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| Facilitation: Try not to treat the adult like a child. Introduce yourself to the group and have them introduce themselves. Use nametags and try to call the adults by name. Make sure you allow ample time for discussion. Don't assume that you're the only one with the answer. Try having the adults in the group also provide answers to each other. Handouts and materials that you provide during your teaching can help the adults learn on their own after your session is over. When the adult is learning on his own, he can use the speed or rate of learning that best fits his own learning style. Different learners learn at different rates. |
| Facilitation: Provide opportunities for the adults to work together and share their ideas/experiences in small groups, Present some information and ask the adults what experience they have had in the past with the topic. Ask the adults to suggest solutions to problems/questions from the experiences they have had. Each learner's experience is unique and different. Sometimes experience may be a barrier. Bad experiences may make it more difficult to teach an adult. Try and understand the experiences of your learners. |
| Facilitation: Don't assume that young adults and older adults are interested in the same things. When you organize small groups for discussion, try organizing them according to their stages in life. Adults who are beginning their career in one group, those in mid-career in another group, and those who are well established in their career in another group. Provide opportunities for the learners to talk about why an idea is or is not important to them. Try to hear from all the adults in the group. |
| Facilitation: Try to make your presentations problem-focused rather than just information focused. Start your presentation by identifying the problems that you will be helping the learners solve. Provide opportunities or questions from the adults an urge them to describe their own specific situation and the problems they face. Try to focus your instruction on responding to the problems that they identify. |
| Facilitation: Try to focus on ideas that the adults can put to use immediately after your teaching is finished. Ask the adults how they will be using, making application of the ideas and information presented. If the adults are not able to provide examples of how they will be using the information, try to find out why. |
| Facilitation: Offering rewards for learning usually doesn't work very well with the adult learner. You must appeal to the learner at an adult level. Try and find out what the adult places value on. Recognize and respect those things that the adult values. Let the adult know that you are concerned with those things that he/she values. |
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In a class, there is a variety of adult learning styles. Here are some:
The diversity of learning styles is one reason teaching is so challenging. As teachers, we need to avoid teaching that meets the need of only one style by incorporating a variety of teaching methods.
When designing educational delivery programs to adults, the following factors are to be considered:
There are many different teaching strategies that can be used to help learners gain the understandings that you would like. The following list and description present some of the strategies that can be particularly helpful when trying to give information to adults. These teaching strategies can be used individually or in conjunction with each other.
The lecture is the most commonly used instructional strategy for working with groups of learners. This is a highly structured method by which the teacher verbally transmits information directly to the learners.
Strengths:
- presents factual material in direct and logical manner
- contains experience which inspires
- stimulates thinking to open-discussion
- useful for large groups
- can be easily supplemented with handout materials and other audiovisual aids
Limitations:
- ineffective in influencing affective and psychomotor behaviors
- instructor centered
- experts are not always good teachers
- audience is passive, does not provide for much stimulation of learners
- learning is difficult to gauge
- communication in one way
Despite these limitations, there are specific strategies to strengthen the impact of a lecture. Ideas for improving the effectiveness of lectures includes:
Demonstration - A method by which the learner is shown by the teacher how to perform a particular skill.
Return Demonstration - is the method by which the learner attempts to perform the skill with offering of cues from the teacher when necessary.
Demonstrations can be classified in two ways:
Demonstrations are most effective when the learners are concerned with an issue or problem and are looking for an answer. In such cases the demonstration can deal directly with their concern. It is important that the person doing the demonstration know the content very well and is able to answer questions as they arise during the demonstration.
Emphasis should be on what to do rather than what not to do. Practice needs to be supervised until the mastery of the skills. High-risk skills, like IV therapy, should be practiced first using a model prior to actual clinical application.
Strengths:
- effective in teaching psychomotor domain skills
- provides instant and concrete information
- provides for transfer of learning
- allows active participation of learners through multiple stimulation of visual, auditory and tactile senses
Limitations:
- needs extensive planning and organizing (time-consuming)
- limited by equipment and materials (expensive).
This is a teaching method in which the learners get together to exchange information, ideas, feelings and personal reactions with each other. Group discussion is an organized opportunity for the learners to discuss selected topics/issues/ideas in a group setting. Group discussion allows more of the learners to actively participate and therefore can help to increase learning. Before organizing a group discussion it is important to make sure that the learners have a certain level of understanding that will allow them to share their ideas in the group. A group discussion that is held too close to the beginning of an instructional program may not work effectively since the members of the group may not have the basic information to be discussed.
Group discussion often works better with a group leader. This can be assigned by the instructor or selected by the group members.
Strengths:
- allows participation of everyone (learner-centered)
- people often more comfortable in small groups
- can reach group consensus
- develops interdependency
- promotes cooperative learning
Limitations:
- needs careful thought as to purpose of group
- groups may get side tracked
- takes more time to transmit information
- high level of diversity
This is a teaching method whereby an artificial or hypothetical experience is created than engaging the students in real-life situations.It involves trial and error in problem-solving, interactive, and psychomotor skills. This method attempts to challenge the decision-making ability of the learners under time constraints, tension, and use of actual equipment and materials in which the specific skills will be performed.
Strengths:
- effective in preparation for anticipated events
- enhances self-confidence
Limitation:
- can be expensive
A method by which learners are asked to assume the character role without actually practicing it to help learners see and understand a problem by giving them a chance to walk in some one else's shoes. When learners will be expected to interact with other people as a key part of effectively using the technical information, role-playing can be most helpful. In role-playing, two or more learners are provided with a role to play and a situation in which they are involved.
