Learner Persistence

Teddy Edouard,

Why do learners leave?

  • Work
  • Family
  • Not meeting needs
  • Overwhelmed
  • Too challenging/not challenging enough
  • Teacher (personality, style)
  • Teacher doesn’t relate to learners
  • Transportation
  • Lack of child care
  • No clear guidelines, expectations for class
  • Culture differences (eg, managing time)
  • Illness
  • “If I miss, can I come back?”
  • Life issues

What can we do to make them stay?

  • Time
  • Set clear expectations
  • Set clear policies (do’s, don’ts)
  • Work
  • Make topics relevant to learners
  • Find out their goals (attainable steps)
  • Conduct learners needs assessment (identify attainable goals and/or in class)
  • Life struggles
  • Talk to learners, build rapport
  • Connect with them
  • Possible home visits
  • Informal assessments
  • Care with test results – may need extra assessment
  • Motivation
  • Raise learner expectations
  • Project-based learning (to align learning goals with learners’)
  • Teach using all modalities
  • Create a safe, accepting learning environment, encourage learners through interactive tasks
  • Allow learners to select class topics
  • Teacher should be aware of the culture shock
  • Interject humor 
  • Learners should exchange life stories

How do we help struggling learners?!

  • Pair with higher level learners
  • Use tutors in class, possible pull-out
  • Get rest of class involved in an activity and teacher works with learner individually
  • Be sure to “scaffold” – build concepts slowly, simplify, demonstrate
  • Make program important both to teacher and learner – they will value it more:
  • Let learners know there is a wait list
  • Make sure learners’ needs are met
  • Learner success stories
  • Teacher knows more about learners’ cultures
  • Comparison of learners’ stories
  • Teachers can use themselves as a model
  • Let learners know there is a cost associated with the instruction (even if they’re not paying)
  • Back to do’s/don’ts – make policies clear
  • Make post-test a learner objective

What we took away today:

  • The realization what “free” means
  • If the program is not important, they will not stay
  • The job-related aspects of learner attrition/persistence
  • Cultural differences that affect persistence
  • Having clear policies
  • Fostering a secure community in the classroom