GUIDELINES FOR OVERCOMING CHALLENGES IN THE PROFESSIONAL DAILY LIVES OF NOVICE TEACHERS OF ADULTS

Abstract

The daily challenges and complexities of teaching can and do create anxiety and insecurity in novice teachers, especially those of older learners. The knowledge, skills and competences formed during the years of study are a good basis for fulfilling their professional duties and responsibilities, but a significant number lack a clear idea of how to practically apply this knowledge in a „real" classroom; how to develop as successful professionals, maintaining their motivation to be such, especially during the first years of their teaching routine. They feel insecure about how well they are prepared to plan and organize learning, to teach adult learners. There is a clear need to explore the views of students studying Andragogy on the difficulties associated with teaching adults as well as their advice to aspiring adult educators.
The article presents the results of the analysis of the formulated advice to the novice teachers of adults of the students of the „Pedagogy" and „Informal education" majors of Sofia University „St. Kliment Ohridski” - part of the tasks in the subject of „Andragogy” aim to generalize the problem areas in the preparation and professional realization of the newly admitted teachers, those being lack of knowledge and skills for diagnosis and analysis of the learning needs of adults, the need for the skills to adapt the learning content and the methods used and to take them into account with the individuality of the adult, the characteristics of the group, different experiences, learning style, in some cases level of literacy; skills for establishing trusting relationships and the general relationships with the adult learner, etc.