Back in June, 1981, Ron and Susan Zemke sought to enumerate the things we as teachers / trainers / facilitators / classroom aides / tutors know about (1) adult learners and their motivation; (2) designing curriculum for adults; and (3) working with adult in the classroom. They call them "truisms" based on a fairly large body of research conducted over the years about the adult learner.
READ ABOUT IT:
Zemke, R., and S. Zemke. "30 Things We Know for Sure About Adult Learning," TRAINING Magazine, June 1981. Minn: Lakewood Publications. (Revisited in June 1995 -- they asked themselves, "Has anything changed?") Found at: http://www.trainingmag.com/sites/default/files//TrainingMagazine_1995_AdultsLearning.pdf
In this blog, I've been showing how ESOL pedagogy -- or should I say, androgogy? -- has been for some years taking on aspects of human resources training in the areas of curriculum design and classroom practice, as well as analysis of learner characteristics.
In truism no. 25, the Zemkes advise against teacher/trainers "holding forth" rather than acting as facilitator to the learner. In their 4/27/2015 Inside Higher Ed article, " The Coaching Transformation," Christine Seifert and Richard Chapman write about the style shift from professor to coach. They remind us that such learning coaches "[E]nable the development and action planning of a learner." https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2015/04/27/essay-making-switch-professor-coach
ESOL course offerings nowadays feature shortened session duration, truncated semesters, continuous open enrollment, and home study components, with course delivery via the web (known as blended/hybrid formats, or more colloquially, “brick and click” programs) supplementing physical classrooms to support language learning of non-traditional, place-bound individuals geographically removed from traditional campuses. Adult second language learning classes are more democratic, more driven by technology, featuring open-ended questions and vigorous give-and-take. All, much more consonant with adult students' felt needs and autonomy.
The lecturer at the podium is a thing of the past. The teacher's role as sole transmitter of of knowledge is replaced by teacher as mentor, facilitator, curator of resources, coach, sophisticated technology user, well-organized secretary, competent artist and musician, set decorator, game show host, and more. In other words, master performers of the trade.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Zemkes Were Ahead of Their Time
Back in June, 1981, Ron and Susan Zemke sought to enumerate the things we as teachers / trainers / facilitators / classroom aides / tutors know about (1) adult learners and their motivation; (2) designing curriculum for adults; and (3) working with adult in the classroom. Training, v18 n6 p45-46,48-49,52 Jun 1981. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ246636 They call them "truisms" based on a fairly large body of research done about the adult learner.
ON CURRICULUM DESIGN. Adult learners tend to seek out short-term, relevant, practical, budget-friendly, and accessible courses. The Zemkes point out in list item 7 that the preference for application of concepts to relevant problems increases with the age. Nowadays,we often offer courses of shorter duration, with a distance learning component, and culminating in a certificate.
In item 10 of their list of truisms about adult learners, they talk about the need for a "conceptual overlap" with what is already known, for the efficient processing of new information. Likewise, we in the ESL world speak of "schema theory" and "background knowledge" as put forward by Patricia L. Carrell from Southern Illinois University, in her article, "Schema Theory and ESL Reading Pedagogy," published in December, 1983, by TESOL Quarterly v17 n4, http://203.72.145.166/tesol/tqd_2008/VOL_17_4.PDF#page=25
Carrell discusses the importance of background knowledge in teaching reading to EFL/ESL students, which became formalized as "schema theory," and basically says that efficient comprehension requires the ability to relate the textual material to one’s own knowledge (called the reader’s "background knowledge," and the previously acquired knowledge structures which are called "schemata."
The Zemkes were further prescient in suggesting (in list item 15) that courses and materials need to be designed to reflect different viewpoints and value sets when working with adults in different life stages. This has become increasingly relevant to ESL curriculum design, as we in the USA absorb many more refugees into our classrooms from war-torn nations, where our pupils have lived lives vastly different from those we enjoy in our modern, fast-paced western world. Their points of view and experiences cannot be diminished or dismissed out of hand, but should be acknowledged and incorporated into lessons and texts.
ON CURRICULUM DESIGN. Adult learners tend to seek out short-term, relevant, practical, budget-friendly, and accessible courses. The Zemkes point out in list item 7 that the preference for application of concepts to relevant problems increases with the age. Nowadays,we often offer courses of shorter duration, with a distance learning component, and culminating in a certificate.
In item 10 of their list of truisms about adult learners, they talk about the need for a "conceptual overlap" with what is already known, for the efficient processing of new information. Likewise, we in the ESL world speak of "schema theory" and "background knowledge" as put forward by Patricia L. Carrell from Southern Illinois University, in her article, "Schema Theory and ESL Reading Pedagogy," published in December, 1983, by TESOL Quarterly v17 n4, http://203.72.145.166/tesol/tqd_2008/VOL_17_4.PDF#page=25
Carrell discusses the importance of background knowledge in teaching reading to EFL/ESL students, which became formalized as "schema theory," and basically says that efficient comprehension requires the ability to relate the textual material to one’s own knowledge (called the reader’s "background knowledge," and the previously acquired knowledge structures which are called "schemata."
The Zemkes were further prescient in suggesting (in list item 15) that courses and materials need to be designed to reflect different viewpoints and value sets when working with adults in different life stages. This has become increasingly relevant to ESL curriculum design, as we in the USA absorb many more refugees into our classrooms from war-torn nations, where our pupils have lived lives vastly different from those we enjoy in our modern, fast-paced western world. Their points of view and experiences cannot be diminished or dismissed out of hand, but should be acknowledged and incorporated into lessons and texts.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Zemkes Were Right and Still Are
Back in June, 1981, Ron and Susan Zemke sought to enumerate the things we as teachers / trainers / facilitators / classroom aides / tutors know about (1) adult learners and their motivation; (2) designing curriculum for adults; and (3) working with adult in the classroom.
Instead of being outdated or outmoded, the truisms put forth in that seminal article seem just as applicable to modern adult education practice as they did 34 years ago. For example, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) are increasingly expected to be capable of delivering course content utilizing interactive, multimodal learning environments while maintaining a lively, welcoming, inclusive, and supportive classroom experience. See their list item 17 (" ... the adult learner often selects more than one medium ... "), item 18 ("Nonhuman media ... very influential ..."), and item 20 ("Self-direction does not mean isolation .... the adult learner is a very efficiency-minded individual.")
READ ABOUT IT:
Zemke, R., and S. Zemke. "30 Things We Know for Sure About Adult Learning," TRAINING Magazine, June 1981. Minn: Lakewood Publications. (Revisited in June 1995 -- they asked themselves, "Has anything changed?") Found at: http://www.trainingmag.com/sites/default/files//TrainingMagazine_1995_AdultsLearning.pdf
Instead of being outdated or outmoded, the truisms put forth in that seminal article seem just as applicable to modern adult education practice as they did 34 years ago. For example, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) are increasingly expected to be capable of delivering course content utilizing interactive, multimodal learning environments while maintaining a lively, welcoming, inclusive, and supportive classroom experience. See their list item 17 (" ... the adult learner often selects more than one medium ... "), item 18 ("Nonhuman media ... very influential ..."), and item 20 ("Self-direction does not mean isolation .... the adult learner is a very efficiency-minded individual.")
READ ABOUT IT:
Zemke, R., and S. Zemke. "30 Things We Know for Sure About Adult Learning," TRAINING Magazine, June 1981. Minn: Lakewood Publications. (Revisited in June 1995 -- they asked themselves, "Has anything changed?") Found at: http://www.trainingmag.com/sites/default/files//TrainingMagazine_1995_AdultsLearning.pdf
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)