non traditional
Non traditional students are very proud. It may be hard to get them accept extra assistance as this is viewed as weakness within their culture. What is the best way to suggest extra support for these students?
Stephen,
Well said in terms of how important encouragement is for adult learners. They are taking a risk by coming back to school so the more support we can give them the greater their chances of being successful.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Encouragement seems to be a prevailing theme when addressing issues of support for the "nontraditional" student. ED102 has a been a great resource to help me identify the various challenges that these students confront from time to time. As instructors, we should never underestimate the power of encouragement to help resolve not just the nontraditional student, but any student challenges of this nature.
Non traditional learners are another challenge for the instructor to handle
Hi Donald,
This is a good idea and it also gives you an idea about how many of your students are self starters when it comes to learning. If they are seeking the information and websites in the learning resource center they are motivated to learn more and as you say you have another chance to encourage and support their learning.
Gary
Wwe have posted, in the learning resource center, a list of free online help web-pages that pertain to the subjects. This way the student, traditional or otherwise can seek help, as needed, without needing to ask. After viewing the web-pages many of the non-traditional will ask if we know of other places that they can do additional study. This gives us a second chance to direct their learning.
My nontraditional learners also seek out more help. Sometimes to the detriment of the rest of the class. I usually make myself available after class for a few hours so that everyone that wants extra help can get it.
This way I can keep the rest of the class on task. It usually works out great for everyone. The nontraditional learners seem more organized and will then make time for staying after class on a regular basis.
My older students tend to be very good at treating me like a colleague instead of a teacher- which is a vastly better experience for all!
Hi Heather,
What has been your most successful approach in working with your non-traditionals when they seek extra assistance?
Gary
I tend to find the opposite. My non-traditional students seek out the extra assistance more so then the students fresh out of high school.
Hi Arthur,
Good question. This can be a difficult one to deal with because you don't want to hurt the feelings of the student. I have found over the years that by having an individual session with the student and explaining what the extra support will mean to them you generally convince them to take advantage of the support. The individual approach is the key because they know you want them to succeed and they will work hard not to disappoint you, themselves or their families.
Gary
