Welcome to How to Motivate and Engage Adult Learners, a training programme for adult education staff and teachers developed as part of the STEMS Erasmus+ project.
The course consists of six sections that are listed below. Each of them contains short introduction, reading materials and online activities.
This Training Programme is aimed at all adult education professionals, including both teaching and non-teaching staff in adult education institutions. The guidelines, strategies, and tools provided can be of use for both novice and experienced staff members.
WHY SHOULD I USE IT?
It will help you develop competencies related to supporting and motivating adult learners to persist in learning. The Training Programme contains effective motivational strategies and tools for interacting with adult learners, including the use of digital tools and social media to increase learner participation and engagement.
It uses a more flexible, blended learning approach and comprises 60 hours of training, with 30 hours of instruction being carried out face-to-face and 30 hours in an online environment. You can select the training approach – face-to-face or distance learning – according to your training context and needs.
All of the activities and materials provided are available in 6 European languages – English, Hungarian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Romanian, and Czech. If you need a different language version of this training programme, please visit stems-project.eu and select one of the language versions provided.
WHAT TOPICS DOES IT COVER?
The Training Programme comprises resources for the following topics:
It also contains a self-assessment tool that will help training participants set learning goals, monitor, and evaluate their learning progress. For a detailed overview of the topics covered by this Training Programme, read the table below.
The aim of Section 1 of this programme is to help adult education staff and teachers improve their knowledge and skills in the field of adult learning referring to major theories and their implications, to characteristic features of adult learning, to the roles and impacts of didactics and methods in adult education, and to main barriers and motivations identified in learning in adulthood.
In the world of adult learning and education, it has become a priority focus of quality concerns in the last hundred years to understand some major theories of adult learning so as to help formulating a good standpoint, on the one hand, for differentiating the learning of adult from children’s learning and, on the other, to recognise some characteristic aspects of adult learning.
In our European perspectives, theories have a broader scope than those dimensions we may experience in the American approaches with a rather narrow focus. Therefore, one should not get surprised that the andragogical concern is rather more detailed and has got a disciplinary orientation opposite to the American tradition of using this term, according to Knowles, to highlight particular conditions, elements and attributes of self-directed learning. Another interesting aspect of theoretical frames upon Adult Learning for Europe is that there is a rather strong implication of a psychological disciplinary narrative, namely, on connecting behaviourism, cognitivism and that of constructivism to form some frames of connecting human behaviour and thinking to the development and use of learning capacities.
However, we recommend participants of the STEMS training programme to collect some basic knowledge on the following modern theories in adult learning:
· Behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism
· Experimental learning
· Transformative/transformational learning
· Andragogy
· Self-directed learning
· Project-based learning
We are much aware of the complexity of learning theories and the reality of the existing routes and approaches being differently used by academic cycles across cultures and regions of the world.
Welcome to Section 2 of the course - Communication. We'll learn how to listen actively, communicate effectively and manage conflicts. We will also focus on creating a culture of empathy and respect, and developing a good relationship with adult learners.
This part consists of three lessons. To complete the COMMUNICATION part of the STEMS course, including the provided quizzes, links, and downloadable materials, you will need around 7 hours.
Welcome to Section 3 of the course - Managing a Class. We'll learn group dynamics and cohesion, as well as methods suitable for the adult education classroom.
This part consists of one lesson. To complete the MANAGING A CLASS part of the STEMS course, including the provided quizzes, links, and downloadable materials, you will need around 3 hours.
Welcome to Section 5 of the course - Digital Tools in Adult Education. We'll learn how to design, organize and perform teaching activities with the aid of digital tools. We will also learn how to evaluate the process of learning and teaching by using digital tools.
This part consists of two lessons. To complete the DIGITAL TOOLS IN ADULT EDUCATION part of the STEMS course, including the provided quizzes, links, and downloadable materials, you will need around 5 hours.
The aim of Section 6 of this programme is to help you acquire four practical, valuable and very useful skills that you can apply in any educational institution or company. You will acquire the following skills:
SKILL 1 - Skill to come up with a draft for a new educational product - an educational course
SKILL 2 - Skill to define a target market segment of an educational course
SKILL 3 - Skill to formulate the learning objectives of an educational course
The best way to learn practical skills is "learning by practising". Therefore, open the first presentation out of four and follow the instructions. Perform all tasks carefully and thoroughly. This is the fastest way to learn skills. When you reach the end of the first presentation, move on to the next one. We wish you a pleasant and entertaining study of section 6.
Main aims of the self-assessment tool are to:
The Self-Assessment Tool Content
This tool is meant to be used before, during and after professional development training - so that the participants (teachers/trainers/educators and non-educational staff) can track their initial competence level with how they're progressing during the course and compare it with the end level after completing the course.Self-Assessment Scales
Each statement is accompanied by a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 representing very low knowledge and 5 representing a high level of knowledge or by a scale from 1 to 5 where 1 represents always, 2: usually, 3: sometimes, 4: hardly ever, 5: never.
To get accurate feedback it is important that
you answer each statement honestly, thinking about your current situation, not
how you wish to be in the future. In doing the last self-assessment activity
take time to reflect on your current knowledge and competence and think
honestly about your level in each category.
Nevertheless, you must be aware that learning to
teach, motivate and, engage participants in the learning process is a
continuous and life-long process!
Self-Assessment Evaluation
Even though it is very difficult to quantify didactic competencies, knowledge, attitudes, skills, and abilities in order to measure an individual's progress in relation to the evaluated categories, some recommendations are made according to the score obtained.
This option can help participants to visualize better their competency level and take action to improve their knowledge, skills, attitudes and abilities. When you self-assess you become an active participant in your evaluation, it enables you to assess your strengths and also areas you need to improve.
Scored results on this instrument identify areas of priority and should stimulate reflections and introspection.Feedback Evaluation
There are 3 points recommendations:
GOOD KNOWLEDGE SCORE BETWEEN 186-310
According to this score, you demonstrate good knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes which teachers/trainers and other school staff need to have in order to promote relevant learning experience and design lessons.
As your strengths, you demonstrate accurate knowledge of the subject in these matters and you can use effective strategies, resources, and data to meet adult learners' needs.
Recommendations:
Keep up the good work and don't forget that good educator and school staff, both at the end of a class and in the middle of their work, reflect on their everyday activity and adjust their teaching, relationships, and attitudes to the adult learner needs.
The teacher, trainers and other school staff should maintain data/evidence to track goal attainment and participation in professional development activities. Moreover, it is recommended you take part in a continuous assessment of how the professional development plan and goals are being met in a way that has an enduring impact on performance on the professionals and adult learners as well.
For useful resources, you can also check the training modules developed for the STEMS project, available at stems-project.eu.
AVERAGE KNOWLEDGE SCORE BETWEEN 62-186
Your self-assessment results indicate you have average knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes about key teaching competencies which reflects that some actions are needed to take in order to adapt lessons/content to the conditions, abilities and expectations of the adult learners.
Key recommendations:
This self-assessment is the first step for reflection and adjusting your teaching style. It allows you to evaluate your work habits and interaction with adult learners with respect to engagement, class management, or other didactical knowledge, practical teaching and experience.
Therefore there are key recommendations that you can consider:
LOW KNOWLEDGE SCORE BETWEEN 0-62
Your low self-assessment score demonstrates that you need improvements to upgrade your knowledge, skills, and attitudes. But, you don't have to worry, because a lot of resources are available for you in order to enhance the key knowledge mentioned in this self-assessment.
Therefore there are a set of key recommendations that you can consider:
Through the STEMS project, further reading and resources are available on the Moodle platform at stems-project.eu.