Adjustment Problems Experienced by Adult Learners - Essay Example

The adults were experiencing adjustment problems in the classroom due to their psychological fears. They were also having problems completing the paperwork due to a lack of knowledge and updates on new procedures.

The meeting
The meeting was attended by twelve members belonging to different departments in the school. Six of the members were teachers and the remaining members were from different administrative departments. The goal of the meeting was mentioned in the invitation letter which was sent to the members two days earlier. The letter said that the goal of the meeting was to find creative and effective solutions for the problems experienced by adult learners in adjusting to the classroom and in doing the administrative work related to their admission and paperwork. Hence, the members were already aware of the intention of the meeting and were mentally prepared for the topic. The members had occupied their chairs around the rectangular table in the room. However, from the body language of the members in the meeting, it was evident that Mr. Miller, who had occupied a chair near the projector screen, was the leader of the group.

The Leader
It was Mr. Miller who started the meeting by greeting the members. He welcomed everyone and thanked the members for attending the meeting. Everyone was attentive to him when he was talking. He had an aura of authority in his presence. He asked the members if they have received the letter mentioning the goals of the meeting. He found that two of the teachers and one member from the administrative department did not receive the letter. This annoyed Mr. Miller slightly and he noted down something in his notebook. Then, he turned to the member named Sandra and asked her to check why the letter did not reach everyone and assured the group that this will not happen again. Later, he declared the agenda of the meeting.

Agenda
The agenda of the meeting was to find creative and interesting ways to create a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for the adults ‘going back to school.’ Mr. Miller asked everyone if they agreed with the need to change the school environment to make adults ‘going back to school’ comfortable in the classrooms. Everyone agreed by confirming verbally and also by nodding their heads. Then Mr. Miller asked the members if they had any ideas. Three of the group members raised their hands. Mr. Miller asked them to express their opinions and share their ideas. One by one, three of the members shared their ideas with the group. Sandra was taking down the notes when they were discussing. Others seemed to agree very strongly as they were very happy with the suggestions and also added their opinions to make the ideas better. By the end of the discussion, the group had come up with 6-7 ideas to make the classroom environment adult-learner-friendly.

All the members played an active role in the meeting. The members of the administrative department of the school came up with the idea to make the paperwork easy for adult learners by allocating separate administrative counters for them. It was also decided that as adult learners usually find it difficult to work on computers, they will be given all the technical assistance needed in completing the administrative procedures. The teachers suggested that extracurricular activities like picnics, games, family days, etc. will help in building a bond between the young students and the adult learners. One of the teachers also suggested the idea of pairing, where young students will be paired with adult learners to help them in every possible way to get comfortable with the demands and the patterns of the class. Young students, who are motivated by responsibility, will be given the task of helping the adult learners. In this way, different creative solutions were suggested. By the end of the meeting, it was evident that the goals and the agenda of the meeting were achieved very successfully.

Unspoken Rules
Some unspoken rules were being followed in the meeting. They were:
1. Member who wanted to speak was raising his hand for permission to speak.
2. Sandra was taking down the notes and jotting down what everyone was saying.
3. Mr. Miller was given importance by everyone in the room.
4. There was no whispering or discussion between the members.

Suggestions
1. Every group member should be notified about the topic of the meeting without fail.
2. Presence of representatives from adult learners and young students was necessary as their opinions would have helped in the effective and quick implementation of the solutions. Read More