Quality Instruction
What are some characteristics of an effective instructor of adult learners?
Adult learners want to know reasoning behind the knowledge. I apply this idea by telling them the origins of a medical term or explaining the importance of knowledge as it relates to their board exams. This motivates them to learn and also helps them retain the material.
Charlotte,
You have hit on one of the most important things to know about adult learners. They have to see how something matters to them.
Jeffrey Schillinger
An effective educator listens to student and respects them. Everyone has a story to tell and it impacts on their learning. If I know their story then I start to know their individual needs.
Also, I find that my students free up energy needed to learn when they feel safe in an environment. When I take students to clinical I have to let them feel safe, then they can learn. I teach them to go slow until they can go fast, or learn the basics and build on that knowledge.
Adult learners need to know why they are learning a specific topic and want to apply it to the current situation. They also want some control over the learning situation or at least be able to help guide the learning process. Most adults have been in charge of situations and do not do well with being told "just do what I say" without some further explanation. We also have to provide multiple levals of teaching for those that are visual, creative, logical, etc. Not every adult learner will learn in the same method and teachers have to be able to reach and motivate each person in style that they respond to.
Patricia,
Thank you for this post. Choice and control are two of the biggest motivators for any students, especially adult students.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Well said, Mary. Students, especially adult students, can tell if a professor is sincere and has respect for them.
Jeff and Group: I think we can use an adult learner's experience to advance the learning of the whole class. I tell my classes that they will benefit in three ways: Learn more about something they already know; learn new things they did not know; teach each other and me by sharing their own experiences.
John
An effective teacher is one who is able to create an appropriate learning environment for her/ his students. This person should be able to activate, support, enhance and maintain the process of learning. Suguna
I agree Mary, treating adult learners with respect/ dignity creates a positive learning environment for students and faculty.
One characteristic of an effective instructor of adult learners is flexibility! Lesson plans should be made that allow for extra time to elaborate on course material or to even switch gears midway through the lesson if the instructor realizes that the students are not actively involved in the learning process. This also allows for freedom of choice for the learners, as well as application of the materials being taught to their everyday lives.
An effective instructor is one who is knowledgeable in a content area but delivers that content in a stimulating environment. An environment that encourages the students to be active participants in the teaching-learning process by allowing students to apply content in a way that is meaningful for them so that is remembered and accessible in the future.
Treating the adult learner with respect and building upon their experiences.
I agree with Patti,that not all adult learners learn the sam way. We need to provide a variety of learning experiences so that we meet the needs of all learners.
One of the most helpful things is when a student makes a (non-harmful) error. I can pull the student aside and discuss what happened, how it could have been approached better, etc. Many times, the student appreciates that s/he didn't "get in trouble" but was encouraged to see how the error happened and how to think about things better for the next experience. These students often will share their error with others in post conference and discuss how they learned from it. The best experience I can recall is when two students were to apply TED hose (anti embolism sox) on a patient - they threw away the instructions, and had a heck of a time getting them on. By the time they were done, they were sweating, the patient was laughing, and all had quite a workout! We then discussed what they had learned, and they had learned a LOT!
Helping students to be successful - an effective strategy can be to create rubrics that allow students with different learning strengths/styles to excel in different areas.
My take away from this content is that each individual student will have unique strengths and weaknesses that they bring to each class, each unit of material to be absorbed. Ideally the classroom should be like a cafeteria with all the "dishes" containing the right nutrients (information) and the student should be able to select their own meal. The difficulties arise when:
1. the volume of material that must be presented is crazy huge
2. the instructor is trying to convey it to 40 students each with their own best learning styles)
3. there is only one instructor
4. there are only 24 hours in a day.
Consequently, in order to reach all students, we are providing information in one or two formats for some of the content, and using other methods for another bunch of the material. My question is... are we perhaps trying too hard to meet too many needs or too many students and ending up losing ground in classrooms with no consistency?
If studetns are not stimualted and interested in content they will learn very little.
Sarah,
What is the most effective technique you use to stimulate your students to interest them?
Jeffrey Schillinger
Deborah,
Good point. Choice and control are significant motivators.
Jeffrey Schillinger
