1. Barriers to Adult Learning
PROJECT
By: Patti Blight, Sarah Cancelliere, Danielle Gunton, Avril Reid, Kerry Weir
DUE DATE
JANUARY 16 2013 COURSE
BEC910CE- ADULT EDUCATION

2. What are some common barriers
experienced by adult learners when they
choose to return to school or participate in
workplace training?

3. ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS
YOU CAN’T
TEACH AN OLD
DOG NEW
TRICKS…OR
CAN YOU?

4. THE CASE
• Anita is over 50
• She has been in her job for 20 years
• Her job is being outsourced
• She can not afford to retire
• She needs to develop new skills
• She needs to go back to school

5. THE BARRIER
“Many adults have experienced so much
criticism, failure, and discouragement in
their youth that their self-confidence and
sense of worth are damaged. In a new
learning environment, adults often are
anxious, fear failure, and dread rejection
by their peer group (Kennedy, 2003).”

7. ALLEVIATING THE FEARS
Provide a safe and welcoming
environment
Have students interact and discuss
prior experiences
Have students explain their goals
Provide students with detailed course
outline and expectations

8. THE EDUCATOR
“Part of being an effective educator
involves understanding how adults
learn best (Lieb,1991)”.

9. APPLYING KNOWLES
KNOWLES’ EDUCATOR’S ROLE
PRINCIPLES Be a facilitator:
1. Adults are internally Understand how adults
motivated and self- learn and allow students
directed to participate in the
direction of the class
Recognize and
accommodate different
learning styles

10. APPLYING KNOWLES
KNOWLES’ PRINCIPLES EDUCATOR’S ROLE
2. Adults bring life Acknowledge value of
experiences and previous experience
knowledge to learning
experiences

11. APPLYING KNOWLES
EDUCATOR’S ROLE
KNOWLES’
PRINCIPLES Show direct link
between course material
3. Adults are goal and student’s goals
oriented
Use real case studies to
examine theory

12. APPLYING KNOWLES
KNOWLES’ EDUCATOR’S ROLE
PRINCIPLES
Provide assignment
options that reflect
4. Adults are relevancy student interests
oriented
Provide students with
reflective questions to
assess connection to
goals

13. APPLYING KNOWLES
EDUCATOR’S
KNOWLES’
ROLE
PRINCIPLES
Encourage active
5. Adults are practical participation allowing
students to experiment
and develop self
efficacy
Provide feedback on a
regular basis

14. APPLYING KNOWLES
KNOWLES’ EDUCATOR’S ROLE
PRINCIPLES
Acknowledge past
6. Adult learners like to be experience
respected Treat adult learner as
an equal
Promote an
environment for
expression of ideas

15. TIMING AND FINANCIAL BARRIERS

16. Most adults have their hands full.
Between work, family and home
responsibilities, we can feel like we
can go a little crazy.
Is there really enough time in the
day and extra money to spend on
growing ourselves intellectually?

17. THE CASE
•Sandra is 40 years oldShe’s a wife and mother of
three childrenShe’s been a Medical Lab Assistant
for 18 yearsShe feels she cannot progress further
in her career
•She and her husband are worried about future
tuition costs for their childrenShe needs to
expand her career by developing new skillsShe
wants to go back to school

18. THE BARRIER
“How will I juggle family, work and school?
There are only so many hours in a day…
Women, by characteristic, experience a greater
amount of guilt about her student role if she
feels it interrupts her responsibility for
maintaining her role within the family.
Consequently, if she feels too much strain
during this time, she will ultimately give up
school to make things easier.” (Shields, 1994)

19. THE FEARS Cost of
me o f d ay extra
Ti child ca
t sui table re durin
g
no course h
shift work o ur s
for
Cos
Lack cou t of
of ti rse
to c me ma and
omm ter
to c it ials
ours
e

20. ALLEVIATING THE FEARS
Sandra Can...
1. Discuss with her family how further education will
improve her career and self.
2. Ask her family to compromise. Example: Older
children can help with lunch preparation and basic
house keeping tasks Form a realistic household
budget to accommodate the added costs of
schooling.
Form a realistic household budget to accommodate
the added costs of schooling.
• Form a realistic household budget to accommodate
the added costs of schooling.

21. ALLEVIATING THE FEARS
Sandra Can...
4. Develop time management strategies. Organize
with a point/task by point/task on a calendar to
understand her own abilities and how to adjust
her life to accommodate others.
Example: Put on calendar dates of school, work,
and family events. Put due dates for bills, school
assignments, etc.

