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Preparing to Teach Adult Students

Some Suggestions

1. Take a beginner class in something you have always wanted to do, but have not gotten around to doing. For example, you might try learning an instrument or taking a painting class at a local art center or park. This should not be something in which you already have expertise. While in the class, keep a journal recording your experience of this class. What, if anything, makes you anxious? How did you feel before walking into the first class? How did you feel walking out? The goal to put yourself in a position roughly equivalent to those of your adult students. I find it helpful to do this exercise about every four years, just to help me remember what it feels like to be a beginning learner.

2. Interview three adult students at your or a local school, asking them about their history as learners, their lives outside of school, the kinds of writing they do in and out of school and how they learn best.

3. Interview a few different teachers who have worked with adult students and/or ask to observe their classes.

4. As a graduate student or new teacher, you also are an adult learner. Think about something you have learned or a project you have completed recently. Reflect upon how your learning strategies and style differ now from when you were younger. What accounts for these changes? How do you balance your learning with your other responsibilities? How do various experiences in your life, such as being a parent or your hobbies, impact your learning? What motivates you as a learner? What causes anxiety for you?

5. If you can, work as a tutor in a writing center that serves older students. Alternatively, you might see if a local business or retirement center would like you to come in and run a writing workshop.