Hi all,
I wanted to share with you a few comments made by participants who are taking part in the LINCS Region 2 webinar series, Adult Learner Motivation. The webinar series includes 3 main topics as well as a private study circle area in the LINCS Community for participants to exchange ideas, share expertise, and learn from each other. The webinar topics include:
- Self-Efficacy
- Goal Setting and Expectations
- The Learning Environment/Monitoring Learning.
The first webinar, Self-Efficacy, was held on July 22 and 28 adult education practitioners had the opportunity to participate. A definition of self-efficacy was presented and related concepts were discussed. (Self efficacy: a student's belief about his/her ability in a particular domain, the belief that one can be successful when attempting a specific task.)
Below are several of the participants' responses to the question: What strategies could you as a teacher use to increase adult students' sense of self-efficacy around their literacy skills?
"Instead of pointing out the students' shortcomings, point out that they have just given us the tools to work with them. Their errors and mistakes are not that (shortcomings), they are tools for the instructor to help the student. If WE change our thought process, our students will come, stay, and exit with a GED. I think that we need to stop blaming the student, take a good look at our practices, and everyone needs to do adjustments."
"Since I began teaching ESL I noticed a huge shift in the area of student motivation. In comparison to those entering GED or Hi-Set, ESL students do not typically have the motivation problem encountered with GED students. In fact, it is often just the opposite. They are eager and motivated to learn, but can "burn out" quickly when English doesn't fall neatly into place in a short period of time. For that reason, I plan on implementing techniques to bolster self-efficacy in my students as a tool to reduce anxiety and burn-out. If the students can see areas of progress and feel rewarded by their achievement, they will continue to be motivated to learn more. I can see where paying attention to student self-efficacy will help keep students motivated to continue learning English."
"As many adult students have children and other-life responsibilities, I would remind them to think of their first experience with family or work-related success. Or, I might ask them to consider these simple questions: What can you do well? Why? They begin to realize that anything in which they have achieved a degree of success has required them to make a choice, make a commitment to that choice, and be flexible with how they handled unforeseen events. Getting them to see that success is not a terminal value but a very dynamic concept can get them to put just a little more effort into their studies. Self-investment earns great dividends given the necessary time and dedication."
In working with adult learners in your classrooms and programs, what strategies have you found to be helpful in addressing students' self-efficacy and motivation?
Gail Cope, SME, LINCS Program Management Group