The learners then act out their roles and try to solve the situation. Role-playing can be done as a demonstration in front of the total group or, of it is a large group, small groups can do role-playing simultaneously. At the conclusion of role playing, the learners should be given an opportunity to talk about how they feel, what they observed, what they learned, and what they'll do differently the next time.
Strengths:
- provides opportunity to explore feelings and attitudes and to assume roles of others and thus appreciate another point of view
- Provides tool for bridging the gap between understanding and feeling
- introduces problem situation dramatically
- allows for exploration of solutions
- provides opportunity to practice skills
Limitations:
- requires careful planning
- participants feel uncomfortable in their roles; they may be too-self-conscious
- exaggeration or underdevelopment of role
- not appropriate for large groups
- people may feel threatened
This is an individualized method of self-study using the high technology of the computer to facilitate learning process that allows them to proceed at their own pace with immediate and continuous feedback on their progress as they respond to a software program.
Strengths:
- actively involves the learner in individualized instruction to meet learner's needs
- the learner can set the pace, spend as much time on a topic as needed for mastery
- provides multiple self-assessment opportunities
- allow slow learners to repeat lessons as many times as necessary
Limitations:
- depersonalizes the learning process
- costly to design or purchase
The modem resourceful teacher uses the resources of the community for purposes of enrichment and supplementation where such correlation can practically be made. A field trip is usually a well planned visit by a group of learners to some place or organization that can provide new ideas and insights to the learners. Field trips can be planned around the visiting or experts/specialists on a certain topic, manufacturing facilities, demonstration programs, and other locations that can't come to the learners.
Strengths:
- shows the results of a certain practice
- provides complete sensory experience with things and phenomena which can't be brought into the classroom
- provides firsthand experiences
- supplements classroom instruction
Limitations:
- needs extensive planning, organization, and coordination
- equipment costs and hard to manage
- accident-prone
Used to allow the learners to examine or analyze a specific situation that they may be facing in the future. Usually the situation is prepared ahead of time and distributed in written form. The learners, often working in teams, discuss how they might solve the situation that has been presented. This strategy can be very helpful following the presentation of technical information whereby the learners can then apply the information to specific problems/situations. It is also helpful for allowing the learners to assess how much they have learned and how comfortable they will be in using the information to solve problems in the future.
Strengths:
- develops analytic and problem solving skills
- allows for exploration of solutions for complex issues
- allows student to apply new knowledge and skills
Limitations:
- people may not see relevance to own situation.
- insufficient information can lead to inappropriate results
Used when you would like to encourage the learners to freely share their ideas. All ideas are accepted at the beginning of the process• and no response, regardless of how useless or impractical it may seem, is omitted from the first stages of brainstorming. As ideas are contributed by members of the group, they are listed for all in the group to see and discuss. Discussion can include the development of spin-off ideas, the refining of ideas, the combining of ideas and reinforcing of existing ideas. Brainstorming can be excellent to help a group of learners think creatively of new ideas to solve difficult problems.
Strengths:
- listening exercise that allows creative thinking for new ideas
- encourages full participation because all ideas equally recorded
- draws on group's knowledge and experience
- spirit of congeniality is created
- one idea can spark off other ideas
Limitations:
- can be unfocused
- needs to be limited to 5 - 7 minutes>
- people may have difficulty getting away from known reality
- if not facilitated well, criticism and evaluation may occur
Visual aides to instruction can help learners better understand the ideas that are being presented. Try to make sure that the visual aides clarify the ideas that are being presented and don't confuse them. Use the same words in your presentation as are used on the visuals.
Strengths:
- entertaining way of teaching content and raising keep group's attention
- look professional
- stimulate discussion
Limitations:
- can raise too many issues to have a focused discussion
- discussion may not have full participation
- only as effective as following discussion
Most adult learners do most of their learning through independent study. Independent study allows the learner to select the content that he/she is most interested in learning and also to select the best time for learning. In addition, the independent study learner can move through the content at his/her on pace. An instructor can help learners do independent study by providing study materials, resource guides, self-testing materials, and by being available to answer questions as they arise.
Strengths:
- encourages self-dependency and responsibility
- arouses self-interest and fosters creativity
Limitations:
- loss of direction and sequence/pacing of subject content
- some of the learning objectives are not met
A tutorial learning situation is most helpful when a single learner needs specific help. The focus for a tutorial is usually the specific problems of concerns of the learner. The teacher then becomes a form of consultant to the learner and attempts to assist in helping the learner deal with his/her concerns.
Strengths:
- previous topics are being reinforced
- provides personalized-instruction
Limitation:
- needs to set aside extra time depending on the availability of the learner and the teacher
This method is used to discover or verify facts and to study scientific relationships. It aims to give first hand experience, provide student participation in original research, and develop certain skills.
Strengths:
- thought-provoking
- provides transfer of learning
- provides exploratory type of learning
Limitations:
- time-consuming for planning and actual activity
- accident-prone
- can be disorganized
- provision of materials and equipment
Offers the student the opportunity of learning by activity, seeing, doing, and handling.
Strengths:
- provides application of what has been learned
- emphasizes practical value in learning
- develops skills mastery
- invites creativity, develops spirit of cooperation when done in group
Limitations:
- necessitates detailed planning
- more foresight and skill on the part of the teacher
- sometimes problematic in nature
- expensive and time-consuming
This is the process of involving students in a book research activity. Library Research as a method of teaching primarily gives emphasis in the use of books in the library. Training the students in using the library is very essential for complete survey of past works, confirmation and authentication of information and citation of references. Library research actually initiates the students to be more or less self-reliant in facing research work and help develop their potentialities.
This stimulates reflective thinking and furnishes a guide for organizing ideas; it directs attention to the task and encourages concentration. The student is aroused to work on his own power, and the teacher ceases to be a taskmaster.