the changing adult learner
TRANSCRIPT
The Changing Adult LearnerBarbara B. Nixon, Ph.D. (ABD)Green Bay Center
In times of change learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.
Eric Hoffer
This afternoon
DemographicsAndragogy
Engage Millennials
The hope: Wide awake audience
The reality: Sleepy audience
CUW Adult Learner
Demographics
Gender
Male
Female
Age 17-21
50+
40-49
30-39
20-29
Ethnicity
White Hispanic
African-American Native American
Two or More Races Asian
Religion
Lutheran Roman CatholicCommunity BaptistGen. Christian Other
Jobs
Full-time
Part-time
?
Andragogy: A Quick Review
They need to understand why something is important for them to know or do.
They want the freedom to learn in their own way.
Learning is experiential.
The process is positive and encouraging.
The time is right for them to learn.
Which of these can we, as faculty, impact?
They understand why something is important for them to know or do.
They have the freedom to learn in their own way.
Learning is experiential. The process is positive and
encouraging. The time is right for them to learn.
Engaging Our Adult Learners
Roadblocks
My three best tips, plus some watchouts
Utilize technology wisely
And . . .No Death by PowerPoint
Offer & accept timely feedback
And . . . Know what to do with defensiveness
Incorporate storytelling
And . . . Watch out for creating a class of Horshacks
The Future of Adult Learning
Some facts from the most recent Beloit Mindset List
This year’s entering class has never licked a postage stamp, and for them electronic mail has always been the “new formal” (as opposed to texting and Instagram and Facebook and Twitter).
Google has always been there Princess Diana has always been dead. When they were born, cell phone usage was so expensive
that families only used their large phones, usually in cars, for emergencies.
The proud parents recorded their first steps on camcorders, mounted on their shoulders like bazookas.
If you say “around the turn of the century,” they may well ask you, “which one?”
For students who were born in the late 1980s
Computers have always fit in their backpacks. Gas has always been unleaded. There has always been some association between fried eggs
and your brain. Stores have always had scanners at the checkout. George Foreman has always been a barbecue grill salesman. Tylenol has always been impossible for children or adults to
open. They have always been able to make photocopies at home.
Teaching Millennials
1.Know about generational differences
2.Recognize environmental & cultural forces
3.Understand potential intergenerational tension
4. Guide and focus their learning
5. Identify & share your teaching philosophy
6. Become comfortable using eLearning technology
7. Create aesthetically pleasing presentations
8. Help them know where to find support
9. Encourage curiosity
10.Encourage collaboration11.Be fair12.Identify limits of multi-
tasking
The One Thing
In times of change learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.
Eric Hoffer
Contact Me
Barbara B. Nixon, Ph.D. (ABD)Adjunct Professor, CUW Green Bay CenterManager of Learning & Documentation, SPI
E-mail: [email protected]
Social Media: @barbaranixon Blog:
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