FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERSITY COMMITTEE Drs. Tom Barber, Dan Chen, Jim Meisel, Adam Segal December 7, 2010

Teaching Adult Learners Texting in the Dark “Please sit down and make yourself comfortable. I’d like to start this session by reading to you two chapters from Up- To-Date. “First slide, please...”

Adult Learners Prefer to… Be actively involved in their learning

Teaching Adult Learners Look at Me – Do I Care? “Our discussion today isn't relevant to you, per se, but other people might find it interesting...”

Adult Learners Prefer to… Have a need to know what they're learning

Teaching Adult Learners You’re Not the Boss of Me! “While I know we've never met and I don't know much about your education, training, needs or expectations, I do know what's best for you based on my personal experience 20 years ago…”

Adult Learners Prefer to… Set their own learning objectives (encourages active involvement)

Teaching Adult Learners Can My Head Remember All of This? I Think, Not.  Tell ‘em what you're going to tell them. Tell ‘em. Then tell ‘em what you told them.  Consider using a blue slide-master in PowerPoint.  For slides, maximum 7 words per line, 7 lines per slide.  The key to success in small group discussions: Active participation  There are ways to work with the “Withdrawer,” the “Talker,” the “Aggressor,” and the “Trickster” in small group discussions

Adult Learners Prefer to… Learn concepts rather than disparate facts

Teaching Adult Learners I’ll Just Look It Up When I Need It “We are going to cover a vast amount of material in Anatomy (or Pharmacology or Microbiology or My Specialty). “I know you’ll find this information useful in the future…”

Adult Learners Prefer to… Be able to apply what they've learned soon after learning it

Teaching Adult Learners How ‘bout I Just Flip a Coin? “I will… Assume you know my expectations Feel angry when you fail to meet those expectations Wait until it's too late to tell you what you could have done better; and Make you guess whether you did something correctly.”

Adult Learners Prefer to… Get feedback on their performance

Teaching Adult Learners It’s Like Mispronouncing Your Favorite Word “I’d be chagrined to learn that you’d love to learn from me…were it not for my rapid speech (or cultural references or high- level comments or accent or lack of feedback or running late or boring handouts or….). “But don’t tell me.”

Adult Learners Prefer to… Learn from their teaching experiences

1.Be actively involved in their learning 2.Have a need to know what they're learning 3.Set their own learning objectives 4.Learn concepts rather than disparate facts 5.Be able to apply what they've learned soon after learning it 6.Get feedback on their performance 7.Learn from their teaching experiences Adult Learners Prefer to…