New Teacher Academy Far West GREAT Center

1. New Teacher AcademyFar West GREAT Center October 1, 2005 Presenter: Barbara Baird 915.831.5105 BBaird@elp.rr.com

2. Adult Learning Principles Malcolm S. Knowles (1973) principles of androgogy: • As they mature, adults tend to prefer self-direction • The role of the instructor is to engage in a process of inquiry, analysis, and decision-making

3. Adult Learning Principles cont. • Adults’ experiences are a rich resource for learning • They learn and retain information more easily if they can relate it to their past experiences

4. Adult Learning Principles cont. • Core methodology for teaching adults should include: • Discussions • Problem-solving exercises • Analysis of experiences • Applications to work or life situations

5. Adult Learning Principles cont. • Adults are practical, problem-solving learners • Their needs and interests are starting points for instruction • Learning needs are generated by real-life events such as marriage, divorce, parenting, losing a job

6. Adult Learning Principlescont. • Adults want to learn a skill or acquire knowledge that they can apply to their immediate circumstances • Life or work-related situations present a more appropriate framework for adult learning than academic or theoretical approaches

7. Adult Learning Principlescont. • Information that goes into the participant's memory will likely be remembered if learners practice remembering the information soon after they process it • It is important to provide opportunities for review and remembering by means of activities like written summaries, application exercises, and discussions (Zemke and Zemke 1995)

8. Adult Learning Principlescont. • Studies show that over a period of three days, learning retention is as follows: • 10% of what you read • 20% of what you hear • 30% of what you see • 50% of what you see and hear • 70% of what you say • 90% of what you say as you do (e.g., orally work out a problem) (Pike 1989)

9. Adult Learning Principlescont. • Three principles that provide the foundation for adult learning: • 1. The adult learner is primarily in charge of his or her own learning. Instructors do not have the power to implant ideas or to transfer skills directly to the learner. They can only suggest and guide. • 2. An instructor's primary responsibility is to do a good job of managing the process through which adults learn. • 3. The learners are encouraged to use their own judgment and decision-making capabilities.

10. Children: Rely on others to decide what is important to learn Expect what they learn to be useful eventually in the future Adults: Decide for themselves what is important to learn Expect what they learn to be useful immediately Differences Between Adult and Children Learners

11. Subject-centered: seek to successfully complete courses regardless of own goals Depend on others to design their learning Problem-centered: seek solutions to where they want to be in life Accept responsibility for own learning if perceived as timely and appropriate Differences Between Adult and Children Learnerscont.

12. Accept information at face value Likely to accept new information without trying it out or seriously questioning it Often skeptical about new information Validate information based on their beliefs and experiences Differences Between Adult and Children Learnerscont.

13. Have little or no experience to draw on Little ability to serve as knowledgeable resources to the teacher or fellow classmates Have substantial experience to draw on Significant ability to serve as knowledgeable resources to the teacher and fellow learners Differences Between Adult and Children Learnerscont.

14. Differences Between Adult and Children Learnerscont. • In summary, adults approach learning differently than children: • More self-guided in their learning • Bring more and expect more from the learning situation • Require learning to “make sense”

15. Teaching Strategies • Use open-ended questions to draw out students’ knowledge and experiences • Get to know your students and their needs, backgrounds, goals • Take time to clarify student expectations

16. Teaching Strategiescont. • Treat questions and comments with respect • Acknowledge contributions students make to the class • Engage students in designing the learning process

17. Teaching Strategiescont. • Show immediately how new knowledge or skills can be applied • Use a variety of teaching materials and methods to take into account differences in style, time, types, and pace of learning • Provide many opportunities for dialogue among students

18. Teaching Strategiescont. • Establish a learning climate of: • Mutual respect • Collaboration rather than competition • Support rather than judgment • Mutual trust • Fun (McLagen 1978)

19. Teaching Strategiescont. • Celebrate success - progress can be slow and incremental - learners need to know they are moving forward - make sure expectations are realistic - create opportunities for success - set short-term as well as long term goals - help them recognize and acknowledge their own progress

20. Tips for Success in the Classroom • Provide a comfortable, safe, risk-free learning environment • Greet each student as he or she enters the classroom • Take advantage of “teachable moments.” Talk about a concern or news story that needs to be discussed at that moment

