| Having made a decision to be an adult student, there | | | | which students are not. Memorization usually has little |
| are some classroom skills of which you need to make | | | | or no meaning; instead, the test consists of examples |
| sure you have a working mastery. In high school, you | | | | and problems where the student can exhibit their |
| could get by without really getting a complete grasp | | | | understanding of the material. Therefore, unlike high |
| of these skills, but this is no longer true when you | | | | school, memorizing material is not very helpful to an |
| become an adult learner. These skills include taking | | | | adult student. |
| notes, taking tests, listening, and participating. | | | | Instead, the student should prepare for tests by |
| In secondary school, the instructors are very | | | | doing problems. Understanding the problems from |
| forgiving. They know the students have not had a | | | | both the textbook and the lecture is much more |
| full course of training in these skills; towards the end | | | | important than being able to spout forth a word |
| of your high school career, the teachers make noises | | | | perfect definition. The test is about doing, not |
| about the necessity of having these skills, but by | | | | regurgitating (or at least it should be). The student |
| then most students have learned to ignore such talk. | | | | needs to practice and be relaxed, rather than review |
| However, an instructor of adults makes the | | | | details and be nervous. Taking tests is as much about |
| assumption that you have these skills; otherwise, you | | | | how the student approaches the problem as it about |
| would not have agreed to be a student in the adult | | | | getting the one right answer. In many cases, there is |
| education world. | | | | no one right answer, or if there is one answer, there |
| All of these skills can be acquired; there are many | | | | are multiple ways of determining the answer. |
| resources available to teach these skills. | | | | When taking tests, the student should know their |
| Unfortunately, you must go and get these skills; no | | | | target for that test, and should focus on getting the |
| one will come and give them to you automatically. | | | | material needed to reach that target. Once that has |
| Many adult schools, recognizing that grade school has | | | | been acquired, the student should cease to focus on |
| not taught these skills, have a course for entering | | | | the test and focus on themselves. Only then can |
| students to teach these skills. Once this course is | | | | they use the material they have gathered most |
| done, the instructors then assume that the student | | | | effectively. |
| has the skills, and they, the instructors, move | | | | <i>Listening</i> |
| forward without covering these skills again. This | | | | Many times students do not listen to the instructor; |
| means that the instructors move much faster in adult | | | | instead, they hear what they expect to hear, even if |
| education than they do in secondary education, for | | | | the instructor is saying something completely |
| after all, the students have been taught the skills to | | | | different. In high school, the teachers do at least |
| keep up. Unfortunately, many students treat the | | | | some effort to clear up these potential |
| introductory course like a high school course, ignoring | | | | communication errors. In adult education, it is the |
| much of what is covered, and then the student is | | | | responsibility of the student to assure that what |
| caught in a bind, not having the skills to make proper | | | | they heard is what the instructor said. That is why |
| use of the adult courses in which they are | | | | listening becomes such an important skill. |
| participating. | | | | Listening requires that you are properly prepared, |
| <i>Taking Notes</i> | | | | that you pay adequate attention, and that you |
| Taking notes, in adult education, does not consist of | | | | review your notes and thoughts after class; all this |
| simply writing down whatever the instructor says. | | | | work is to make sure you have heard what the |
| First, the instructor is probably moving too fast for a | | | | instructor has said. The instructor will hold the adult |
| student to be able to write down everything, and | | | | student responsible, and the student is left with the |
| second, the instructor often does not distinguish | | | | necessity of satisfying that expectation. |
| between main points and explanatory material. When | | | | <i>Participation</i> |
| taking notes, the students must move fast enough | | | | In high school, simply attending class was often |
| to keep up with the instructor, move precisely | | | | adequate participation; in adult education, participation |
| enough to distinguish between points and | | | | must be more active. Once the responsibility of |
| explanations, and move efficiently enough to have | | | | understanding moves from the teacher (as in high |
| the notes usable after the class is over. | | | | school) to the student (adult education), passive |
| The point of the notes is not to memorize the | | | | participation is rarely enough to ensure adequate |
| material presented in the class. First, the material | | | | communication. The student needs to ask questions, |
| covered is typically in the textbook provided by the | | | | restate ideas, and explore possibilities, for the |
| course, so it can be reread there in the book. | | | | teacher is expecting the student to provide the |
| Second, the instructor is not trying to present | | | | initiative. While a student might passively attend class, |
| concepts that are completely new, for he has made | | | | they will not achieve proper learning without active |
| the assumption that the student has read the book. | | | | participation. |
| No, what the instructor is doing in class is providing | | | | <b>Learnable Skills</b> |
| details and examples to explain the concept to which | | | | All these skills, and other discussed elsewhere in this |
| the textbook introduces the student. Therefore, the | | | | series, are learnable by any student. Once a person |
| notes should be also about in depth details and | | | | has decided to become an adult student, learning |
| understanding examples. The student notes should be | | | | these skills is a necessary action to achieve a |
| clearly structured to differentiate between | | | | successful completion of the program of study. Not |
| explanations and examples. This allows the notes to | | | | everything has to be learned immediately, but a |
| be useful outside of class, as well as providing the | | | | student who is committed to their success as an |
| student with a source of questions for clarification. | | | | adult student will start working on these skills, and |
| <i>Taking Tests</i> | | | | the sooner the better. Most instructors, if |
| The tests of adult education are often not the main | | | | approached by a student, will be glad to guide and |
| component of the course grade; instead, the tests | | | | mentor students, but the initiative must come from |
| are to allow the instructor to determine which | | | | the student. After all, it is their success at stake. |
| students are maintaining the pace of the class and | | | | |