Authentic Audiences & Purposes
Overview
When adults can connect and communicate with authentic audiences about their interests and values, learning becomes more personally meaningful and relevant. Adults can develop their voices and arguments as they express their views on topics they are passionate about. Giving learners the space and agency to share their stories also conveys the importance of their contribution to the broader society and deepens their Motivation.
Use It In Your Learning Environment
Adult learners must see the benefit of their learning tasks to truly engage. Working with learners to identify topics, tasks, and purposes that are relevant and appealing to them can help generate ideas for their writing. Designing opportunities that allow learners a choice to explore their interests, connect material to their prior experiences, and write about personally relevant causes develops their Composition and Disciplinary Literacy.
Adult learners can also take advantage of informal learning opportunities in the workplace to complete authentic job-related tasks. Learners should practice different kinds of writing, including communicating effectively with their audience through descriptive and informative writing, sharing their sentiments in narrative forms, taking a position on an issue, or presenting a solution through persuasive and analytical writing. Apps and websites can serve as platforms for learners to connect with a wider, global audience through blogs and other formats, thereby supporting digital Social Awareness & Relationship Skills and interaction with others who are passionate about similar topics.
Additional Resources
Additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
Factors Supported by this Strategy
More Instructional Approaches Strategies
When designing instruction for adults, expectations and goals should be clearly outlined to help learners focus on the material and make plans for success.
Competency-based learning is self-paced, focused on mastery, and centered around demonstrating learning outcomes and skills rather than where or how they were attained.
In an increasingly digital world, adults who struggle with using technology can benefit from direct instruction for an array of digital tools.
Teaching learners how to effectively search the internet is critical for helping them learn how to find accurate and relevant information and aids in developing information literacy.
Direct instruction in math strategies may support some adult learners once conceptual understanding is in place.
Research shows that, along with traditional reading comprehension strategies, learners use unique strategies to read the non-linear, hyperlinked structure of online texts.
Adult learners who are struggling with Foundational Reading Skills, including decoding and phonemic awareness, can benefit from explicitly learning phonics skills in an educational setting.
Seeing and using new words repeatedly and across contexts is critical for vocabulary acquisition.
Formative assessment is "assessment for learning" rather than "assessment of learning".
Opportunities for students to practice skills in context, with instructor support and also independently, helps to move concepts and ideas into Long-term Memory.
Intentionally incorporating voice and choice into adult learning experiences is critical for making learning meaningful and relevant.
Metaphors and analogies can support learners by helping to form connections and to notice patterns and similarities that promote learning, self-concept, and higher order thinking.
Mindfulness is a practice to create internal balance and a sense of being present in the moment.
Instruction and training presented in multiple formats allows learners to activate different cognitive skills and Background Knowledge that are necessary to remember procedural and content information.
Using multiple methods of assessment can help educators gain a comprehensive understanding of learner progress across a wide range of skills and content.
When instructors ask questions or have learners create questions before introducing a text, they activate interest, increase Motivation, and help them assess what they already know about a given topic.
Process-based writing focuses on how learners brainstorm, outline, draft, and revise their writing and is most effective when paired with feedback, especially for English language learners.
When instructors are able to provide context, and connect math concepts to an adult learner's world, math can be seen as relevant and applicable to their daily lives and work- a core aspect of adult Numeracy.
Learning and studying information across multiple sessions that are spaced, or distributed in time, can promote learning and long-term retention of both basic and conceptually complex facts and concepts.
A strengths-based approach is one where educators intentionally identify, communicate, and harness learners' assets to empower them to flourish.
