Interview with a professor
- 1. Interview With a Professor Mary Ann Bauer HE521: Teaching Adult Learners Dr. Judith Cardenas
- 2. Educational Setting Formal University professor Teaches online School Interview of Graduate Education done via telephone
- 3. Question 1 What do you like about teaching adult learners? She responded by saying it is always engaging. She thinks of her students as colleagues instead of the teacher-student relationship and loves the experience adult students bring to the class.
- 4. Question 2 What are the challenges you face in your job? This instructor feels that an exciting challenge is keeping up with all the new technology as it relates to learning and determining what is shiny and new from what is actually useful for the learning environment. All her students strive to balance work, family and school and weave that into a six week class format which makes it challenging.
- 5. Question 3 What differences do you see in the way adults learn, compared to how younger students in the 18-22 age group learn? The instructor stated that the younger group’s experiences are not as rich so they do not draw from as many perspectives. Additionally she has noticed that the younger age group is used to a lot of technology and are exposed to such abbreviated grammar that it is challenging for them to adjust to writing and communicating at the colleges level, for example using APA format.
- 6. Question 4 What have you learned in your position as a teacher of adult learners? Never take anything for granted was her first response. She has learned to become a stronger facilitator than teacher. She also has learned to have a presence in the class that is not intrusive but supportive.
- 7. Question 5 Do you feel there are teaching methods that work better than others when it comes to teaching adults? The instructor did not feel there were any methods that worked better than others, stating that each student is individualized in their learning and no one method was influential in the way she teaches.
- 8. Question 6 What advice do you have for someone starting out? Know there are many ways of teaching inside an organization –learning is comprehensive and just doesn’t occur in the classroom. She further explains that most learning occurs outside the classroom and gave examples of tutoring, faculty interactions, and student groups as other places for learning “Learning can occur in 100 different spaces and it’s wonderful to know all these opportunities for learning exist” She also advises not to be afraid to try anything new. “Think of the world as your opportunity –not just the educational institution.”
- 9. Summary This interview reinforced what a rich and rewarding, but challenging job it can be educating adults. I can see evidence of Knowles assumptions on andragogy at work. For example, part of what the instructor loves about teaching adults is the experience they bring to the class and Knowles says adults use their experiences as a valuable resource in learning. We are learning that adult learners are unique in they way they learn and how they should be taught and this is even more clear after doing this interview.