Today, I wrapped up my last formal day with Farmington Area teachers. As the course completed, one of the teachers came up to me. She thanked me for my work with her. But, her most poignant comment was this: “You never make me feel stupid.” Working with adult learners is one of the most rewarding experiences I have in my career. Here are ten pieces of advice for working with adult, in no particular order.
1. There are no stupid questions. Even the simplest question has merit. The goal of adult professional learning is to move forward. So, if that person is creating complex formulas in Excel or centering a title in Word, there is something for them to learn.
2. Within seconds, gauge the teacher’s level. Within moments, you need to tell if you can jump right into the problem. Or, if you need to go through each click step by step, pausing to check for understanding. Just like we do with our students, as coaches we must adapt to and respect teachers’ levels of proficiency.
3. Directions need to be clear- and in multiple modalities. A video tutorial can be great for many. But, a classic paper how-to document is important to many adult learners. Clear images for each step- with details as to where to click or type help augment any text directions. I have worked with teachers with large three-ring binders, manila folders, or “tech” notebooks with these how-to documents. This is a very comfortable modality for many people.
4. Have an academic purpose to the learning activity. Instead of typing a meaningless paragraph, have teachers write a welcome letter to their students. Instead of working with a pointless table of data, give them a sample of NWEA/MAP data. Having relevance helps make the lesson easier to take back and apply in the classroom.
5. Allow time to decompress. Any professional development session that can be built with work time with a coach present is more meaningful. Pushing out information for an hour and letting people go work on their own does not usually work. The best workshops are ones that combine learning and application time in a balance. This also allows for those needing more support to get it, while those who are ready to move ahead can expand their learning.
6. Respect the teacher’s ability to make good choices. Most adults can multitask and still follow along. Many adults are offended if you tell them to turn off from all technology. Yet, there are times when you want the complete attention of the group. There’s nothing wrong with using “Hands off, eyes up” a few choice times during a session. If you are respectful in telling teachers why you want their attention, they will give it to you.
7. Wait for the room to quiet before moving on. Just as we wait in the classroom for attention, we should do the same during professional learning sessions. Be aware that you may have staff members who struggle with hearing in large rooms or with background noise. While a few side conversations may be needed at times to support the learning, raising your voice over a room-wide hum of chatter is not good for your voice. Or crowd control. Wait until the participants are all back together before moving ahead.
8. Check for understanding. Just as we do with our students, stop and check that the adult learners are ready to progress. Pause. Ask for questions. If you keep flying forward, people may fall more and more behind and you may never know.
9. Multistep directions can be overwhelming. While I only was giving two or three step directions today, I had teachers ask me to slow down. Three very new steps can be like a foreign language. Walking through the process once together may be great for your higher-level learners. But, repeat again. Demo a step. Pause. Demo the next step. Pause. And so on… Even more frustrating to many teachers is “showing you all of the features, and then you can come back and play.” A ten-minute demonstration without time for application can be very frustrating for those who need the pause between each and every step.
10. Know your audience. Even if you are meeting them for the first time, you can get an idea for the group’s temperament. Are the teachers excited to be there? If so, build on that excitement. If not, how can you make their time meaningful and relevant to their work outside of training. This will help you adapt the session to meet the needs of the group. Don’t be afraid to differentiate within the session- giving those who are ready additional tips and tricks to work on while their peers master the basics.
Are there other key points you would share in regards to working with adult learners?