ЕПАЛЕ - Електронска платформа за образовање одраслих у Европи

SEL in adult learning ( ZA KONKURS)

I still remember geography teacher’s stick, with which he would punish us in front of the geography map, if we missed a mountain or a river in the middle of nowhere...We had a happy childhood, we didn’t know anything about the global economy or World’s crises, but when we grew up we weren’t ready for a real life. We used to adopt the new knowledge without asking too many questions, we just knew it was obligatory to know all the dates of the battles in the two World Wars.

In educational system we have developed skills needed on factory floors.In the meantime, society has been redefined, and it has been high time education accept that and transforms itself accordingly. 

Today in the classrooms we develop more empathy for others within community and it help students to become better, more productive and self-aware.

Nowadays, national curriculum and teaching techniques are more adjusted to lifelong learning and adopting useful skills. Teaching adults is even more demanding than teaching children because your learners expect to overmaster with skills and knowledge in a short time period with remarkably results. How can we motivate an adult learner who was not willing to learn when he was a child and decide to leave education earlier than expected?

Firstly, you need to be creative, got out of the box and to put on your student’s shoes. Instead of numerous facts and figures which are printed in course books, your students need to participate in meta cognitive process and learn how to use Pythagorean theorem , not the definition only. Adults learners will not learn something they are not interested in or what is not meaningful for them In most situations they are interested in content that has a direct application to their lives. They usually have different commitments and priorities than younger students. Many of them take “night classes”because they are working during the day and they can’t afford to attend regular schools.

What they really need is empathy, emotional intelligence is an important part of educational chain and we must not miss it. Adults find it important that teachers value and validate their experience, as well as be sympathetic to the demands placed on them by jobs and family. With regard to teacher’s attitude, adult learners appreciated educators who were “fun and enthusiastic”.

All this mentioned leads us to SEL ( Social Emotional Learning) which implies humanity, positive energy and support, and lifelong learning, which is the basis of the whole curriculum.   

Keillor and Littlefield (2012) have developed the following list of best practices for “promoting an adult’s readiness to learn.”

1. Create a safe, welcoming learning environment

2. Create a culture of empathy, respect, approachability, authenticity

3. Collaborate on the diagnosis of learning needs

4. Collaborate on developing learning objectives and in instructional planning

5. Ensure the practicality of all learning activities

We should think about the reasons why these students hadn’t finished school before, what interrupted them, and  to try help them to overcome educational barriers. Adult learners need creative and motivating surrounding, we need to think about their previous knowledge and skills and incorporate them in our classes.What is more important they need lifelong learning skills because they will probably change professions, and without degree there is no possibility for promotion.

As well as we respect authenticity of young learners, we should respect adult learners also because their self confidence is usually at low level.Our job is to interested them in learning, to explain them benefits of studying, considering their obligations outside the school. Adult learners appreciate instructors who are “fun and enthusiastic”who listen to their students and  view students as having knowledge . Just imagine yourself as a student and think of a teacher you’d like to teach you, be creative and include interesting and familiar elements into your lectures.