A brief introduction
I've worked in the field of Adult Basic Education for five years, when I started working with adult ESL and GED students in Mesa County, Colorado. Previously an anthropology major now pursuing a M.Ed. in Adult Education and Human Resources, my goal with this website is to create a space where you can find the tools and resources you need to create meaningful classroom experiences for your adult learners.
Emily McConnell
Adult Learning at Mesa County Libraries
According to Wlodkowski and Ginsberg (2017), when learners are able to feel effective and capable of demonstrating that they can apply what they are learning, they feel empowered to self-direct their learning. Way to engender competence in your classroom include:
Strategies to Engender Competence
1) Provide effective feedback (p. 308 - 315)
Wlodkowski and Ginsberg define feedback as "information that learners receive about the quality of their work" (308). To be effective for the learner and guide them towards a state of competence, feedback should:
A) Allow the learner to compare the effect of their efforts to a standard.
B) Avoid being controlling. Feedback should provide opportunity, rather than restrict attitude or practice. It should be POSITIVE.
C) Be specific, constructive, prompt, and allow for reflection.
D) Be frequent, especially when "practice is vital to the learning goal" (p. 311).
E) Be considerate. To be considerate providing feedback, consider asking the leaner what they might like feedback on, measure the learner's readiness to receive feedback, and provide opportunity for the learner to demonstrate they understand the feedback.
2) Use authentic performance tasks as a part of assessment (p. 317 - 320)
Providing opportunities for learners to assess their effectiveness applying their learning in class is necessary for adults to know they can apply their learning outside of the classroom. When learners are able to effectively apply their learning in class, their is an increase in confidence that they will be able to transfer their learning outside of class, when it is most necessary for them. Authentic tests may include:
A) The opportunity for learner to explain, apply, or justify answers.
B) The provision of the tasks, criteria, and standards by which the learner will be assessed are known to the learner.
C) The task is composed with real-world constraints in mind.
D) The assessment is designed to reflect true mastery.
E) The test is designed to allow for feedback to improve future performance.
3) Use self-assessment methods to provide insights and deepen learning (p. 330)
When learners can utilize "sensitive self assessment tools," it can enhance how a learner regulates their learning, which can prolong motivation (p. 331). Effective tools for self-assessment include:
A) Journals - these allow learners to express how they are relating their learning to their lives. It allows learners to document risks, concerns, successes, as well as build critical-thinking skills.
B) Closure techniques - these activities are done at the end of a class, and they are a way to provide closure to the learning experience. Activities might include "Head, Heart, Hand," during which learners consider something they will continue to think about as a result of the learning experience (Head), feelings that have emerged due to the learning experience (Heart), and an action that will be caused due to the learning experience (Hand); Note-Taking Pairs, during which partners work together to compare notes and review concepts from the lesson; or Summarizing Questions, in which learners respond to summarizing questions regarding the learning experience.
Source:
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Wlodkowski, R. J., & Ginsberg, M. B. (2017). Enhancing adult motivation to learn: A comprehensive guide for teaching all adults (4th ed.). Jossey Bass.