Adult Learning

While working with adult learners is in many ways different from teaching children, many practices and dispositions effective in the classroom can be applied when working with adult learners as instructional partners. This section will begin with a focus on the skills and dispositions necessary for working effectively with adult learners.

Working With Adult Learners

Teacher Leadership Skills Framework: Working With Adult Learners

For this section, you will focus on Working With Adult Learners within the CSTP Teacher Leadership Framework.

Activity Directions

Learning outcomes

  • Explore skills and dispositions specific to Working With Adult Learners as part of instructional coaching and partnership

  • Identify areas of strength and need for growth based on the CSTP Framework

Activities

Review the section Working With Adult Learners (p.3-4) in the CSTP Teacher Leadership Skills Framework and

Review the saved results of your LIFT Self-Reflection Part One specific to Working With Adult Learners.

Create a personal document that will allow you to collect and add ideas for this and other sections of this module. The document should have two areas -- one for areas of current strength and one for areas needing growth. Here is a sample Padlet as a possible model. You can also use your LIFT Portfolio for this purpose. Note: You will be using this same document for several activities in this module.

Respond to the following prompts using the document you've created. Looking only at the Working With Adult Learners section for now,

  1. What knowledge/skills and dispositions are areas of strength for you?

  2. What knowledge/skills and dispositions are areas of weakness or need for future growth?

  3. What are some questions that you'd like to explore?

Respond to this prompt in your LIFT Portfolio.

  1. What peers in your professional circle or learning network most strongly exemplify the knowledge, skills, and dispositions described in Working With Adult Learners?

Effective Educator Learning

Research Map: Instruction and Teacher Learning

This resource created by Digital Promise summarizes key research connected to teacher quality, effectiveness, and training.

Activity Directions

Learning outcomes

  • Identify key research supporting innovative practice and instructional partnership

  • Make connections between best practices for student learning and professional learning for educators

Activities

Read Research Map: Instruction and Teacher Learning

Discuss the following prompts with your learning partner.

  • Looking at the section called Instructional Best Practices, which of the four areas is an area that you'd like to explore in more detail? Why?

  • In what ways does research in the Teacher Learning/Professional Development section support the idea of instructional partnership in this LIFT framework?

  • What are some areas of overlap across these two areas?

  • What are some examples of these strategies in practice in your own school or district?

Bookmark useful links using your LIFT Bookmarks Form or a curation tool of your choice.

Learner Variability - Adult Learners

Learner Variability Navigator: The Adult Learner

This is an introduction to the work of Digital Promise on learner variability which will be explored in more detail in Module 3.

Activity Directions

Learning outcomes

  • Explore learner variability research as a component of professional adult learning

  • Continue recognizing and defining learning needs of adult educators

  • Make connections between the CSTP Framework and the Digital Promise research

Activities

Explore the page Learner Variability Navigator: The Adult Learner.

Discuss the following prompts with your learning partner.

  • Which of the research themes resonated with you as an adult learner? Why?

  • In what ways are the needs of adult learners similar and different from those of younger learners?

  • What connections do you see between the CSTP Teacher Leadership Framework and the research in this report?

Respond to these questions in your LIFT Portfolio.

  1. As you complete this section on Working With Adult Learners, put yourself in the role of a professional development trainer or coach. Based on what you've learned so far, what are the top three considerations to consider when designing professional learning for your peers?

Note: You will be exploring Digital Promise Learner Variability resources in more detail in the next module.