HomeThe demand for adult education is growing, with 39 million American adults lacking a high school diploma. Innovative GED experts at the GED Academy have identified four crucial elements to success for adult education students.
As the number of adult Americans without a high school degree nears 40 million, adult education is becoming a critical issue in the United States. GED education programs are sponsored by communities, non-profit organizations, and school districts across the country. Teaching undereducated adults is extremely challenging. Most adults who didn't graduate high school never learned good study habits, never felt motivated to learn and never did well in a traditional classroom environment.
Research shows that most adults with a low level of education are encumbered with poor self-esteem, frustration, feelings of helplessness, and dependency on others. It's particularly important for adult learners to succeed in their experiences with the GED. Success at this stage shows students that it's possible to succeed. The GED Academy identifies four crucial factors for success for adult learners.
1. The learner must be able to set the pace.
Adult learners begin their GED preparation at various stages. They have gaps in their education that are difficult to predict and unique for each individual. Students should be able to skip materials they're familiar with and review new material as many times as needed. Adult education must be customized to students' needs. Spending hours on material that adults already know destroys motivation, and going too quickly over unknown material leads to frustration.
2. Interest, not content, drives learning.
Students who never succeeded in school don't find classroom materials inherently interesting. Innovative adult education programs like the GED Academy prep program use storytelling techniques, among others, to capture learners' interest. The lessons follow a virtual GED classroom, peopled with characters that include a class clown, a single mother, and an ex-convict. Following the story of virtual students' lives creates interest and motivation, and it helps answer the question: how is this information important to me?
3. The learner needs immediate feedback.
Immediate feedback on adult learners' progress creates a sense of accomplishment, since students can see their incremental improvement. It also shows students when they need to repeat material. Many adult education students can't assess their own learning. Immediate feedback helps build self-awareness of the learning process.
4. Success is the great motivator.
Every part of the learning experience is an opportunity for success. Students who have experienced failure and frustration need to recognize each little success along the way. Through a combination of storytelling, humor, exposing the learning processes of fellow students, and providing immediate feedback, learning programs like the GED Academy prep program attempt to build a foundation of success for learners. Whatever methodology you're using, give students a flexible study plan tailored to their needs, keep them interested, and give them immediate feedback. Really, these are the keys to the fourth element: success. Make sure they see their successes.
Michael Ormsby is the president of The GED Academy and oversees software and curriculum for adult learners and people with educational challenges. For more information, visit http://www.passGED.com . Michael can be contacted by email at: information@passGED.com or by telephone at 800-460-8150.
