Adult Education Theories & Tools
Branch Out by Vrindy Spencer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Branch Out by Vrindy Spencer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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I am glad that emotions are being taken more seriously within the field of education. This short video details some insights into the changes that have taken place: This video discusses:
“For most learning the emotional component is the largest part.”
“We now know that if people feel good, it provides the fuel for them to do well.”
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A peer in the PIDP has created an infographic about a classroom assessment technique called: Goal Ranking and Matching. Find it here I see great value in engaging participants in their own learning through designing (and ranking/prioritizing) their own goals for the course/ workshop and to co-create the goals of the program. This way participants are active members of their own learning from the start. One challenge with including participants further in the design process of the course is that then if certain goals of theirs do not align with the course goals, they may feel isolated or disconnected. I relate this to when asking people what they would like to do and then choosing one of the several options suggested --people whose option was not selected, often feel more upset doing the chosen activity than they would have if the question had never come up. To make sure your goals are clear and reachable, each one should be:
A peer in my PIDP course created a create Youtube video about Safety in the Classroom In it, she shares:
Some highlights include:
85% of students felt more challenged in personal growth when in classrooms that fostered safety. Anytime I hear about "safety," I think about the value of "bravery." We cannot ensure that our classrooms are "safe" and there are consequences of calling them such. Instead, we can support the notion of bravery in our groups, for people that stand up despite the odds and share their true selves. Further areas to explore, include;
...Continued. Belonging and Love Needs: -Encourage contribution to others / group service -Work together in partners or small groups -Celebrate each other and the group (birthdays, progress days, strength days, etc.) -Create structures for ownership and engagement (assign roles of listener, poetry reader, room beautifcation, gatekeeper of conflicts, etc.) (Desautels, 2014) -Hold group check-ins at the beginning and end of class -Encourage the sharing of identity both as a group (theme, flag, song, flower, animal totem (Desautels, 2014) and as individuals -A clear method to address their questions and concerns quickly, such as through email or an online discussion forum (Pappas, 2015). Esteem Needs -Incorporate the skills of the individuals in the class -Invite students to showcase their skills and knowledge in various areas (“expert day”) -Have each student reflect on their goals they would like to master (eg. “used positive language in describing a need or desire,” “self-reflected about my daily work and interactions,” “stayed focus on assignments,” “regrouped and continued to work after a frustrating time,” “helped another student or teacher,” “contributed ideas and suggestions to a conversation,” etc.) (Desautels, 2014) -Developing students’ emotional intelligence in order to increase self-awareness and increasing their sense of control of their emotions and elearning experience (Pappas, 2015). -Provide options for what exercises to do and when to do them and providing praise for successful completion (Pappas, 2015) Self-Actualization Needs -Encourage self-examination and reflection, including setting realistic goals and tracking their own progress -Include activities related to understanding (and questioning) core values, intentions, and beliefs As teachers, it is our responsibility to provide students “the tools and knowledge they need to realize their true potential and purpose, so that they can then strive toward their own personal definition of success (Pappas, 2015). One insightful component of that statement is that it is their own personal definition and not a concept of success that we dictate. References:
Barkley, E. F. (2010). Student Engagement Techniques: a Handbook for College Faculty. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Desautels. L. (2014, February 6). Addressing Our Needs: Maslow Comes to Life for Educators and Students. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/addressing-our-needs-maslow-hierarchy-lori-desautels Pappas, C. (2015, September 9). The Impact of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in Elearning. Elearning. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-impact-elearning Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a useful tool in various fields including personal development, psychology, and education. The basic premise is that everyone has tiers of needs. Before anyone can focus on the “higher” needs (such as a sense of belonging), they must have filled their “lower” needs (such as having enough to eat). What does this look like in a classroom?
-Access to water and washrooms and breaks to use these -Mindfulness practices to focus their attention and clear their busy minds -Access to food; providing snacks and/or having breaks for students to get food -Instrumental music to support a restful and focused environment -Offering a flexible schedule that allows busy learners to take care of their necessities before committing to the coursework Safety Needs: -Supportive physical environment, such as arranging the room in a way that supports the intention, such as having chairs in a circle, or pillows on the floor, decorations, plants, and ensuring the temperature is good for the participants -Provide personal affirmations for students to use, for example “Right now in this moment I am safe. I am breathing, I am aware, awake and I can think and feel!” (Desautels, 2014) -Offer a worry box practice for students to literally leave their concerns and worries at the door -Encourage activities to promote gratitude or compliments, such as writing a compliment or affirmation on a sticky note on the wall each session -Encourage collaboration and co-creation, such as creating the community guidelines together ...to be continued.
