1. Unit 1 Adults and young people as Essential Skills learners

2. Objectives of the session Analyse different factors that motivate adults and young people to want to return to or continue learning Describe different learning preferences that adults and young people have Describe different strategies that may be used to enable adults and young people to improve their own learning

3. MOTIVATION In pairs make a list of all the factors that motivated you to undertake this course, and any motivational factors that you know have motivated your learners to attend your course. 3

4. MOTIVATION Social relationships External expectations Social welfare Personal advancement Escape/stimulation Cognitive interest 4

5. MOTIVATION Intrinsic Motivation: Focus on internal desires and rewards Extrinsic Motivation: External rewards and punishments 5

6. EXTRINSIC MOTIVATORS IN LEARNING Adults who are not intrinsically motivated may fit some of these profiles. They may be interested in activities which provide immediate gratification. For these adults, the present is more important than the future. As students, these adults will respond positively to a series of small tasks and activities with immediate rewards, but may have trouble completing long-term projects. The influence of others is greater for students with extrinsic motivation. High expectations of lecturers, peers, co-workers, and family members may have a major positive impact on student motivation and achievement. Negative or positive feedback from others will also have a major impact. Peer pressure to conform will be greater for these students. 6

7. CASE STUDIES 7 http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/readytolearn/

8. 8 Motivation: Virtuous Circle Success is experienced by the learner Reinforcement occurs, including praise, self-praise and peer approval Self-belief Student believes ‘I can do it’: self confidence and self esteem improve. Motivation increases as does persistence and effort; hence work improves

9. 9 Motivation: Vicious Circle Failure is experienced by the learner Criticism or lack of reinforcement occurs, including a lack of personal satisfaction Self-belief fails Student believes ‘I can’t do it’: self confidence and self esteem fail. Motivation fails as does persistence and effort: hence work deteriorates

10. RECOMMENDED READING Geoff Petty (1993) TEACHING TODAY pp 35 – 52 Stephen Lieb (1991) Principles of Adult Learning (available online) Stephen Lieb (1991) Principles of Adult Learning 10

11. LEARNING STYLES VAKT Honey & Mumford Howard Gardner Left brain/right brain Male female brain

12. A NOTE OF CAUTION! “…learners should not be assigned a particular learning style. Rather, they should be encouraged to explore a variety of approaches to learning and to reflect on how they learn most successfully. Teachers can ‘scaffold’ tasks to encourage learners to explore new ways of learning while providing initial support. Teachers need to be aware of their own preferred learning styles and the ways in which these may differ from the approaches that learners find most effective” Coffield et al Learning styles and pedagogy in post-16 learning; a systematic and critical review (2004)

18. ACTIVITY In small groups design a session plan (for entry 2/3 learners) on basic punctuation to accommodate the VAKT learning styles VAKT = visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, tactile

19. STRATEGIES TO HELP ADULTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE IMPROVE THEIR OWN LEARNING Memory Repetition and connection Active production in quick time (making use of their learning preferences) Active discovery Reading and writing Questions to establish purpose Try out spelling strategies – discover preference Teach proof-reading strategies Alternatives to note-making Source: Hughes & Schwab (eds) Teaching Adult Literacy (2010)

20. Objectives of the session Achieved? Analyse different factors that motivate adults and young people to want to return to or continue learning Describe different learning preferences that adults and young people have Describe different strategies that may be used to enable adults and young people to improve their own learning