Classroom Management

for Adults (tips& tricks)

(Me and my adult students)

ANDROGOGY…

Classroom management with adult learners is a skill I have been acquiring for several years now and practicing on a daily basis..

Now let’s go over some of the fundamental principles of adult learning

Learning continues even after we leave school. Many of us go on attending classes, colleges and universities, moreover ,It still exists even if you graduate. We adults accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process which spreads along for the rest of our lives. However, as we grow older, we learn best in different ways than we did during our youth

Motivation is key

It s important because their motivation will have a direct effect on their educational experiences in the classroom environment, and in order to achieve it, Sometimes I take the role of a leader,a teacher,a mentor,a supervisor,an advisor and I know that I should balance out those roles so that I can create a favorable learning environment.

Adults are normally(even during the classes) concerned with their basic needs such as bills, employment;

Their lives precede education and one size doesn’t fit all… I mean they are all different in terms of experience,need, interest as well as their motivation which vary and are both intrinsic and extrinsic…

*Self concept is about how an individual views themselves, It’s about certain beliefs about their own skills, It is like …. yes I can do it or no I can’t do it (because of a lack of ability),type of thing. Self-Concept has a lot to do with sense of personal importance,previous experiences,attitude,values, relationships but it may change with new experiences, for example in a new environment an individual may feel less confident or other way around.

*Having a leader kind of demeanor or a follower is another motivation factor.

Students Attitude

*Students' Attitude will vary depending on their past learning experiences,when I have a new classful of students I get quickly assessed by them,(don’t judge a book by its cover ☺ hehe.. my cover is good, I mean I look good and I don’t complain about being judged) they make quick judgements about me and my teaching style comparing with their previous learning experiences and teachers and those judgements are hard to change once they are solid and established,Thus students’ attitude plays a key role in their level of motivation throughout the course,some of the adult students are making quick negative assessments or complaining about trivial matters or an so-called unfair treatment,those are the ones who are less likely to strive& achieve and those students with negative self concept less likely to have engaging attitude ,less likely to ask questions in the classroom

*Students’ needs vary from one student to another but I can say that a good number of my adult students are in my classes for self-actualization such as achieving a goal or some need to feel that they belong to a social group while other adult students are struggling to meet their very basic needs like food , shelter,bills as well and those are the students who don’t worry about achieving anything since they’re all concerned about their immediate needs like family responsibilities, employment responsibilities ,paying rent which make them have difficulty getting or staying motivated and that s where the drop-out rate goes up.. they give up however students who have experienced success generally feel more confident and competent compared to those adults who have achieved not much; these kind of students

Adults learn by doing

It is called.. Experiential Learning

the core of androgogy is making sense of experiences. Adults learn best with ‘hands on' approach,thus it’s substantial to create opportunities for experience-based learning

*Adults are relevancy-oriented.

Thus

*They will only learn when they want and when they need

And they will do so if the teaching has something to do with their career planning,job competencies etc. Learning has to be applicable to their professions or other responsibilities. I personally identify some objectives before my courses begin and relate theories and concepts to my participants.

Adults must be shown respect.

I respect my adult students as they give their most precious thing “their time” to me.I acknowledge and appreciate their presence .I admit the variety of experiences and knowledge that they contribute to our classroom.I know that Sometimes I may encounter some issues- such as unpleasant feedback and increased drop-out rate -with my adult students without mutual respect.

Adults students are goal-oriented.

They favor lessons that are organized and has clearly defined elements. That’s why,in the beginning of my 4-month term, I clearly show my adult learners how my lectures relate to their goals .

Let’s talk about some of the external factors..

*Positive Reinforcement

Since positive reinforcement has great influence on their level of motivation In all the classes I lecture ,One thing I deliberately do and lay emphasis on is to focus on their achievements only in order to be able to give them positive feedback,make encouraging statement ,as an educator, I know that students who receive these types of positive and sincere feedback, praise and good grades as well are performing much better and they start getting more engaged and feeling self-confident during the classes and even after the class they remain motivated because when I praise something they do,they tend to repeat it.

*Challenge

Some of my students love difficultly

I mean they feel better when they try harder on anything but this is something hard for me to manage because I have 26 adults students in one class all with different needs backgrounds and even capacities..when I go with the flow of those who love challenges,I mean when I adjust my teaching to those who demand for example upper level vocabulary drills I face with more drop-out rates from those who don’t want more than enough because those type of adults feel discouraged when they are challenged more ,that s why I always try not to make them feel overwhelmed,I constantly seek ways to satisfy allof those students with different levels and provide them individualized experience, some get bored because they are challenged less while others who get overly challenged feel discouraged, that s why individualized challenged is needed for each student..

Stimulations

(me holding our baby standing next to my wife celebrating my birthday thanks to my adult students)

Throughout the course term,I know that I need to hold my students interest by using different techniques, presentation,maybe a surprise quiz,maybe something to get them more involved in discussions ,or a fun activity,

My students are adult,they have a lot going on in their lives which makes them prone to distraction.. I empathize and I understand them..

( Me standing next to my students)

I make sure that I understand their needs by discussing and I express that I am willing to support them is another type of motivator to them

And providing them professional consultancy is something they expect me to be good at. Most of my students at some point come up to me and want to talk about their career plans, and goals they pursue..To ensure their motivation I know that I must be aware of the updates, employment opportunities out there for them,best information resources for their career

To sum up;

I offer expertise as much as I can

I empathize

I am always enthusiastic

I interact a lot

I try to explore their characteristics

I provide positive feed back

I am aware of their needs

I make sure my class meets their needs

I allow them to feel confident

Furkan KERECİ

Cheers.