21. Tips for Success in the Classroom cont. • A well-planned lesson has clearly defined stages: • Clearly signaled beginning • Statement of objectives • Explanation of lesson procedures and activities • Body (purposeful instruction and activities linked to the objectives) • Conclusion (summary, clearly signaled ending) (Nikolic & Cabaj, 2000)

22. Tips for Success in the Classroom cont. • Plan activities that have a real purpose. Let students know whatthey are going to be doing and whythey are doing it • Make sure activities directly relate to students’ lives

23. Tips for Success in the Classroom cont. • Vary activities to accommodate different learning styles • Simplify what you teach by making sure students understand one point before moving on to the next

24. Tips for Success in the Classroom cont. • Give students time to respond • Always model an activity with another student before assigning it to the class • Try to use pair or small group work in every class (ESOL Starter Kit)

25. Our Next Steps Today • Lesson demonstration of the Language Experience Approach lesson to try out in your classrooms • Learning Project Planning using the computers to review professional resources • Begin Learning Project Plan • Meet with Mentors to discuss Learning Project Plans and Mentoring Agreements • Report on Mentoring Agreements

26. Language Experience Approach • Picture Stories for Adult ESL Health Literacy http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/Health/healthindex.html#Emergency

27. Suggested LEA procedure: • Ask the students what is happening in each frame of the story. • Elicit specific details or observations, and if students don't have a clear idea of what to say, various scenarios can be discussed until the class chooses one they like. • Once the whole story has been elicited orally, write it down as they retell it, trying to stay close to the students' own language. Smooth it out for clarity's sake occasionally, but the story should be the students' product, based on their ideas.

28. Suggested LEA procedure: • Ask questions again to make sure important information or vocabulary is included. • After the story has been written, the class can practice reading it chorally and individually. • Students can then copy it down (it's best to leave this step until the end). • If reading is a skill focus of the class, various follow-up activities like sentence or word sequencing, or cloze activities can be done in a later class. If oral skill development is the focus, retelling without reading could be practiced.

29. Links that Matter • Texas Center for Adult Literacy and Learning (TCALL) http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/ • National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/ • Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) http://www.cal.org/ • Texas Center for Adult Literacy and Learning (TCALL) http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/ • National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/ • Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) http://www.cal.org/

30. Links that Mattercont. • ABE Florida http://abeflorida.org/resources.html • Florida site for Adult Education Technology & Distance Learning http://www.floridatechnet.org/index.htm • Florida GED 2002 Projecthttp://www.floridatechnet.org/GED/LessonPlans/Lessons.htm

31. Links that Mattercont. • GED Online Course with Self-Assessment Modules http://www.testprepreview.com/ged_practice.htm • GED as Project by the Virginia Literacy Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University http://web.jmu.edu/gedproject/

32. Links that Mattercont. • ESOL Starter Kit Virginia Learning Resource Center http://www.aelweb.vcu.edu/publications/ESLKit • 4Teachers.org http://www.4teachers.org/ • Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/index.html

33. Links that Mattercont. • The OWL at Purdue for Writing http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ • El Paso Community College Tutorial Service for GED, Math, Writing http://www.epcc.edu/Student/Tutorial/tutorialservices.html

34. References • Brookfield, Stephen D. 1995. Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. • Edmunds, C., K. Lowe, M. Murray, and A. Seymour. 1999. The Ultimate Educator. National Victim Assistance Academy (Advanced). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/assist/instructor/section2.html • Knowles, M. 1973. The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species. Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing Company. • McLagen, P. A. 1978. Helping Others Learn: Designing Programs for Adults. MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.

35. References cont. • Nikolic, V. and Cabaj, H. 2000. Am I Teaching Well? Toronto, Ontario: Pippin Publishing Corporation. • On-line Learning Rochester Institute of Technology http://www.rit.edu/~609www/ch/faculty/learner.htm • Pike, R. W. 1989. Creative Training Techniques Handbook. Minneapolis, MN: Lakewood Books. • Zemke, R. and S. Zemke. June 1995. "Adult Learning What Do We Know for Sure?" Training.