Adult Learners
I have learned so much taking these classes. I am an Instructor and I work in the School System. It was hard to go from working with children and then changing to adult learners in the same day. It is so much better now.I know that I can try to help the children have a positve attitude towards school in the early years of life. Maybe this will help them in the future!
We have an interesting "mixture" of students in our school. Ages may range from 18 to 60's-70's, multi-cultural backgrounds and varying "economic" situations. One thing I truly love to see is the sense of "family" that develops between the students as they progress through our program. Sometimes I feel like my "memory bank" has reached its full capacity so it was nice to read this article.
Kelli,
Spoken like a dedicated and passionate instructor. Thanks you for sharing these comments. I know they will be of value to other instructors especially those that teach courses that students don't generally see as having value to their career development. I to teach such a course and it is fun to "win" them over and show them how they can use this "worthless" information in their personal and professional lives.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
One of the things I have found is that we wear many hats inside the classroom :) We hold hands, coddle, push, challenge and the list goes on and on. One of the things I do when lecturing is to make it fun, engage each student some how, some way. I also pull the real life experiences into the lessons. Often times our students have built walls with 'certain classes' because they 'think' the class is worthless. This is what happens in my Customer Service class every session. Students always ask: Why do I have to take this class? I've worked customer service all my life...
At the end of my classes, the students always thank me because they learned more then they ever dreamed about Customer Service. They love how engaging the lectures are and how much passion I show when I teach.
If we show our passion, our students will reciprocate!
My Best,
Kelli
I agree with Jeannie i had one of instince where I had to call Security, They just dont seem to understand that not everyone gets A's you have to be lacking somewhere and that is why we attend school
Jeannie,
This is a tough one. The key is to have a clear grading rubric that enables you to show exactly where the points were earned as well as lost. This reduces much of the discussion because with a rubric there is not as much subjection in the points awarded.
Gary
My challenge is when adult learners don't accept a grade of "C" and argue with the instructor.
Larry,
I have the same mixture in my classes right now so I understand where you are coming from. Yes, we need to fulfill different roles at different times throughout a class session. By doing so you keep the class moving forward and you are helping your students toward their career goals.
Gary
I teach adualts in culinary school. I see the students fall into two distinct groups, those who still act as if they are in High School and the active working adult trying to develop and build a career.
It is a bit frustrating at times because I as the instructor often need to jump from being a coach and mentor for the adult students to a prodder and reminder for the "High School" minded students.
Hi Julie,
Great to hear! I am sure you are going to have much teaching success as you work with the different generational learners.
Gary
In the past its been difficult to get the adult learners to engage with the younger ones because the is such a generational gap. I feel this course content will help me to mesh the two types of learners in the future
Most of our students have no idea how to go about learning the material. the younger students are not given the tools needed in their pevious schooling but are pushed through to graduation. this presents a big problem when they come into my classroom and i expect them to pass a test by recalling information. I have to take the time to explain to the student how to prepare for the next test so that they have a chance of passing.
I truely enjoy working with adult learners just because you can tap into their life experiences to help them aquire new skills. I accept that they all have a foundation for building towards their desired dreams by this time in their lives. Understanding that some foundations will need adjustments is helpful to me in bringing a class as a whole along to equal levels....Paul T. Rougemont
Hi Laura,
Thank you for sharing this great example. It just goes to show the influence instructors have on the success of their students. Always remember this person as you teach your own classes and I know your students will thank you for your effort.
Gary
Not long ago I completely changed my career and found myself back in school. At first I was terrified since it had been almost 20 years since I was in a classroom. My memories of school were not fond ones. Luckily my first course was taken with an instructor who made a difficult class exciting and interesting. He added life experiences and much humor to the course which made a lasting impression.
I use to teach young children years ago, loved the eagerness they bestowed when learning, but now that i am teaching adults, they also show a passion for learning but in a completly different manner, but still a joy to teach students of any age.
I usually teach adults which for the most part seem to be pretty engaged. However I had an opportunity this summer to teach high school kids for a week and I was amazed at there willingness to learn new material.
This is one of the challenges I face. Some of my students come into my class feeling that the material will not apply to them and their career. Becaus I also deal with adult learners at times I have to find a way to make them see how the material does apply to their chosen field.
Hi Kimberly,
I do as well. I enjoy meeting and learning from individuals from all walks in life as well as from diverse backgrounds. Each time I complete a course I reflect on how much I have learned from them.
Gary
I rather enjoy listening to the life experiences of adult students. They always seem to participate and share their experiences with the class.
