Adult learner needs and expectations facilitate a motivational learning environment. They don't have to be there, they want to be there. This lets the instructor know that he/she is dealing with a group of adults that want to learn the material to be presented.
The content should be relevant to the course, there should be a variety of delivery methods from lecture to hands-on or application of the material, and students should be given the opportunity to process the newly acquired information within the context of their own environment. For my students, this transformation occurs shortly after completion of the course because it does affect the manner in which they conduct business, coordination, and interact between the various agencies within the U.S. government and the Department of Defense.
We routinely get a diverse experiance level in our courses. Short assessments (pretests) provide a tool to identify what the learner expects and gives the instructor a basis for modifying the delivery. Often we use practical exercises to do this rather than a pretest. For instance, in a planning course, individuals or groups may be requested to develop a short plan for the subject material and how they will use it in their jobs. The instructor can look at these after class and speed up, slow down or modify instruction to meet the needs and expectations of the students. This sounds a lot harder than it is. Agile instructional delivery assits in knowledge retention and motivation. Students who want to be in class do better than those who are bored to tears or lost in space.
Hi Kathy,
This is a great strategy. You have made a bit of a game plus problem solving session out of your case studies. The title is great as well. The students are having their interests engaged because they want to know the the blooper was and what happened next.
Way to go in getting your students focused and using their newly acquired knowledge.
Gary
One on my methods to make my instruction relevant to my students is to analyze an actual industry problem that I have collected from my jobs in the field. I call the problems "Industry Bloopers" which entices the students' interest. First I lecture on the topic or topics that are associated with the industry blooper. I then pass out a case study analysis sheet that provides the basic information about the problems and present the actual garment or fabric. We analyze the problems together and then apply the lecture topic/topics to solve the problem. The students are very receptive to this problem solving approach with visual props. In order to come up with a solution to the problem, they must apply skills learned from past classes as well as the topics and skills discussed in the current class.
I have noticed that my attendance is excellent on these days because the students do not want to miss the " Industry Blooper".
Hi Gary,
Your comments are right on target with sound instructional planning. The blend you speak of helps the students to stay engaged and focused on what they are learning and how their career plans are progressing.
Gary
I ask my student to elaborate on their needs and expectations, than we discus ways by which they can use class material and content to improve their situations.
It seems to me that there needs to be a good match between the student, the course of study and the instructor. The student chooses the course of study and arrives with certain needs and expectations. The teachers job is to reconcile the subject matter with the needs and expectations of the student. A specific method to meet student needs is to give a pretest to use in planning subsequent course delivery. Judicious review can help make content relevant to the student and thereby help meet their expectations.
Hi Paul,
I understand your disappointment with certain students because I feel the same way when I have students that have the ability but won't apply themselves. So many people don't get the chance to go to school and for those that do and don't put forth the effort there is no excuse. We can continue to support such students and hope they catch fire and get motivated to achieve.
Gary
I realize that my students expectations vary. I am dissapointed when they expect to simply pass the course. When student expectations match my own, the relevence of the instruction comes naturally.
Hi Susan,
You are using a number of instructional strategies to engage your students. This really helps capture their attention. I think the use of history with current applications is a great way to make way to help students to see application and relevancy to what they are learning.
Gary
I "pre-test" my students every class while teaching Fashion History. Many students don't realize how much history they retained from high school or general life. When approaching each era that I am about to lecture about, we have a class discussion on major facts in history in that era... wars, characters, etc. anything they can think of. This gives me an idea of what they know.
It also stems the discussion of how much they disliked history in the past and how exciting they find it to correlate things they know with something they find so interesting.
We also take it a step further... their homework is to find contemporary runway garments that they can clearly see the era a designer took inspiration from. Of course, they have to cite the designer and collection, so they can use the what they learned in a real world setting and they are learning about new designers at the same time. Then they share it with the class via the forum so they can start a discussion.
Giving adult learners information and tools that they can use outside class would be a great tool in the fulfillment of expectation
I try to make some of the content directly applicable to their lives. I teach psychology, so I will point out the information that will be useful in dealing with their children, in relationships, etc. I also invite them to share when they have used the material we talk about.
Relevant instruction requires thought and planning to be implemented in the classroom, lab, and clinical setting. One question often asked by students is “why do I need to learn this?†This question seems to directly relate to relevant instruction. This can be especially true in foundation classes. Using case studies, real professional life examples, and guest speaker can often help. Students often see the relevant of the lesson when it is time for lab, but sometimes not until they are actually in a clinical setting. Sometimes this may not occur in the same course but several courses into the program. By the end of a program students often see how the big picture really does appear.
I like pretests. For example, in a fundamentals of composition class, I include grammar questions but also ask what the students want out of the class. I ask them how they think they will be using writing when they graduate and get a job. I then try to plan accordingly.
Hi Charles,
Give it a try in one of your classes and see how it works for you. I have been using pretesting for many years and it really helps me to target the current class of students.
Gary
I'm very intrigued about the ideas expressed in pre-testing, which I haven't done. I teach an art history class and it would help me understand my student's pre knowledge and reasons why they are taking the course. I can easily re shape the content for the unique personality of each class. I attempt to do this every term but pre testing would allow me to adjust from the beginning rather than later in the course.
I am fortunate that in courses that I teach, the student can learn tools to apply in securing employment. My courses are near the end of our program and students anxiety levels of losing what has become comfortable (their experience as a student )becomes elevated. They must secure an "externship" to complete the program and transition to employment. Technical work knowledge, skills and attitudes they have acquired prepare them for the job but don't prepare them to get the job. However, how does employment work, applications, interviews, benefits, payroll taxes and the like tend to be unfamiliar even to our more experienced students.The actual experience of getting into a different industry or different level of the industry causes much anxiety of the unknown.Teaching Human Resources, Management and Entrepreneurship, is advantageous for the students. Even though the course descriptions speak of the application of these topics from a management perspective which may be some years away for most students, it is a very easy thing to turn the perspective to how prospective and active employees experience these things and how a student can gain advantage more immediately in securing employment.
Adult learners have three main aspects in which they learn best - (1) auditory, (2) visual, and (3) hands on. We need to be aware of how our students learn and the best ways in which to present the information to them. Using more of the hands-on technique in the office will help the teachers to deliver relevant info and meet the students expectations.
Honestly, one of the easiest ways for me to make instructional content and delivery relevant, is a version of pretesting. Though, instead of testing for knowledge, I get a sense of what students hope to accomplish, what their dreams are, and where their interests lie. That way I can use relevant examples, and lean heavily on their preferences. Regardless of class size, usually the responses boil down to 3 or 4 general focuses. In addition to helping with relevance, it also helps students feel heard and like the class is personalized for them.
Michael
