Teacher Training
In light of adult learners’ traditional marginalization and especially given the ways in which adult learners enroll in postsecondary institutions (see Adult Learner Basics), it is not uncommon for writing instructors to experience challenges teaching them. Bash, for example, found that nearly half of the student-faculty conflicts he encountered as Dean of Lifelong Learning at Baldwin-Wallace College were “a result of the instructor’s insensitivity to the adult learner as a phenomenon” – that is, adult learner differences from traditionally-aged students (39). This may stem from both lack of exposure to adult students and inadequate teacher preparation on the subject of adult learning. Indeed, given what we know of higher education’s negligence of adult learners, it is reasonable to assume that some, if not many, graduate programs do not provide instruction on teaching adult learners at all.
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Whatever the reason, WPAs would do well to act preemptively rather than reactively when it comes to mitigating the challenges writing instructors may experience when teaching adult learners. Furthermore, many of these difficulties may be avoided completely provided that instructors are familiar with adult learners and their corresponding learning needs. Consequently, WPAs should provide substantive and ongoing teacher training so that all instructional staff, including graduate students, are up-to-date on the current scholarship and best practices of adult education. To that end, below are some suggested ways in which this teacher training can be facilitated.
Articles & Resources
Faculty Workshops
As the “most common faculty development venue” (Rutz and Wilhoit 240), workshops will likely comprise the bulk of teacher training on adult learners. Ideally, such workshops would be ongoing as part of a series and sequenced in such a way that topics build upon each another. For example, in order to establish the exigency for teacher training on adult learners within a given writing program, an initial workshop might involve an overview of adult learner enrollment trends at that particular institution and a panel of adult writing students who remark on their experiences within the program. In so doing, instructors will be more likely to invest in teacher training and the adult students they instruct because the conversations about adult learners will be situated within the context of the institution itself as opposed to abstract theory and generalization. Future workshops could then build upon this initial session, inviting instructors to consider the ways in which they notice (or don’t notice) adult students within their own writing classes, whether they distinguish any unique characteristics among their adult learners that are not reflected in their traditionally-aged students, how they modify or could modify instruction and assignments to better facilitate learning among adult students, etc. Thus, a multi-workshop format would provide instructors with a comprehensive view of adult learners at their specific institution and enable them to consider and apply best practices for teaching adult students within their own specific courses.
On- and Off-Campus Resources & Collaborations
For as much as writing programs benefit from the teacher training that is provided in-house, there are still abundant resources and potential collaborations with on- and off-campus partners that can supplement the development opportunities provided within programs themselves. For example, just as Hall endorses WPAs reaching out to K-12 schools in order to better understand the traditionally-aged students their programs serve (316), WPAs should also connect with faculty and administrators at surrounding community colleges in order to better understand adult learners. This is because community colleges typically enroll a much more diverse swath of students than four-year institutions by virtue of their lower tuition costs and corresponding accessibility. This diversity includes the presence of adult learners, who enroll in community colleges in greater numbers than they do colleges and universities (“Characteristics of Postsecondary Students”). As a result, faculty and administrators at community colleges are likely to be more familiar with adult learners than those at four-year institutions, and it is for this reason that they should be consulted for teacher training.
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As for on-campus resources and partners, most institutions offer some kind of campus-wide faculty development that WPAs can and should make use of. Additionally, if a college or university has a department or program in education, especially adult and/or continuing education, WPAs may find its faculty and development resources particularly helpful. Indeed, education faculty could be asked to participate in workshops on adult learners within the writing program, or writing instructors could be asked to participate in workshops within the education department. Either way, these cross-campus collaborations are sure to bolster instructors’ understanding of adult learners and thereby enhance their teaching.
Engagement with Professional Associations
WPAs should also make use of the many professional associations dedicated to adult education. Not only will this help build and expand a network of educators that can contribute to teacher training on adult learners and learning, but engaging with these organizations will also afford WPAs and their writing programs access to various development opportunities, such as webinars and conferences, as well as scholarly publications that these organizations offer. Listed below are some of the more well-known associations that WPAs and writing instructors can connect with.
