As an adult learner with multiply responsibilities, I do anticipate different challenges that will make it difficult for me to stay on track. Some of these challenges including, dealing with both work and family responsibilities and also dealing with other personal issues that may come. These are challenges I can deal with because of the support I have. However, other challenges such as procrastinating, time management, getting tired or overwhelm are other challenges that I have to deal with. These are even harder challenges to handle than challenges such as work and family responsibilities.
The tools that are in place to deal with these challenges come in many different forms. For example, in handling family responsibilities, I have a very
Identify and sort out and summarize the problem(s). Decide which is the most important problem.
...the situation. The tool can determine the adaptability and functionality of handling their present difficult situation.
This includes organizational skills of when to study, when to spend time with family on top of how deal with my own sickness and disability, along with my children’s. My challenges have, also, grown. They include fears of starting new things, fears of whether I can accomplish an A (perfection), and fears of really finishing anything to completion. There is a lot of things I have given up on in my past. However, I forgot the accomplishments I have had. I forgot my Faith that burns so strong. And, I almost forgot, Christ is my ultimate Prize, goal and future even if nothing else materializes. I know I am an achiever and I can do more than what I have been settling for in the
The obstacles which we must face are not there to hinder our daily life. They are there to provide countless opportunities to obtain greater success. In order to be successful we must look at every obstacle as a new opportunity.
...the work, personal, and social life context, can promote or impede their learning” (247). This statement is true because if these activities continue to impede the learning of a student then he or she will get stressed out, which could result in the student dropping all his or her college classes. If the student could just sit back and analyze the situation, life would be easier. For example, the student could reduce the number of classes he or she takes every semester. Reducing the amount of classes could result in more time spending with family rather than doing homework. When thinking of a person whose life is filled with frustrating duties and activities remember a nontraditional college students’ schedule of completing activities of school, working long hours, completing personal activities, and trying to spend free time with family and friends all in one day.
For example, there are many times I will say I have no time for school work or other important things I have to get done. Ways I found to get around this were, learning to say no to others when asked to do something for them or to go out, not getting sidetracked by my phone and other things online and lastly, putting school work and other important things at the top of my to do list. Another obstacle in my life has been me always over thinking about the past and not focusing on what is coming in the future. To overcome that obstacle I started to realize that what’s happened in the past cannot be changed but everything that will happen is yet to happen and I can be the decider of what will
I will need to overcome some obstacles in order to accomplish my goals. Family obligations will challenge my time management and multitasking skills. Procrastination is one of the biggest obstacles I face. I will need to develop more patience as I feel demands of the family encroaching on my professional goals. I tend to be shortsighted and allow myself to feel overwhelmed rather than being able to keep everything in perspective.
It may seem impossible to juggle many things in life at one time; such as trying to get all the assignments completed, and studying done in a short amount of time to make it to work on time. If that was not stressful enough there is also the pressure of making sure to spend time with family. It can be extra stressful when someone has a very big and close family, and a variety of events are to be attended, making sure assignment are completed in order to join the family. Sometimes it may seem that there is simply not enough time in a day to balance school, work, and family which requires a lot of effort, this can seem like a very daunting task because no one ever wants to fail, it is difficult trying to please everyone, and there seems to
According to McArthur, Konold, Glutting and Alamprese (2010), many adults in the United States have difficulties with basic literacy. A solution to this situation has been the founding of adult basic education (ABE) programs by the U.S Department of Education which helps and serves more than 2 million adults annually (U.S Department of Education, Division of Adult Education and Literacy, 2002, 2006). Mellard and Patterson (2008) found that ABE students differ in skill from zero or minimal reading skills to reading simple stories, books and descriptions on familiar subjects so new vocabulary can be determined by context. According to Mellard and Pattersen (2008) ABE literacy program is divided in to four levels which range from “beginners” to “high intermediate”. Scaffolding theory provides a promising method of providing support to students with learning challenges, e.g. dyslexia and short term memory deficit. As stated by Larkin (2001) the main purpose of scaffolding is to support students and slowly reduce help until they are able to apply the new skills and strategies independently. Students receive support to complete particular task and eventually demonstrate task mastery.
The toughest challenge that I ever faced is to stop being a perfectionist all the time. I have high standards for myself and I don’t expect any less than that. I must admit I am my hardest critic. Whenever I start anything I always tend to put everything I have in it. There are times where I even sacrificed sleep just to make sure everything was perfect. I overcame this challenge by allowing myself to relax and realizing that there are times when I can put myself first. I have used this experience to my advantage by setting limits. I don’t necessarily settle when it comes to my work, in fact I am never truly satisfied in it. However I am able to stop going overboard and causing unnecessary stress on
According to Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner, (2007), andragogy is a European concept meaning “the art and science of helping adults learn”. (p. 84) It is based on six of different assumptions about the adult learner (Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007, p. 84). Andragogy is important for not only the adult learner, but the adult educator as well. It is important to adult educators because it helps them with setting a proper climate for their students, helps get the students more involved in their own specific needs from particular classes, and it gives the student and teacher mutual respect (Wood, unknown). By having mutual respect in a teacher/student relationship, it helps students the support they need to be a productive student. When working with adult learners, having mutual respect between teacher and learner and having the proper climate can contribute to more interaction when giving a presentation on subjects that may not be very interesting.
Managing time as an adult learner is by far harder than it sounds. Today’s life including work, house chores, cooking, family time and college is a stressful situation. As numerous findings, researches, there are a grand variety of tips and strategies that can help us as an adult. As we evaluate, prioritize, separate time for the mentioned above we will be able to sharpen study skills and achieve ultimate goals. Can we manage time as an adult learner with so much responsibilities?
I have found one of my biggest obstacles with staying on track has been the fact that I have been out of school for the past twenty years and out of the routine of learning in a school setting. At first I was a little intimidated by my fellow classmates due to our age difference. Once I started my classes I realized I wasn’t the only one who decided to go back to school. It was nice knowing
Next, you have to decide whether to face the problem at hand, or ignore it. Let’s say, in that the first scenario you face your problems, just as Barrett Mandel faced his problem—the inability of university students to write proficient papers. You get an after-school job; study just as hard, if not harder, than you have been; and make plans for the birth.
Staying focused: This is probably one of the hardest. I have a lot of things going on in my life. Two jobs, college, taking care of a family, which is all important but I always can’t get overwhelmed and forget what I’m trying to accomplish.