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 participants answer

18
Questioning techniques cont.

• Levels of questions (Blooms 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