Instructional Strategies
Successful instructors understand these qualities of the adult learner and adjust their processes to optimize the learning experience. They need to shift the paradigm from the concept of ‘educating people’ to the facilitative process of ‘helping them learn’ (Knowles, 1950).
Knowles suggests four strategies instructors can use to meet the needs of adult learners. First, the instructor needs to involve adult learners in the planning and evaluation of their instruction. The instructor should also recognize and make use of adult learners' prior knowledge and experience. Since adult learners are most interested in learning subjects that are immediately relevant to their lives, instructors need to establish relevance between the content or skills and the learner's life. And instructors need to shift the paradigm from focusing on content to emphasizing problem-solution-application.
Andragogy
Andragogy refers to Adult Learning. In the second half of the twentieth century, Malcolm Shepard Knowles was the first to examine and refine a comprehensive theory of adult education (Smith, 2002). He recognized that adult learners have different needs and motivations and based on that, identified six assumptions of adult learning.
The first assumption is that adults need to know why the content is important for them to learn, and what exactly would be the disadvantage of them not learning it. Adult learners also have a fully developed sense of self. They already exercise self management in their lives and thinking, meaning they are self-directed. Adult learners already have a diverse experience from which to draw on. This could be a resource, accelerating their learning or it could be a negative, as ingrained learning can sometimes creates biases that can interfere with acquiring new skills.
Adults learn in order to be able to perform tasks, solve problems, or to improve the quality of their life. In other words the learning has direct relevance to the adult learner's life and the adult learner is ready to learn. The adult learner has a mature orientation to learning, pursuing the acquiry of new knowledge for the purpose of solving problems. The orientation has shifted from subject-centered to problem-centered. And increased self-esteem, recognition, and a better quality of life are powerful motivators for the adult learner. External motivators also have sway but internal motivators are far more powerful.
References:
Smith, M. K. (2002) ‘Malcolm Knowles, informal adult education, self-direction and andragogy’, the encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/thinkers/et-knowl.htm.
Knowles, M. S. (1950) Informal Adult Education, New York: Association Press. Pg. 6. Guide for educators based on the writer’s experience as a programme organizer in the YMCA.
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Creative Writing Course for Adult Learners
I would like to teach an eight week course in Creative Writing for Adult Learners. My course will have four 2-week modules focusing on Brainstorming and Free Writing; Journaling; Basic Story Elements (plot, characters, climax, resolution); and Working from Prompts.
I will need to compose a complete and accurate course description so that Adult Learners know exactly what they will be getting from my class. Having a thorough course description allows the adult learner to decide if that content is what they want to acquire. If an adult learner selects to take a course after reading the course description, then this means he/she has committed and affirmed that the content to be delivered is what he/she wants to learn. Then I need to be sure that I deliver.
Prior to the first class, I will send out an email to all participants introducting myself, welcoming them to the course, reminding them of the venue and the time, and expressing my own excitement for a productive course. This introductory email builds excitement for learning to come and establishes my credentials as an instructor for this course. Adult learners like to know that their instructor is capable of teaching them something they do not already know.
The first class will be dedicated to introductions, sharing expectations, setting the ground rules for class conduct, and determining how each adult learner defines Creative Writing. Because learners have past experience, having introductions will allow them to tell fellow participants who they are and what they already know. I may use a partner activity or group activity to facilitate introductions.
Because adult learners want to be involved in planning, asking them to share expectations will help me as an instructor to insure that I meet those expectations before the end of the course. Allowing the participants to set the ground rules, creates a safe environment and enables the adult learners to 'own' the rules.
As a way of assessing where my learners are at and how much they know, I will conduct an activity that requires them to define 'Creative Writing.' Hearing their definitions will help me to understand their orientation to the topic.
Each class will have writing exercises in it. Each writing exercise will be relevant to content discussed so the adult learner puts new learning to action right away.
Teaching a Creative Writing course can be a lot of work for the instructor if the instructor is the only reviewer of participants' work. So since my participants are all adults and they already have a basic writing capacity and are aware of basic writing rules, I will plan peer review for all writing assignments. I have several ideas for how to facilitate the peer reviews so that all participants have an opportunity to learn from each other's errors and successes.
For specifics on authentic assessment of this learning scenario, go back to Apply an Authentic Assessment.