22. THE EDUCATOR
“Much of the excitement of learning is in
the evolving, unpredictable and
unanticipated learning that inevitably
occurs. Realizing that the richest resource
in the classroom are the members present,
helped teachers of adults to relax and enjoy
themselves too. Such congruence between
belief and practice enhanced all.” (Barer-
Stein and Draper, 1993).

23. Applying Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow Need EDUCATOR’S ROLE
1. Physiological Need. Ensure the classroom
Refers to the basic environment is
bodily requirements comfortable,
needed to survive Equipment and resources
must be in working order
Offer short breaks
throughout the lesson.

24. Applying Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow Need EDUCATOR’S ROLE
2. Safety Need. Set clear expectations for the
Refers to the course
desire to be
safe from Provide a personal introduction
physical or to help students feel at ease
emotional injury
These strategies will help the
educator seem more
approachable when student
issues arise

25. Applying Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow Need EDUCATOR’S ROLE
3. Social Need. Creating an “ice breaker” lesson:
Refers to the Form the students into small
need for love, groups and allow them to
belonging, and introduce themselves
acceptance from Have students talk about their
others strengths, weaknesses, and state
their expectations for the course

26. Applying Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow Need EDUCATOR’S ROLE
4. Esteem Need. Constantly provide positive
Refers to the need and negative feedback to
to be seen by students. (Also known as
others, as well as “Constructive Criticism”)
themselves, as a Be flexible and understanding
person of worth of the hectic schedules of
and importance students
Guide them to success within
the course

27. Applying Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow Need EDUCATOR’S ROLE
5. Self- Provide consistent
Actualization Need. evaluations:
Refers to the Congratulate students on
desire to reach something they accomplished
one’s own on a task or assignment
potential and level Encourage students with
of succession specific guidelines on how to
move beyond their comfort
levels.

28. Helping
Exceptional
students
Overcome
Barriers

29. THE CASE
• Viktor is 28 years old
• He wants to progress in his career
• He has a central auditory
processing disorder (CAPD)
• He has trouble distinguishing speech from
background noise
• He has mild difficulties reading and
writing
• He wants to go back to school

30. THE BARRIERS
Students reported that learning
barriers stemmed from what they
experienced as a lack ofinstructor
cooperation and school resources to
accomodate their individual needs.
(Fuller et al. 2004)

31. THE FEARS rces
re resou ort
ant e the to supp
I do n’t w o Ar
ers t avai lable ?
m y pe e me
What if ity m
the roo p
large an m is
d I can’
the inst t hear
ructor?
e in s t ructor
W ill th e me?
acco modat

32. ALLEVIATING THE FEARS
Used varied instructional strategies
Be ready to modify assignments for
individual learner needs
Ask the student to suggest
accommodations that have worked in the
past
Treat students fairly and equitably

33. WHAT IS FAIR?
“The definition of fairness has little to
do with treating people in an identical
manner. Fairness means that everyone
gets what he or she needs.” (Lavoie,
1989)

34. THE ROLE OF THE EDUCATOR
Instead of focusing on a student’s
medical diagnosis, concentrate on what
learning barriers will prevent the
student from reaching his or her full
potential in the classroom.
(Fuller et al. 2004)

35. ENVIRONMENTAL BARRIERS
Barrier EDUCATOR STRATEGY
Classroom is Seat student in centre of room
large and full of Allow students to tape lectures
students. Let students choose a quiet
Background space for individual and group
noises interfere work
with Viktor’s Encourage student to bring any
learning assistive devices, like a
personal FM system (American
Academy of Audiology, 2010)

36. INSTRUCTIONAL BARRIERS
Barrier EDUCATOR STRATEGY
Instructor uses Incorporate group work/discussion
lecture format Enlist a scribe to take lecture notes
for all lessons. Post lecture notes and media online
Viktor has Provide written instructions for
difficulties tasks
taking notes and Allow students some time to
retaining lecture generate responses to the topic
information before a discussion

37. ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES
Barrier EDUCATOR STRATEGY
Instructor has Contact relevant school office for
never heard of a accommodation suggestions
CAPD and does More time or fewer questions on
not know how to exam
accomodate Print exam on yellow paper instead
Viktor for his of white as it is easier to read
exam (Bennet, Dworer, Weber, 2008)
Allow student to answer exam
questions using a computer or
scribe