Get Your Students Hired
What are some ways you can determine instructional needs of your adult learners?
I find that it is helpful to do a pre-assessment of some sort, whether it be a quiz, a hands on activity, having the student write a paragraph about what they know about the topic, or by simply having them take a quiz on their learning style.
I like to find out what level each of my students if at individually if possible or if not,at least as a group and go from there. I can then more fully develop my game plan for the class and tweak it as needed to fit who is my class and what they do and do not know or what skills they have or don't have. I also like to see what skills and knowledge the students are willing to share with each other.
I like to start out by asking a lot of different questions about the subject matter to gather information for myself to see where the class sits as a whole, then once I have gone thru the lecture portion ask the same questions again to see if the information has been retained. Moving into the lab and demonstrations I will tailor this based off of the students needs to help them grasp the concepts better.
Teaching online can make it a bit more difficult to ascertain what a student's learning style is. When I teach on-ground classes you can watch the class and see when people are engaged---is it when you are speaking, showing them a visual, giving them something to work on as a group? In online classes I look for reactions to my live chat topics. Many times, students are most engaged when I give them a real-life example to ponder---or ask them to describe a real-life example of the topics that we are discussing. I fin that asking for feedback during online lectures---asking for thoughts and opinions and shared experiences works the best.
James ,
Very true. We need to keep communicating with them on their level. But don't be afraid to experiment with ways to keep the class interesting with different activities.
Philip Campbell
It is important to realize that you are not teaching kids but adults. You must interact with them as adults and respect their comments and experience
Richard,
The same that 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students do not like people to stand in front of them and just speak for hours, neither do adult learners. Using things like activities and games keeps the class different and the student engaged.
Philip Campbell
When"fishing" for the educational needs of adult learners, sometimes you need to "chum the fish" with different types of "bait"! I am constantly evaluating the interaction of the classroom by their responses to my open-ended questions as well as the number and type of questions initiated by the students. I typically bring in visual aids and/or "props" to engage them further. I also create competitive learning "games" that often bring the "fun" into the educational experience. (Yes - even adult learners like fun!) Once I find the right "fishing bait" - getting (teaching) the "fish (students) into the boat" is easy! Any "fishing tips" you want to share?
Rachel,
Keep using this approach. Dont be afraid to challenge students as well to get out of their comfort zones. That is where they will succeed.
Philip Campbell
I try to use various styles on the first week and see how the students respond to each style. I also ask for feedback, to try to get them to open up. Then, I will try to use styles that I know are most benificial to the majority of the students.
You can do this by watching reaction; body language, huffing and puffing in their seat if they are not understanding. I also ask questions often and not just listen to their answer, but also again watch the reaction when asked a question.
Ajani,
Identifying their learning style is not easy. Getting closer to identifying it is always great work.
Philip Campbell
To follow up initial observations made during the beginning of the course, I assign group projects in which the students are tasked to teach sections of a selected chapter in a group setting. The students are given a group grade that can vary with individual effort, are told this, and typically display their learning styles through the roles they choose in the group and methods for conveying the information.
There are a number of ways, as the module progresses, to see who responds to videos, who responds (and wants to) write on the whiteboard to illustrate, who responds to PPTs, and how each student responds to group activities.
One of the points under "Needs of Adult Learners": "providing Choices" gave me a new idea - "Giving students a choice from a list of tasks" would be very beneficial if the Instructor included some tasks that were auditory in nature, some that were Visual and others Tactile and see who chose what task.
During the first couple of days in class I observe my students during a lecture, PPT presentation and a hands on project. I make note of which studnents respond best to each and create my presentation of information based on the majority of the class and include other activities to involve the other learning styles.
At the beginning of a new class of adult learners. I will involve some class activities, which includes the adult learner giving a brief verbal introduction of themselves. I will then include a written assessment of questions to identify any issues. So many learning methods can be used to identify the student engagement and to determine what areas need some additional hands on work such as projects that include computer skill sets.
The first thing that I like to do is to have my students participate in an introduction. They may sound hoakie, but they due serve a purpose. getting to know what is important to your student, why they are here and what are there goals, can help you establish their needs as a student.
I like to start with an assessment test of chapter material after assigned reading to get a base of where the students are in their understanding of the material. After the assessment I present the power point with the information and initiate questions during the power point that open a discussion forum for students to interact and give insight into the material. I believe students may understand material better when it is presented by their peers.
Hi
Im new to this course and this is my first response in your forum.
I find adult learners fascinating because they have "real life" experiences, which not only make the learning experience an adventure for all of us, but also because these experiences are "who" they are. So, when I first begin a class, I like to "talk to them" and find out "who" they are. I also give them an opportunity to find out "who" I am too. This interaction is important since it is the first step in determining the instructional needs---I use it as a "needs assessment". This assessment is simple--visual-auditory-tactile. It also helps me "remember" each person as an individual and therefore focus on how I will communicate with each of them.