Engagement of Adult Learners

1. Engagement of Adult Learners Week 3 Lecture AET520 Dr. Eli Collins-Brown

2. Methods of engaging the adult learner • Discussion • Homework as appropriate and suitable to the topic • Technology

3. Discussion • Reviews subject matter for mastery • Extends subject matter • Develops learner communication skills • Facilitates students’ collaborative skills • Guided discussion – facilitator interjects higher-level questions • Open discussion – unstructured environment allows for creativity • Effective discussion guidelines

4. Discussion – cont. • Effective discussion guidelines: • High-interest topic • Learner-centered • Courteous interactions • Keep on track • Welcome diverse suggestions • Transfer of learning to real-life situations • Prepare questions in advance

5. Homework • Timely feedback • Academic integrity concerns

6. Technology • PowerPoint® presentations • Introduces new topics • Focuses on key points • Provides visuals to facilitate recall • Allows for interaction by learners when combined with Q/A and discussion • Can be used as collaborative projects by learners to demonstrate mastery of concepts

7. Technology – cont. • Interactive technologies • Synchronous • Whiteboard functions of a course management system allow for simultaneous demonstration and discussion • Chats provide real-time interactions of learner to teacher and learner to learner • Asynchronous • Discussion threads allow learners time to process information and reflect on answers • Email provides opportunities to answer learner questions and clarification of concepts

8. Technology – cont. • Simulations • Involves learners • Simulates situations that may be impossible, too dangerous, or too expensive to experience in reality • Increases problem solving skills • Allows adult learners to apply learning to real life situations

9. Essential components of collaborative learning • Collaborative learning is an umbrella term for a variety of approaches in education that involve joint intellectual effort by learners, or by learners and teachers • Learners interact to share ideas, explore a question, and complete a project • Groups of learners work together in searching for understanding, meaning, or solutions or in creating a product

10. Essential components – cont. • Collaborative instructional methods • Facilitator or learner presentations to the total group • Facilitator questions the whole class or group • Whole-group discussions • Small-group discussions, projects, assignments, or presentations • Participant pairs or triads for discussions, projects, assignments, or presentations • Small groups in front of the class (debates, panels, dialogues, forums) • Cooperative learning

11. Essential Components – cont. • Benefits of collaborative learning • Develops higher-level thinking skills • Promotes learner-facilitator interaction and community • Increases learner retention • Enhances learner satisfaction with the learning experience • Develops oral communication and social interaction skills • Uses a team approach to problem solving while maintaining individual accountability • Encourages diversity understanding • Stimulates critical thinking and helps learners clarify ideas through discussion and debate • Greater ability of learners to view situations from others' perspectives (development of empathy) • Creates a stronger social support system • Promotes social and academic relationships well beyond the classroom and individual course • Creates environments where learners can practice building leadership skills

12. Essential Components – cont. • Collaborative instructional settings of adult learners are independent social systems • Adult learner social systems are community, power and influence, communication patters, member roles, and classroom norms • Creating an effective social system (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2000) • Group characteristics – know the cognitive development, social and emotional maturity, and skills of the group • Goal setting – be aware of social skills and affective processes that are audience appropriate for the group. Set realistic goals. • Getting there – design group tasks, select learning strategies and determine instructions, resources and rewards, and decide on assessments • Guiding the process – move about the room and check for understanding. Check for the quality and quantity of interactions. • Gazing backward – reflect on what went well and where there were problems

13. Essential Components – cont. • Decisions to be made before instruction begins in a collaborative learning environment (Johnson, et al., 1991, 1998) • Determine the group size – generally, the shorter the task, the smaller the group • Assign participants to groups – instructor should select the group (heterogeneous groups are generally better) • Arrange the room (if possible) so participants can face one another and the instructor can walk up to each group • Plan instructional materials to promote interdependence, especially with newer groups or inexperienced participants • Structuring the task and positive interdependence • Explain the academic task • Ask the class specific questions to check learners' understanding of the assignment

14. Essential Components – cont. • Decision to be made before instruction (cont.) • Explain your criteria for success • Structure positive interdependence by reinforcing that the learners have a group goal (not just an individual goal) and that they need to rely on one another • Structure individual accountability by observing members' participation, providing quizzes, allowing group members edit another learner's work, having learners explain the concepts to another member, or asking specific group members questions • Monitoring and intervening • Monitor learners' behavior to make sure that they work collaboratively and to observe their thinking process • Assist with tasks as needed to clarify instructions or concepts • Intervene to teach social skills if learners are having difficulty working together • Praise good collaborative exchanges when observed

15. Questioning techniques • Procedures • Gain the attention of the class • Clearly state the question • Wait 3-5 seconds before calling on one learner to respond • Distribute questions fairly to encourage class participation (Refer to Figure 8-2 in Chapter 8 of Models, Strategies, and Methods for Effective Teaching) • Acknowledge the response or redirect the question • Probe for clarification or a higher-level response

16. Questioning techniques – cont. • Phrasing • Be brief • Sequence questions logically • Word the question appropriately for the audience • Use convergent questions to elicit one right answer • Use divergent (open-ended) questions to produce multiple appropriate responses • Use evaluative questions to help participants make judgments

17. Questioning techniques – cont. • Practices to avoid • Questions with yes/no answers • Multiple questions at one time • Repeated questions asked to the entire class • Rhetorical questions • Repeating a participant’s answer

18. Questioning techniques – cont. • Levels of questions (Bloom’s Taxonomy) • Lower level • Knowledge level – recall information • Comprehension – describe and provide examples • Application – apply the knowledge to solve problems • Higher level • Analysis – break down the information • Synthesis – organize information in a new way • Evaluation – judge the information

19. Questioning techniques – cont. • Handling responses • Prompts – encourage participants • Probes – elicits higher level responses • Redirect – confirms responses, invites comments, and rephrases questions