1. Teaching and Supporting Adult Learners
Jackie Scruton and Belinda Ferguson

2. About Jackie Scruton
Jackie Scruton is a Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, and part of her role is to support adult learners on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
She has taught adult learners in a range of settings and on courses, such as Basic Skills and Degree programmes.
She has a particular interest in working with learners for whom inclusion may be an issue, this includes, amongst others, adult learners.   

3. About Belinda Ferguson
Belinda Ferguson is a Senior Lecturer in Education at Nottingham Trent University, currently teaching on part-time degrees and teacher training courses.
She has worked with adult learners throughout her career, and has seen the challenges and pressures they face along with the pleasure of success and the opportunities created.
As a former mature, post-graduate student she has an empathy for students who find themselves juggling childcare and work with their studies.  

4. Teaching and Supporting Adult Learners
These slides introduce you to the book, focusing on these specific areas:
the context of adult learning;
Motivation;
the practicalities of teaching adult learners;
using technology;
building relationships.
As you look through the slides, consider the issues discussed and reflect on your current practice.

5. The context of adult learning
Post-16 education has been subject to constant change reflecting government policies and priorities. This has affected curriculum, funding, student support and qualifications.
Adult learning takes place in wide range of places, including: FE colleges, HE institutions, schools, children centres, community centres, workplaces and prisons.
The role of the teacher in adult learning is varied with numerous demands and responsibilities.
Understanding the evolution of the post-16 sector and how it is influenced can help us to understand our role within it.

6. The context of adult learning
Questions
Think about your own workplace: what influences the curriculum and how it is delivered?
How does this influence your role and how you support adult learners?

7. Motivation Adult learners are motivated by a range of factors.
They may be driven internally to get a new qualification to improve their career prospects, or just to prove they can do it.
Some adult learners are driven externally as they have to complete a course as it is a necessity for their job.
There are many barriers that adult learners have to face, such as competing priorities, lack of confidence, fear of failure, feeling out of place and barriers imposed by the institution itself.
If we can understand the challenges that adult learners face and what motivates them, we are in a better position to support them and share in their success.

8. Motivation
Questions
Reflect on your educational and non-educational experiences: what has motivated you to achieve success in these?
What were the barriers that you faced? How did you overcome these? Why did you overcome them?

9. The practicalities of teaching adult learners
Adults often learn differently than they did when they were younger.
Adult learners are usually very busy so a well designed and constructed curriculum is important for them.
Adult learners have a wealth of experience that they can bring to their learning and hence strategies that acknowledge this and that involve and engage them will be more likely to be successful.
Assessment and feedback is crucial to any learning situation, particularly for adult learners who may lack confidence.
Developing an awareness of the needs of adult learners and how they can be supported effectively is important in securing their success.

10. The practicalities of teaching adult learners
Questions
Think about the adult learners that you teach: how well do you recognise their needs?
How do you design the course, assess their learning and provide feedback to ensure that you are meeting the needs of adult learners?

11. Using technology with adult learners
The role of technology today is a crucial part of any learning.
It can enhance but also detract from the learning experience.
There is a wide range of technology and applications that can be used to support adults in their learning whether they are studying full-time, part-time, at a distance or through a blended learning approach.
Technology will only be successful if embedded in and relevant to the curriculum.

12. Using technology with adult learners
Questions
What methods do you currently use to communicate with adult learners?
What methods do adults often use to communicate with each other?

13. Building relationships
Building relationships with adult learners is important as it provides the right environment for success.
There are a number of easy and simple ways to build relationships with adult learners.
Adult learners thrive on the support of their peers, there are a number of useful mechanisms to create such an environment.
Understanding learner behaviour is very important and prevents situations escalating or being misread. Building relationships can help in developing this understanding.

14. Building relationships
Questions
Think about your own learning experiences: how did the relationship that you had with your teacher affect your enthusiasm and engagement?
How well do you know and understand your learners? Is it possible that you ‘misread’ their behaviour?

15. Pulling it all together
This book explores the many factors that influence adult learning from national policies that we have no control over to situations that take place in the learning environment which affect and control.
The book uses a range of brief and detailed case studies to understand adult learners experiences and those of their teachers to analyse learner and teacher behaviour, reflecting on the impact of this on learning and success.