Reflection Of Engaging Adult Students

Teaching is not merely about methods used and material presented in the classroom, but about shaping students’ lives to help them construct a firm foundation for a successful future. I desire to teach my students basic life skills as well as challenge them to set and reach their highest goals.

I believe that positive student/teacher interaction and family involvement are essential to the learning process. I believe that all students can succeed in education. It is my goal as a teacher to develop the intellect of all learners through a challenging curriculum. I hope to propose thought provoking questions that will prompt students to think and learn on their own. I will provide supervised practice to ensure the students in my classroom are learning. I believe problem-solving skills will be the most valuable skills students can learn. It is important for the class to be active in the community and active in life-changing events. Students learn best by doing. Emphasis will be placed on learning how to learn. Students will take an active role in helping decide what they learn and how they want to learn it. They will be responsible for helping to care for and maintain the learning environment, thus taking ownership of the class.

Adults are motivated entirely different in the way they learn. Adults are motivated to learn for various reasons such as professional development, potential advancement at work or simply continuing to improve ones lives, as one gets older. However, it is but practical to consider the ideas on how adults are motivated to learn, what principles of learning works, so that adult educators could likewise respond appropriately.

The theory of adult learning is the assumptions about how adults learn. Emphasizes the value of the process of learning in adults ("Adult Learning Theory," 2007). Malcom Knowles and American practitioner and theorist of adult education defined is as an art and science of helping adults learn ("Adult Learning Theory," 2007). Knowles also defined six adult learning principles as adults are internally motivated and self-directed, adults bring life experiences and knowledge to learning experiences and are goal orientated. They also relevancy oriented and are practical learners who like to be respected when in the classroom ("Adult Learning Theory," 2007). As educators, we need to foster the adult learner’s internal motivation to learn. Develop a rapport with the adult learner, encourage them to ask questions and explore concepts. Some adult learners come with years of experience and knowledge, with this as an instructor or teacher we need to harvest this information and have them apply it to their

Knowles posits that adult learners are self directed and autonomous. They are goal oriented, practical and must see and understand the relevance of any training. Adults bring an abundance of experience and knowledge, experiential learning, with them. Most importantly, “…adults need to be shown respect.” (Lieb)

By following a student-centered and individualized learning approach, we give students a voice with regard to their learning goals. Teaching adults is not the same as teaching children. It takes a lot of courage for an adult, with a lifetime of experience, to walk through our door and seek help. Materials for adult students must be sensitive and respectful and the learning must be relevant and meaningful. For ESL students with varying degree of education, the learning experience must also be sensitive and take into account the different skill levels of the student and cultural differences.

Specifically, adult student persistence is effectively influenced by four pillars of support: (a) the extent to which students are able to manage positive and negative forces, (b) support from a school 's staff for students ' sense of self-efficacy, (c) established realistic and attainable educational goals, and (d) the opportunity to assess progress toward those established goals (Comings, Parrella, & Soricone, 1999). Also important to adult education completion is the nature of interactions among students and staff. In a study of 600 literacy and numeracy students in Scotland, Tett, and Maclachlan (2007) found that learners who networked with other students and who interacted with their teachers had a more robust learning experience and generally demonstrated more positive life changes. Kegan et al. (2001) connected learning content and skills with complex meaning systems that are conceptually grounded in the idea that adults develop their reality and beliefs over time through a socializing process that occurs in and outside the classroom. After studying the developmental changes in 41 learners at three adult learning centers over period of 9-14 months, they concluded that adult learners change in a variety of ways that allow them to consolidate and elaborate their skills, knowledge, perspectives, and beliefs. The positive effect of adult education on learners is established in the literature. Kegan et al.

The purpose of this study is to find and incorporate ways of providing more engaging trainings that meet the needs of all adult learners present. The focus will be on participant engagement and retention of training topics. Every year, my job is to provide preservice trainings for center teaching staff during which they are trained on child development topics. When I visit the centers during the year, I can see there is a breakdown between what we are training them on and what they are applying in their classrooms. When I ask them about preservice trainings, they often cannot remember all the information or topics that I am referring to. I am searching for ways to keep staff engaged in and benefiting from trainings so

Chapter one of this book identifies key elements that are essential in the methodology of facilitating adult learning. Brookfield highlighted in two areas: Motives for Learning and Principles of Effective Practice aspects which impart an understanding of the potential within adult learners through the active practice of facilitations.

Engaging adults during the learning process is an action that encompasses the use of skills to conquer their concentration and interest. The engagement is performed to ensure the adult learners will immediately identify with the information and the objective of the teaching. Once the identification and objectivity is formed learning is able to proceed. Therefore, the engagement process for adult learners must be unique and display sensitivity in an effort to achieve learning. Moreover, it is necessary for adults to know their efforts put towards lifelong learning will have meaningful value later.

Dr. Grant provides the central aspect of adults is to transplant the skills to others of how to successfully navigate the institution of schooling. Dr. Grant’s conveyance to help her students “get it,” I believe, demonstrates her impartiality efforts.

The greatest struggle in our educational system is the lack of educators that are willing to activate the students’ interest in the subject. Instead of increasing the students’ motivation to learn, students are being presented with material that is meaningless to them. I believe that effective teaching starts by presenting students with material that seems relevant to them. Presenting fresh ideas to students increases their motivation. Breaking the monotone routine makes students willing to explore new content. It is the teacher’s responsibility to provide students with some motivation that augments the students’ willingness to learn a topic. Learning is a step by step process that will not occur over night. This process requires great effort from both the teacher and the

continue to mingle. By the end of the exercise, each person should have several adjectives on their list. The point of the exercise is to get to know each other, discover the nice things your classmates will say about you and most important, have fun (“Ice breakers”, n.d.).

My impression of adult education has changed immensely. First and foremost, the first lesson learned that teaching adults are a separate, intensive, and long debated process. Portions of certain theories learned illustrated below. I have extended knowledge about Meizrow (Transformational Learning) and Knowles (Andragogy). The six key features of Adult Learners are:

Gadbow believes it is the duty of adult educators to instill a life-long love of learning into their students, "helping adults learn how to learn is the most important thing a teacher ever does" (p. 53). The first responsibility of educators working with adults is to help them identify their learning styles and differences as well as other special learning needs, and then provide effective strategies to adapt to these individual learning needs (53). The author's contention that all learners are special means seeing the possibilities as well as the problems or particular needs of each student as they present themselves.