Rasiel,
I have not yet seen a post that indicated avoiding dementia as a reason for attending college. Does this happen frequently at your institution?
Jeffrey Schillinger
Some motivations are developing new social relationships, the desire to serve the community, personal growth, the desire to achieve old goals for personal satisfaction, advance professionally, stimulating the brain to prevent diseases such as dementia.
Marie-Anne,
Thank you for this post. What are some of the biggest challenges you face when teaching students who are looking for that "second chance?"
Jeffrey Schillinger
I agree with this statement. Being a career changer myself, I find there is more of a focus on the task at hand instead of some college "drifters". A 2nd career is a 2nd chance, and definitly not worth wasting.
Thank you for this post, Eric. How do you determine individual students' motivations? How do you leverage those individual motivations to inspire students to remain in schools and to succeed academically?
Jeffrey Schillinger
Adult learners bring with them experiences from their lives and motivations grade school students may not have. Adult learners may have goals related to their career, such as pursuing education to obtain a promotion or to change their careers.
Mike,
It absolutely makes sense. There are some things I do every week that help me "honor" my father by living up to his ideals. I get the same feeling from little things like using his old hammer when I am working on something.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Tom,
Understanding why students are their and finding ways to leverage their motivations when times get tough is a good start on the road to becoming a "great facilitator."
Jeffrey Schillinger
I find that the answers to why students return to school in later life vary quite a bit. Most are motivated by enhancement, either monetary or personal. Many see school as a way to advance to the next part of their lives. I hope to be a great facilitator in their education.
There are some greats posts here.I too have all these types students in my classes. I would like to add that I teach culinary arts. On occasion, I will have a student that is studying cooking because of a relative, that is living or has passed away, and they are honoring this person by keeping the love they had for cooking alive. I hope that makes some sense.
Eurico,
Timey, sincere positive reinforcement is very important to adult students.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Austin,
This is an interesting perspective that does not come up often in this course. Thanks for sharing this.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Melissa,
Often the reason students return to school is centered upon someone else, like a child or spouse.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Thank you for this post, Leigh. What are the challenges that students who are in school for life skills rather than career changes or advancement present?
Jeffrey Schillinger
Motivating Factors that pertain to the career technical school that I teach at has a main motivating factor of acquiring skills that not only to get a job in the industry but to enhance life skills (cooking).
Adult learners tend to return to school to improve their life through education, often through better job prospects once the new skills have been learned.
I have found a thought process that I find interesting but also inspiring as an Instructor. On more than one occasion, I have had students who tell me "I have spent my life making other people happy, now I want to make myself happy by doing something I have always wanted to". I am always excited to hear that and try each day to make sure I do not dissapoint them.
The motivating factors for adults to return to school is they want to move for something else like a promotion or the present job requires it to keep your position. And other than that maybe the persons want to update the technology or getting more new ideas. Because if your were in the school interaction happens, you talk to different professors, your classmates that comes from different level of age or different or same kind of industry you working with. Encouraging for them is also have a good school in a situation everything is the best and that is the good motivation.
Mark,
This is a common student at career colleges. What are some of the ways you try to offset the lack of a support network at home?
Jeffrey Schillinger
Dennis,
any adult students use others in their lives as their motivation to return to school. It is often the children, but sometimes spouses or parents are the motivation.
Jeffrey Schillinger
