Unit 4: Passing the torch to students

This unit reminded me of the importance of student involvement in the learning process. I think this is even more important to the adult learner. Often our students are professionals in their home country, and they have been in charge of their goal-setting for many years. As an educator I can help facilitate this by beginning with a needs assessment. While being mindful of the curriculum you also have to take into consideration the make-up of the class, what is it that they most need to move forward? Providing opportunities for students to self-reflect and goal-set would be built in to my weekly lessons. The PBLA provides a section where students can monitor their progress. I think that building in a specific time into the week is important so that it becomes a habit that students get used to as they continue on their learning journey. Students also need the opportunity to apply what they have learned in a real-life context. Skill building of course is important, but there is a strong need to apply those skills in daily activities. This circles back to the needs assessment as the teacher can intertwine the needs of the class with the tasks in class. For example, if students identify that they are finding it difficult to deal with 'customer service' (landlord issues, returning an item, asking for help in a store), tasks can be built in to the lessons to help them to develop that skill set. The reflection component in the above example could include them describing how they applied the lesson in their real-life (I was able to get my landlord to fix my sink, I exchanged an item at the store) and also what their challenges and next steps would be. Taking the measure of the needs of the class, encouraging self-reflection and providing task-based activities are all good opportunities to help develop autonomous learners.

Autonomous learning venngage 

Teaching adult learners