| Myth Number Two Adults appreciate "tough" teachers and a firm schedule The further away we get from the "teacher vs.student" model, the more effective adult learning becomes. This statement does not suggest that everyone simply sits around and groupthinks what we are going to learn, how we will learn it, and on what kind of schedule we will operate. Far from it. Adults like reasonable structure, but not the same kind of structure they encountered in elementary and secondary school. If one is serious about teaching and learning with adults, there is no room for petty point counting and clock watching. It is widely touted by adult learning theorists that lives of older learners are populated with hosts of competing factors for their time. Aspects of worklife, family responsibilities and other time grabbers are prevalent regardless of how dedicated one is to the classroom effort. (Irrespective, of course, of the learner who does not have competing factors--a rare breed.) So, if a learner enters a classroom at 7:20 p.m. when the class started at 7, it is not a capital offense. It gets tiresome if it happens all the time, but it rarely does. Likewise, if a session written submission needs to be e-mailed by tomorrow, life has not come to an end. Most likely, other issues just got in the way. Fellow learners do not keep a scorecard about members of the learning group, as is widely suggested. If they do, they have issues of their own. Sometimes, a private conversation by the instructor with the learner will fix the problem or provide greater insight. Conscientious learners in the class will know peers as either serious learners or posers. Everyone involved in the process needs to embrace the concept of a "community of learners" rather than the traditional interactive format that many are so accustomed to. Developing that community is the responsibilty of the faculty member who would do well to keep remembering that older learners may know far more about a topic or a skill than does the appointed and annointed faculty member. Most certainly, one achieves faculty status by purportedly being a content specialist; however, few are omnicient. Keep a scorecard tallying how many times the word "I" is spoken compared to the more encompassing "we." If the latter outweighs the former, the group is on its way to creating a community of learners. Many times, this type of environment is created solely by the choices of words uttered by the instructor. The table below presents a few ideas for practice in setting a climate and tone of the community. Instead of Saying; "I am holding you responsible for the next three chapters" Say, "Next week, the reading covers the next three chapters." (Er, did anyone miss the message that the next three need to be read?) Instead of Saying, "I will give your corrected papers back next week." Say, "I will return these papers next week with some comments and suggestions." (Needing correction suggests that the papers will come in wrong.) |
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