Age Diversity
It is a challenge sometimes when you have adult learners who are highly motivated and engaged mixed with students right out of high school.
The younger students have a difficult time adapting to the college atmosphere and do know how to behave in this class setting which does upset the adult learners.
Michael,
Thank you for these comments in relation to helping younger students to understand the responsibilities of being college students. As for ideas to encourage effective learning I would suggest the use of case studies. I use them a lot in my classes starting with some simple cases that are easy to understand and resolve. Case studies are interesting to students since they set up situations that require problem solving and cooperation. I also use role playing to work through situations so the students will learn how to work with others. All of these activities help them to progress in their career development while showing them the value of the content being taught.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Michael,
This is a good point because college is not advanced high school. The expectations and rules are different and is based upon self discipline and maturity. They need to understand this and rise to the occasion. Many students are coming to school today with an entitlement attitude and have problems making the adjustment to the college setting and the expectations that go with being in college.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The behavior of younger students can be managed by maintaining a high level of classroom professionalism. Also it is important to insure that all students are actively engaged in the learning process.
Any suggestions by others as to how initial introductions and class requirements can be used to encourage effective learning?
I agree with you totally. Older students are not only able to share from their vast experience but can aid in maintaining a high level of maturity during classroom instruction. Younger students may have current study skills that may aid returning mature scholars.
I believe it is vital to maintian a mature environment from the very start of a college course. Students should be made aware of their responsibilities in connection with their own educational experience.
Gary,
This has been my experience as well. I use a lot of small group work in my classes and work hard to make the right pairing so each student can benefit from working with the other.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I've found that when I pair up younger students with older students that they both come away something. Older students have experience and younger students have a foundation that's more current and relative.
Kathleen,
Each student needs to feel he or she is valued for being there. This can be a challenge for instructors as they attempt to move everyone forward in the course. By using learning groups where the students are mixed together to solve common problems often results in each age group learning to respect the contributions others are making.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Teresita,
This is an important career skill to have. The ability to work with others and draw out their knowledge and expertise to meet work related problems is important. The more experiences we can provide our students in these areas the better prepared they will be when they graduate.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
There are both advantaes and disadvantages to age diversity in the class room, some of the older students may feel a little out of the swing of things like with new tech, where the younger one having grew up with theis maybe able to assist those of us who need the help, as long as both sets of students have a resonable amount of maturity and patients, everyone has something to offer
The objective of the activity must to get diverse-age learners engage with each other. It might be that this diversity in age could come up with an enriched sharing of experiences, like young ones helping adult ones with computer exploration while adult ones composing a related experience in the industry, hospital, business office, or in agriculture. When diverse learners realize how important it is to have some other to complete a task, class time becomes more meaningful in the learning environment.
Kathleen,
Very true and the mix can result in some interesting experiences in class. I set up learning groups that have both adult learners and recent high schools graduates in them. I assign case studies to the groups and they have to work together to come up with solutions to the problems presented in the studies. The results are that both generations start to develop respect for what each person contributes to the group.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
