Adult Motivation
Adult motivation to learn comes at a higher price. Adult learners bring something of extreme value to the table called life experience. Adult learners need to find the WIIFM therefore the subject matter and content of the curriculum means so much more.
What motivates you to learn?
Absolutely right , adult learners motivation comes out of how much of what they learn can be put into use in the real world.
Jerry--
Excellent point. When we understand how the material will help us long-term, we are more motivated to master it. Do you use any particular techniques to do this?
Susan
Lynn--
I agree. Re-careering can be a wonderful opportunity to do something they have always been interested in pursuing. I think it is also exciting for the younger students to hear these stories.
Susan
Adult learners need to find the WIIFM therefore the subject matter and content of the curriculum means so much more.
Alot of adult learners have many life experiences they bring to the classrooms. Some are motivated to start a second career, some have had the door to one opportunity closed (loss of a job) and are taking this as the chance to pursue their true interests. I find this is a big motivator for many students.
John--
Having adult students in with younger students is a benefit to all, as you point out. Some of the younger students do not ask the specific and thought-provoking questions because they lack the experiences the adult students bring.
Susan
And to add to Will's comment: that's one of the defining aspects of the "adult learner". They know what they want. They are focused and tend to ask more precise&thought provoking questions. That's also part of our responsibility as instructors to be able to meet the needs of different students.
I am motivated to learn because I want to be better at the topic at hand. Education is power. The more you are informed about a topic, the better you can communicate.
Pete--
You are correct...while we must constantly remind them of their goals, we can't sound too much like their parent :)
Susan
WIIFM factors in adult learns, they do want the instant return on their investment, but so do the younger adult learners. Age groups between 18 and 22. The attention span is much shorter along with their view of the future and can loose focus much faster. They must be constantly reminded of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. This must also be done with taste as not to sound like a broken record or a sermon.Which can dicourage just as easily.
I speak from 25 years experience, the first thing I tell them is not to memorize the information but to learn the information.
Joseph--
It sounds like you do a great job of interacting with students who are struggling right away. That is excellent. Taking the time to pull them aside and show personal interest...and to ensure they understand the importance of the material... really helps them to reconnect with their educational goal. Great job!
Susan
The motivational step that works for me is twofold. If a student is demonstrating a lack of interest (first sign of lack of motivation) I take them aside and question them as to why they are struggling with it. From there, I go into detail as to why electricity (my subject) is not only important, but vital to their ability to be successful technicians. I usually try to do it in a dramatic, but friendly way.
Joseph--
That is a tough age and they probably think it will be 'fun' or 'easy' to begin the career for which you are training them. Do you provide them with any reality checks early in the educational process?
Susan
Jviveros--
Great point. Adult students bring a great deal to the classroom and do, for the most part, tend to be more serious students. That said, they also can struggle with a 'traditional' education environment (e.g. tests).
Susan
I have found that motivation, either self or externally induced, is rarely a problem with adult learners, and by "adult" I mean those of 25 years of age or above. As others have said, that group is usually seeking a career change as well as having a great interest in cars. The difficulty comes from the 18-25 years of age, most of whom do not have any kind of adult responsibilities (mortgage, family, etc.) and are just casting around looking for something that might interest them. Some seem not to have any great interest in cars, at least not the kind of passion for them that those in the industry have.
The older students may be making a career move and are willing to work very hard,but i find that some times they may not do as well on tests.I try to keep there, motivation up by telling them that it has been some times years when they were last in class and it will get beeter it may take time.
Ryan--
Excellent point about students today wanting to interact more and have some level of control over their own learning.
Susan
Santiago--
Your comments about adult learners are so true! They definitely want to know that it is practical and has some meaningful benefit to their goals. This can make it very challenging for faculty as well...adults are not as shy about asking extremely good questions.
Susan
