Welcome!

1. Welcome! Adult Learners: Principles, Barriers and Best Practices Presented by Dr. Mary Jo Self

2. Format of Sessions: • Part #1 – • Conditions an adult learner brings to class • “Graying of America” • Dispositional Barriers • Generational • Motivational • Institutional Barriers • Situational Barriers • Conditions an Instructor creates PRIOR to class for the adult learner • Needs Assessment • Learning Styles • Training outlines • The overall learning environment

3. Part #2 • Conditions the instructor creates DURING instruction • Ten Proven Strategies you can use in your next training class • Needs Assessments • Icebreakers • Mix or Match Worksheets • Free writes • INSERT • Anticipation Guide • Graphic representations • CUBE • Feedback visual cues • 3-2-1

4. Part 1 Conditions an adult learner brings to class

5. Conditions an Adult Learner Brings to class Prior Knowledge • Completion of needs assessment

6. Needs Assessments • Helping the facilitator or trainer get a better idea of what is already known by the participants • Learning Equation • Learning = New Information + Connection to Previously Known Information • Reminders: • Don’t single a student out • Use aggregate (group) data • Use it for planning • Use it for feedback and review at the end of instruction • Note: At beginning of Part II, we will discuss the composite of our needs assessment and how that information would be used in training.

7. Definition of Adult Education • Practice of teaching and educating adults • “Graying of America” • Increased emphasis • Lifelong process over the entire human life span • Terms: • Extension • Lifelong learning centers • Professional development • Personal development • Andragogy • Self-directed learning

8. What about adult students? • What might they bring to the learning environment? • How can you address those needs?

9. Generational theory • Based on the theory that individuals born during a period of time experience unique cultural and societal events which form their view of the world including education.

10. Vertical Timeline of Generations • The Silent Generation • The Baby Boomers • Generation X • Baby Boom Echo • Millennium Generation

11. The Silent Generation • Born 1922 to 1945 • Key Influences: • The Great Depression and the New Deal; World War II, Holocaust; Hiroshima; radio and movies • Other Names: • The Veterans; Seniors; the Greatest Generation

12. The Baby Boomers • Born 1946 to 1964 • Key Influences: • Vietnam War; Assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King, Jr.; and Robert Kennedy; putting a man on the moon; Watergate; Cold War and bomb shelters; television; women’s liberation; sexual revolution; environmental concerns • Other names: • Boomers; “Me” generation

13. Generation X • Born 1965 to 1976 • Key Influences: • Demolition of the Berlin Wall; Challenger disaster; Clinton sex scandal; skyrocketing growth of the stock market; abundant economy in the ’80’s and ’90’s; 24-hour live, remote news coverage; the dot-com economy; hi-tech start-ups • Other Names: • Baby Bust; Xers

14. Millennials • Born 1977 to 2000 • Key Influences: • Oklahoma City bombing; Rodney King beating; O.J. Simpson trial; Columbine High School Massacre; Y2K; Internet; September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; corporate scandals such as Enron; video games; instant messaging • Other Names: • Generation Y; Nexters; Internet Generation; Baby Boom Echo

15. Our next Generation • Born since 2000 • Key Influences: Yet to be determined. • Other Names: • Children coming into the world with the new century will have their own set of influences. • Workforce that picks up where the Boomers leave off.

16. Usefulness of this theory • In combination with upbringing, education, affluence or lack of it and geography; can be a dependable benchmark. • Those born in the same generation share the historic events, economics, music, culture of their time.

17. Silent Generation • Most traditional • Working fathers, nuclear families, traditional work ethics • Highly disciplines, hardworking, loyal employees who play by the rules • Know how things are done and why • Good match between this generation and the Baby Boom Echo generation.

18. Baby Boomers • Education a top priority • More opportunities than their parents enjoyed • Gave us the 80-hour workweek; self-absorbed • Optimistic, competitive group that focuses deeply on personal accomplishment.

19. Bookend Boomers • Sandwich generation • Elderly parents on one side; children in their twenties on the other.

20. Generation X • Raised with a silver spoon and a sense of entitlement • Differences among its members can be extreme • Perception that they are the group most attached to the dot-com fury

21. millenials • Entering the workforce now • Powerful and positive • Their parents – the Boomers, are seen as the most child-centered caregivers in American history • Soccer moms • High expectations of achievement; competition • Self-confident; cocky • Like to set goals • Multitaskers and team players • Prefer to work in groups • High-tech is second nature

22. next Generation • Results will rule • Live a long time • By 2020, we may have five generations working side by side • What does this offer? • Wisdom and experience • Fresh ideas and fearlessness • Individual wisdom and skills • The need for more workers • Reflection of the marketplace

23. Principles • Adults are different; not overgrown adolescents. • Adults have accumulated knowledge during their lives. • Adults usually pursue education voluntarily. • Adults are generally better motivated.

24. Principles • Adults seek to learn what they have identified as important. • Adults seek immediately applicable learning. • Adults are at various stages of autonomy. • Adults tend to focus on problem centered learning rather than subject centered learning.

