“There’s a massive shortage of teachers all over the world.”
I keep hearing about this from fellow educators, mentors, business people, and… well, LinkedIn, frankly! What does this really mean? it means that Teachers are in demand, but I also hear that some teachers can’t get a contract locally (POV from Montreal, Canada). I had to ask myself why? Is it a failure of the unions, the minster of education, the teacher training system, what? The deeper I dig, the more complex the answer becomes. It isn’t a single thing. What is clear is that there are tons of teaching opportunities outside the local school boards image os a classroom teacher; the least is the need for substitute teachers. The majority I know actually work full time as subs and make a decent salary doing it! They can work when they want and don’t have all the paperwork associated with having their own class. It’s just a choice and as a teacher starting out, it is a great way to get your reputation built.
Back to my post question… there are all sorts of teachers in the world, from specialized on single subject to corporate trainers. So why am I adding skills to my CV? Because I want my foot in the door and be as versatile as possible. In my opinion, knowing how to teach is is in great part knowing how to listen to your students… to the people you are charged to help, guide, and inspire. The second reason for taking a course aimed at Teaching adults is to further develop my ability to recognize and help different learning styles. Academically speaking, adult learners are seen as very different from young learners, but the distinction is mainly in the higher expectations and baggage a longer life of experience brings into the classroom. Adults have some unlearning to do, before new learning occurs.
See Adult Learners @ https://eleducation.org/resources/adult-learners-characteristics-qualities-and-needs
Another important concepts about adult learners is that they tend to want to feel like collaborators in the learning: co-learners. (Malcolm Knowles – Theory of Andragogy)
Not to further any rants about Millennial’s, but the the growing understanding of perceived privilege and entitlement in young people is very similar to the expectations of adult learners. Learning how to use more tools to teach adults is transferable to younger learners. As many of my mentors always say, make it age appropriate… this usually only means taking more time to explain the vocabulary and concepts with them.
I want to be able and available to teach anywhere on the planet and the more learning styles I understand, the better my chances are to do what I want and love doing… teaching.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/instructional-design-adult-learners
The New Renaissance Mindset 