textbook material but if I am able to relate to a real life experience they can comprehend the information better.
Real life experiences help with retention of lessons and words learned. It gives the student a chance to relate not only the entire lesson, but perhaps a single new word to something they recognize. This gives them a sense of success and upward moving in the class instead of feeling as if they are falling behind.