A peer of mine in PIDP created a useful infographic about Socratic Questioning that can be found here She describes:
When I think Socratic questioning, my first thought is my university, Quest University Canada, which focuses heavily on this style of learning/teaching. Every student completed a liberal arts curriculum and then designed their own final two years based on investigating a 'Question' that was the equivalent of a 'major' at another university. Aligned with Lisa's description of Socratic questioning, the education at Quest created structure for us to dive into fundamental ideas (such as reading the original (translated) papers of Planck, Rutherford, and Einstein in a physics course). We analyzed concepts through determining a definition for each one of the words in our own 'Questions.' Our classrooms were certainly active, student-centered, and inquiry-based. To Question or not to Question... That is the Question. Socrates himself was not always that popular in the crowds where he would question people to his own detriment (and eventual death). An interesting telling of this tale can be found here I fully support and love the style of Socratic questioning and I want to point out one 'con' that may not be immediately obvious is that it can be draining and exhausting to question everything. So when putting this valuable and necessary practice into place, remember self-care.
...continued. I believe that creating ones own path requires creativity and my creativity often comes in the form of poetry. I’d like to share something I wrote for my thesis: For as long as I can remember I have coasted past people and places that might have held me Or let me grow In favour of following an internal compass That pointed towards opportunities waiting to be gathered. As I kept moving away My anchor lost its tethering from lack of use, And I feared drifting alone forever. So, I made rafts out of driftwood And welcomed other wary voyagers aboard. As I wrapped them in my skin to shelter them from the wet and cold, They shared their stories of time at sea Easily. I equated staying afloat to helping others, Constantly keeping quiet about how the wind bit at my bones For fear that the heaviness of my burdens Would exceed the capacity of their rickety lifeboats. -- An iceberg in my path caused me to Question my course. As I unveiled holes in my craft, I realized I could let the gaze and warmth of others in. They provided a haven for skeleton-me By lending me their clothes, Until I stepped back into the skin I almost forgot I carried around my waist And finally felt the itch of isolation I had attempted to ignore. I am a hybrid, The Only One Of My Kind on Noah’s Ark, But the more I look the more I realize… Everyone is a black sheep in a flock Of seagulls. But that doesn’t mean we cannot be embraced. I want to use my cold hands And warm heart To build-up the icebergs that are melting, For swimmers To have a place to rest amongst The fellowship of other creatures All looking for a space to dock their feet, paws, or fins. We are not alone in our search for togetherness And we do not need to tread in loneliness while lost in the currents Of our solo journeys. It is clearer to me now that I have a huge interest in creativity, expression, and belonging. That I want to do curriculum development, coordination, and facilitation, that I want to work with my peers, and that I want to investigate myself deeply and support others in their self-explorations.
I recognize that there are messes everywhere, but the fears, stress, and anxiety around being in them are optional. I'm not at that acceptance stage yet, but I do know that it is of vital importance to my wellbeing that I create a meaningful life. Right now my reasons for walking include: having people in my life I can rely on and that can rely on me connecting with people in ways that go beyond words, such as social dancing. And creating programs to increase the sense of self-worth and efficacy of individuals. Even without a clearly defined population to support, I continue finding more clarity in “the mess” of meaning. The topic of motivating students has inspired me to reflect on my own motivation for looking into the topic of adult education and personal development: Growing up I had this idea that I needed to figure out my “group”; the population I can best support, something like youth, immigrants, or people with disabilities. I had this idea that I couldn’t be whole and complete until I knew my specific place in the world in relation to what cause I am most passionate about supporting. I still have not found that population. I took a math class in university where the professor talked about the concept of "the mess." It was a problem-solving course where we were given math riddles to solve. “The mess” was the period of confusion between when you know what a problem is and when you've come to a solution or next step forward. My professor explained that this concept translates into pretty much every aspect of our life. He also shared that it is better to enjoy the experience of the mess rather than being frightened or overwhelmed by the unknown I still have not found my population, but through my investigation of the mess of “meaning” in my life, I realized there was something not quite ordinary about:
…to be continued.
Here I am in the final course of the PIDP program, where my experience transformed from being like a tree -grounding down and branching out- into more of a race to the finish line, because of new deadlines and positions that opened up for me. I am currently a program coordinator for a program called Go Girls with Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland and a program coordinator for a program called Conscious Connections with Low Entropy. I began the journey with the Provincial Instructors Diploma while in between contracts, wanting to expand my skills and knowledge as a facilitator and program developer, with an interest specifically in adult education (/personal development). Now near the tail end (one more course and the capstone to complete), I have discovered a lot about education, adult learning, and many ideas about best practice. Read more about my history here It's been a true joy to learn more about adults and supporting them through learning. These last blog posts will be in an area that I already know is one near and dear to my heart -- Engagement, more specifically sharing and discussing resources related to instructional strategies and student engagement techniques. I look forward to sharing my journey with you.
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AuthorI am passionate about creating experiences of personal growth for adults through self-reflection and connection with others in groups. Archives
March 2018
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