Talk is cheap...
In our business model of education, teachers either focus on teaching only and little else as adults should be able to motivate themselves. How can you change the climate and instill accountability?
many different questions, many relate to being a parent figure to gain trust,
Thanks, Glenn.
What are some of the questions you ask to gain students' trust?
i find students are afraid to let other students know their having problems, then the instructor must see the signs and ask the student questions to gain trust.
Thanks, Dana.
One of the ways we can help students develop that belief in themselves is for us to truely believe in them. As they see our belief in them, they begin to internalize it and believe in themselves.
This is the Pygmalion effect and it has been documented in many psychological studies to be very powerful.
Although they are adults, some have never been successful in anything. They have enough motivation to enroll, but feel overwhelmed when they realize all the "work" involved. Some automatically see themselves failing because it LOOKS TOO BIG.
Help them to pick apart the big picture into baby steps. Sometimes just talking a student through "getting organized" and "prioritizing" will make a HUGE impact on their success.
The main thing is they have to believe they CAN be successful & as instructors it is our job to help them visualize it.
I think all students are more likely to thrive in a supportive environment. This is true of the junior and high school students I worked with for seven years before I began teaching college classes, and I now see that it is true with my adult students. It is also true for me as a learner as I've continued to take community education classes and religion classes; in the past, I've stopped going to some of these free classes because I didn't feel a connection to the teacher or the other students. But when I've felt welcomed and valued, I've been more likely to attend classes and participate. I think the same is true with young children: my baby is learning to crawl, and I think he is probably progressing more quickly at it because of all of the encouragement those around him give him. We all need to feel that we are in a supportive environment.
As far as adult learners are concerned, they have to balance their life due to having a job and family life. It is important we need to know this about our adult learners because this is the way their life is structured. They have many roles and they have to balance their life to be able to function unlike high school or elementary students.
In todays real life,adults know if they do not pass a course they take, they either are not going to eat or if the government is paying for it, they will not be reinbursed.
Thomas,
Thank you for posting this question. In my experience, adult learners function best in an environment that is supportive. In that way, adult learners are not that different than traditional students.
Adult learners face a lot of "rocks in the road' as they try to balance career, family responsibilities and school. If we only address their academic needs, we are likely to graduate far fewer students than we might have if we had gone out of our way to give them the tools and support the need to balance everything that they are trying to accomplish.
Adult students want choices and some control relative to their education. In a supportive environment, they will typically take responsibility for their education. They need to know that we are there to help them.
