Age vs Maturity
so we might also ask about the maturity level and how does this effect the pairing, hopefully those enrolled in techinical colleges are on the same page...or how to get there...
Some of what I've seen is that the ones you would expect to be more mature and more focused sometimes aren't. I have had a few that were worse than alot of my right out of high school students.
Hi Julie,
Good point about student differences. It is important that we understand those differences and then strategize on how we can achieve a balance between and among the differences so all students will feel comfortable and able to learn.
Gary
Many of my older students seem to be a little intimidated by the projects then my younger students. They are often more timid because they think this is a "young guys field" but once they get into the projects they have a lot to offer their classmates. The younger students depending on if they come straight out of high school or the military may have behavior issues, which the older students get frustrated with.
Hi Ralph,
Good point. We instructors need to use the life experiences of these students to enrich the course and help the older students feel a part of the course.
Gary
Having older adult learners in the class is an asset in my opinion, they bring "real life" experiences and situations with them (good or bad). This in turn opens the eyes of the younger learners, and allows them to see what other people have endured in their lives and how they have responded to life altering situations, such as involuntary career changes. Further, I do agree that maturity levels are not age specific.
Hi Richard,
Great to hear about the exchange and sharing that is occuring with your different age ranges. This has been my experience as well and I get really excited when I see the depth of learning that happens with both groups.
Gary
I have found that the older students are more mature but some of the younger students who have experiance in this feld wok well together in teams and can help the ones without the knowlage or maturity. They kind of balance the class room out.
Valentina, Intersting thought, maturity develops at all ages to different ideas and certainly as instructor we need to be aware of that in the classroom. The pairing of different levels of maturity could have some terrific results.