25. Why? • Means of comprehending their own lives such as aging process or retirement roles, • To understand sociocultural change, • To combat technological and sociocultural obsolescence, • As a second career, • Response to a life changing event or series of events.

26. Why Not? • Situational barriers • Institutional barriers • Dispositional barriers

27. Situational Barriers • Relating to a person’s situation at a given time • Lack of time (most often cited) • Cost • Personal problems • Child care • Age • Level of income • Home and/or job responsibilities

28. Institutional Barriers • All those practices and procedures that exclude or discourage working adults from participating in educational activities • Scheduling • Location • Lack of interesting or practical courses • Procedural such as enrollment, red tape, etc.

29. Dispositional (Social-Psychological) • Related to attitudes and self perceptions about one’s self as a learner • Low self esteem • Lack of confidence in their ability to be successful Darkenwald and Merriam added a fourth category of barrier: Informational Lack of awareness to what educational opportunities are available.

30. 6 Things you should know about adult learners- motivation to learn: • Adults seek out learning experiences in response to specific life changing events. • Life changing events = Motivation to learn • Education directly related • Change is a certainty? Will engage to cope • Learning is a means to an end • Secondary motivators are self-esteem and pleasure.

31. Conditions created PRIOR to class for the adult learner • Learning Styles • Curriculum Development including training outlines • Overall learning environment

32. Learning Styles • 6 variables that affect learning: • Mobility while learning • Light (artificial or natural; bright or low) • Time of day (AM or PM) • Design of the learning process (formal or informal) • Processing style of the learner (global or analytical) • Perceptual or learning styles

33. Learning Styles • Consider you have three channels on your TV set; • One channel comes in more clearly; • You CAN watch on all three; • But on one channel, it is much easier to follow the story line.

34. 3 Major Learning Styles • Visual • Auditory • Kinesthetic/Tactile • Instructional Strategies used in any training session should incorporate all THREE learning styles.

35. Visual Learning Style (SEE) • An eyeful • Appears to me • I see • Clear cut • Eye to eye • In light of • I just don’t see • In view of • Looks like • Get the picture • See to it

36. Auditory (HEAR) • I hear you • Clear as a bell • Call on • Earful • Give me your ear • Hold your tongue • Loud and clear • Rings a bell • To tell the truth • Tuned in/tuned out

37. Kinesthetic/Tactile (FEEL) • Boils down to • Come to grips with • Get a handle on • Get a load of this • I feel that • Hand in hand • Hold on! • Pain in the neck • Pull some strings • Sharp as a tack

38. Your Perception or Mine? • If you don’t speak to me in my ‘language’, I may only hear 50% of your message. • Keep the message in front of the listener.

39. How do I implement this knowledge of learning styles as an instructor? • Know your own learning style AND those of your participants . • Encourage participants to provide meaningful feedback such as “Did that work for you?” “Do I need to present that information in a different way?”

40. Other ideas: • Don’t allow a participant to use their learning style as an excuse. • Give participants experience with problems before giving them the tools to solve them • Balance concrete information with conceptual information • Liberally use graphic representations such as mock-ups, examples, pictures, etc. • Make comparisons to physical objects • Show participants how concepts are connected within and between subjects and to everyday life experiences.

41. Training Outlines • Many, many models exist • P-P-A-E model is simple and easily used • P = Preparation • P = Presentation • A = Application • E = Evaluation

42. Overall Learning Environment

43. Student Needs • According to Maslow, human needs can be grouped in the shape of a pyramid. • Unless the basic needs (bottom of the pyramid) are met, individuals can not move up the pyramid and seek opportunities for self-fulfillment.

44. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Being Needs Deficiency Needs

45. Basic things to do to create a successful learning environment • Show participants that training is worthwhile • Show the relevance of your subject • Involve participants in their own learning and pique their interest • Use the natural motives of curiosity, suspense, action as appropriate • Teacher enthusiasm is DIRECTLY related to students’ need for achievement and motivation levels. • Use focusing techniques and varied interaction styles.

46. Additional concepts • Use effective attention getters including motivational hooks and bell ringers • Ask for student input. • Allow students to teach, present, and interact with each other often. • Model empathic listening and respect. • Provide acknowledgement, praise and acceptance. • Honor cultural diversity and incorporate diversity into learning. • Stay committed to totally positive interactions. • Use themes in training. • Minimize distractions and interruptions as much as possible. • Provide a sense of organization.

47. Top 10 Checklist: • Did you complete a needs assessment and use the information in planning? • Did you have as much knowledge as possible prior to instruction and during instruction about the participants? • Did you identify the expectations of both you and the participants? • Did you provide immediate relevance to the participants? • Did you provide (as much as possible) for the physical comfort of the participants? • Did you show the applicability of the content? • Did you make every effort to engage the students?

48. Did you provide a balance of activities? • Did you identify the best possible fit as an instructor? • Did you evaluate and assess the training to use in the future?

49. For more information • Mary Jo Self, Ed.D. • Oklahoma State University • Workforce Education • 261 Willard Hall • Stillwater, OK 74078 • (405) 744-9191 • maryjo.self@okstate.edu

50. Part 2 • Begins at 3:15 p.m. • Focused on 10 strategies you can use in your next training session. • Thank you!