Age Diversity
age difference can be a concern for alot of people not being able to fit in or not being accepted by others. Ive had that experiance.Have you?
Hi Steven,
I commend you for using the human resources that you have available to you. Your previous life experiences have given you insight on how to manage people and ways to group them together so they can benefit from each other.
Gary
I also retuned to college in my 40's. I found learning to be easier. As an instructor I usually place my older or prior military students in charge of a lab group. This gives the younger students a sort of mentor and they seem to do much better.
Student age difference is always going to be a factor, just like student diversity. I have had extreme age differences several times in class and has not been any issue for young or old.
Hi Phillip,
As the old saying goes "there is no accounting for age!". Meaning one would not expect such behavior from a non-trad allegedly mature individual.
There probably were a number of factors working in the life of this person, one of which was a high level of insecurity. Most acting out behavior is a result of this.
A one on one talk in private is the place to start. Explain how his behavior disrupts the class and that it cannot continue. Ask for his help in being a positive role model for the younger students. Set a time line for his behavior to improve. (Say next 3 class periods). Inform the school office that you have created a behavior contract for this student.
See if it works. If not again explain the consequences of not complying with the culture and function of the class. Point out the positive progress that has been made if there has been any and outline your expectations for him.
If at the end of the time period he has not complied and is still disrupting the class then you should dismiss him from the class for the good of all. Let him know this will happen if he does not meet the behavior and time frame deadlines. This is why you keep the school office informed so you will have backing if it comes to this.
I have found with students like this if I ask for their help on certain class activities and give them some individual attention beyond the individual attention I give all of the students they improve. Also they get more comfortable in the class and start to dig into the course content when they realize they can have success in the class.
There are some general guidelines you can use. Without knowing the specifics of the situation I'm not able to do much more than that. If I can provide you with any additional support or guidance please contact me and I will help in any way I can.
Gary
My experience has been that age usually creates the issue of older = more mature. However, I've also had older students that make the high school kids look mature. I had a 40something student that was a major disruption in class, and even the younger students wished he'd leave as they are more mature than he was. How do you deal with an older immature student that just will NOT behave?
True age diversity can be a chalange for both instructors and students i think that in career college it makes for some issues in classes but i find out that if i treat every body the same reguardles of age. it seems to make the class run easier. then old or young if they are having issues then i can work with the students ona individule bases if they need futrher instruction
Having attended college myself as an adult, I completely understand the concerns. I use my own experiences as a student to help with my work as an instructor. MY students are of many age groups and ethnic backgrounds. Having had to cope with a similar environment myself, I gained a lot of understanding of what my own students fears and concerns were. I have used those experiences to the benefit of my students sucessfully.
Thanks, Charles! Absolutely. It is actually an example of students mentoring other students, a powerful learning resource.
Jay Hollowell
MaxKnowledge/CEE
I agree. I use MY life experiences in my teaching process but when I have an older student who has another point of view, I can use their life experience as a discussion topic to help younger people understand what to do and when to do it out in the work force. We can teach what is in the course manual but I believe hearing our reactions to different challenges in life can be just as informative/beneficial in the learning process.
I find it nice to have a mix of multi generational students in class the younger students help the older students in understanding and the older students act as role models for the younger students. I enjoy the diversity it creats in the room.
I think is all goes back to showing them respect.
And listening to them when they talk it shows you care, and puts them at ease. Now they can feel like they are part of the class and not just an older person trying to make it.
There aren't a lot of older students where I'm at, but they manage to blend in well with the main body of students, and the younger students seem to gravitate toward them anyway. Perhaps the younger students are naturally seeking out the stories and life experiences of the older students?
As our school has grown, we now see many more students right out of high school and the age diversity has narrowed. Before, our
age spread was fairly wide and even. Now it seems age diversity is more of an issue to take note of as the older students seem to stick out more and can feel uncomfortable.
Hi Gerry,
Sounds like you have found a nice balance between the age ranges of students you have in your classes. Age and experience can be an issue with students in classes and can cause issues for instructors. Those instructors that can incorporate all of the students into the learning process of the course are those that are going to be successful and enjoy teaching. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I've actually had very little problesm with age diversity. Most of the older students seem to blend well with the students just out of high school which, unfortunately, is the bulk of our population. I try to use the life and work experiences of the older students as teaching aids, taking great care not rub the younger students' lack of experience in.
Hi Justin,
Age difference can be a factor in the learning flow of a class. A good way to overcome this potential problem is to blend the different ages into work groups where they have a chance to work together and develop an appreciation for each other's life experiences.
Gary
