Who they are, what they want and how we can best serve them.

The Non-Traditional Student Defined Non-traditional students may be termed as either Adult Learners New-Traditional Students

Who is the non-traditional student? Is responsible for care of another Is employed more than 20 hours a week Is over the age of 25 Is independent of parents Has a delay between high school and college attendance

How many college students are non-traditional? Today, 73 percent of all undergraduate students are non-traditional (CAEL, 2005). More than 45 percent alone are over the age of 25

What are they doing in college? Fewer than 25 percent of non-traditional students are liberal arts majors. Today, more than 85 percent of non- traditional students select a program to Enter or re-enter Advance or Change their job or careers.

What do they want? Based on Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs Theory” (1970), non-traditional students want their foundational basic needs met. These basic needs are: 1. Good and convenient location 2. Basic safety provided for 3. Financial aid 4. Childcare

What more do they want? Non-traditional students need: 1. Flexible and 24/7 services 2.Various scheduling and instructional options 3. A broader range of easily accessible services, including tutoring 4.They need to see clear connections between what they learn and how it applies to their specific career goals.

Pedagogy vs. Andragogy The art and science of teaching children Teacher – centered learning The theory of adult learning Student-centered learning

Malcolm Knowles’ s five assumptions about adult learners The concept of the learner The role of the learners’ experience Readiness to learn Orientation to learning Motivation to learn

The concept of the learner Engaged in responsible decision making Self-directed in determining Goals Outcomes of their learning

The role of the learners’ experience Non-traditional students bring all their experience to the learning experience They see learning through direct experience as valuable.

Readiness to learn Unlike high school graduates, adults have specific educational goals that will meet a specific need. They need to know or do something to perform more effectively.

Orientation to learning “Adults bring a task- or problem- centered orientation to learning.” “This is in contrast to the traditional subject-centered approach to education”(Ross-Gordon, 2003).

Motivation to learn Adults respond to two types of motivation. Internal (the most important) External Job promotion Increased salary New career possibilities

How can we help these students? Provide a suitable physical and psychological space that accommodates their specific needs The following elements are essential: Mutual respect Collaboration Supportiveness Openness Light-heartedness

Self-directed learning theory Although according to theorist Allen Tough, adults are self-directed and exercise autonomy in meeting their educational needs, many need support and guidance. That’s where tutoring can help. Many adult learners lack confidence assume they are lacking in skills and Less knowledgeable than younger students.

Another theory: transformative learning Jack Mezirow defines transformative learning as “the process by which we transform our taken-for-granted frames of reference to make them more inclusive, discriminating, open, emotionally capable of change, and reflective so that they may generate beliefs and opinions that will prove more true or justified to guide action” (Mezirow, 2000, pp. 7-8).

Transformative vs. Informative Transformative learning is how we know Triggered by a “disorienting dilemma” Informative learning is what we know Traditional frames of reference

Tutee transformative learning Once a student realizes that tutors do not have all the answers or are the only fonts of knowledge, a transformation has taken place. The student realizes they can construct knowledge.

How the adult student learns Adults are more reflective and, therefore, have developed more complex views of self and the world. Personal development plays a large role in the learning process. Examples abound in tutoring writing.

The best of adult tutoring They rarely wait until the last minute. They exhibit more critical thinking skills. They see the “connections” among different subjects. They are willing to spend the time required. They often assist with class/tutoring management issues. They want to and know how to apply what they learn.