Rosemarie J. Park Adult Education and Human Resources Development
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Transcript of Rosemarie J. Park Adult Education and Human Resources Development
Rosemarie J. ParkAdult Education and Human
Resources Development
Unique Needs and Classroom Strategies:
Working with Returning Adult Learners
Focus on the learner
Know your audience
You are all pretty experienced teachers)There is a huge diversity of experienceYou work with a wide range of clientsWhose skills/access to technology vary
The experience bank
Work with: Elected officialsGovernment programsRural, white communitiesSmall business ownersNon-profits/for profitsNursing homes
Experience bank (cont.)
Migrant womenHispanic communitiesIslamic populationsYouth/adults in organ donationSales & marketingCommunity educationGrant writingConflict resolution
Top picks for learning
Techniques & strategies (65%)Motivations and barriers (63%)Using technology (59%)Communicating specialized
information to lay audiences (50%)Moderating or facilitating (44%)
Knowing your audience
What do they see as useful?Preferred mode of learningDemographics - important or not? Age, ethnicityInstitutional, situational, attitudinal
barriers?
Kolb’s (1984) Learning Style Inventory
AccommodatorConvergerDivergerAssimilator
Keys to content delivery
What the pyramid tells us about strategy-
• The more active the strategy the more effective
• Group learning is not wasted time• Teacher as facilitator model works
What we know about motivation
Learners often prefer to be passive (entertain me!)
Brookfield identifies learner resistance - this can be the product of experience!
Don’t put your reputation on the line each time you meet resistance
Focus on the entire group to meet their needs
Time is the most precious commodity adults have so don’t waste it
Resisting learning
Necessity is often the mother of invention -real need = real learning
Learning may involve taking risks best taken in private
For low skilled groups fear of failure is a strong disincentive
Comfortable certainties, old skill sets and attitudes interfere
Hallmarks of good teaching
Credible & authentic instruction (Extension has a reputation for this)
Clarity of instructionBuy-in built into instructionDemonstrable resultsLearning is incremental & reflective
and hardly anyone will do everything you say
Mediums of instruction - technology
What constitutes good use?How do you evaluate what is on
offer?How do we accommodate the low
end user?Issues of infrastructureIssues of culture
Communicating specialized information
How well does the general public read?
What about my service area?How difficult is this to read?How comprehensible
(understandable) is it?How easy to use is it?
Do I need to redo this?
Writing in plain languageThis includes the NET!How about those forms?Is there help available?There also is a law…
Focus on you the instructor
You are the subject matter expert
What influences how you teach?
Your level of experienceYour vision of learningHow you yourself were taughtYour knowledge of the teaching
processYour own personal style (be yourself)
Instructor roles
FacilitatorGuideCo-investigator
Stuck?
Go back to the pyramid!
Keys to success
The more active the strategy the more learning occurs
Authentic, context based learning motivates the learner
Learning occurs both top-down and bottom-up
Thank you
Never do more than 15 overheads per presentation!