Sunday, February 8, 2009

U-Blog 2

The topic for the past week's module was "The Adult Learner." I found the topic very interesting, and really gained some useful knowledge from the article titled "Quick Tips for a Senior Friendly Computer Classroom."

The article consisted of 5 steps to help older adults learn. The steps were:
Step 1: Create an Environment for Learning
  • Put Students at Ease
  • Tell Students What to Expect
  • Make It Easy to Ask for Help
Step 2: Present Information Clearly
  • Make Sure You Are Understood
  • Encourage Questions
Step 3: Help Students Stay Focused
  • Keep Focused on the Goals
  • Stay on Task
  • Keep Discussions on Track
  • Minimize Distractions
Step 4: Help Students Retain Information
  • Repeat and Reinforce
  • Use Written and Visual Information
  • Provide Hands-on Practice
  • Schedule Classes Close Together
Step 5: Accommodate Physical Changes
  • Vision
  • Hearing
  • Motor Skills
  • Other
The article goes into a little more detail on each step, citing specific examples of what to do, which is what makes it so valuable. The information and tips it gives are very applicable to our upcoming project. The examples of strategies to take are things that could actually help in a live training session. This is what makes the article stand out. Too many articles on the topic are written just on the science of training, and while interesting, are not helpful in the real world. I will definitely be referencing this article as we get closer to the training session dates.
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3 comments:

  1. NettieFebruary 8, 2009 at 5:38 PM

    I should re-read that article as well before our project. I also found a previous assigned article helpful, Adult Learning and the Internet, for explaining the mechanisms new Internet users utilized.

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  2. Doug OutlawFebruary 9, 2009 at 5:14 PM

    I couldn't agree with you more Laura. I think the way you grouped everything up into 5 stages gives it more of a convenient flow. The way you've detailed each category really flows and shows what you think is most important.

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 16, 2009 at 8:00 PM

    The importance of Step #4,1 (Repeat and Reinforce) was demonstrated to me today at the Lowman Home. I started to notice that some of the users wanted to do things " a few times" to get the hang of it so they could remember how to do it later. One user signed into his email account 4 times just to get accustomed to how the menus and what the proper procedure was to log on.

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