Revisiting "Thirty Things We Know for Sure About Adult Learning."

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

"Managing" Student Expectations?

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.

Truism no. 23 deals with students expectations. Most of us know that adult returning students in the ESL class, though understandably proud of their lifetime accomplishments, are often unrealistic when it comes to estimating the amount of time and effort required to succeed in a course of study. They see themselves as shrewd managers of their time, juggling a job, family responsibilities, commitments to civic and/or religious organizations, and so forth. They'll carve out one hour a day, they say, and ace this class. Quite often, a learner discovers after the first quiz that they are in serious trouble, and they simply quit. Quitting classes can become a habit, and can negatively impact your students' careers and disrupt their personal lives as they lose money on tuition and fees, hire and dismiss babysitters, lose out on possible pay raises and/or promotions at work, etc.

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

Maryellen Weimer, Ph.D., while posting Aug 20, 2014, in Teaching Professor Blog at Faculty Focus (Reality Check: Helping to Manage Student Expectations, found at http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/reality-check-helping-manage-student-expectations/) talks about this "conundrum" facing educators: We think our students ought to believe in themselves, and commit to doing well; on the other hand, we need them to be realistic about what classroom success demands in terms of time and effort.

I like her notion of bringing in "evidence-based answers," maybe by asking former students to share their advice on the course website. Maybe by providing regular reminders and review of the goals students articulate at the beginning of the course. I've even seen the idea of a quiz on the syllabus, reinforcing the point that understanding expectations is crucial for success. Keeping open the lines of communication, and seeking a balance between your and your students' expectations are key, and should clear the way for classroom success.

The Zemkes recommend clarifying and articulating everyone's expectations before getting into content on the first day. If those two are at odds, then the article writers say the problem should be acknowledged, with some negotiation and resolution attempted. But in the end, say the Zemkes, " ... the instructor can assume responsibility only for his or her own expectations, not for that of trainees."

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Master Performers of the Trade

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.

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.