How To Teach Adults?

You teach adults. You enjoy what you do and you do it well. But, can you explain why what you do works? Do you know where to turn when things aren’t going so well?

Whether you have been teaching adults for 2 months or 20 years, there is always more you can learn to be an effective educator or trainer. For many of us, what we know about teaching adults has been gained “on the job” and we have little formal background on best practices.

Let’s explore few ideas that can help you improve in teaching adults.

1. Andragogy: We don’t treat adults the same as children, so why would we teach them the same? There is a term for this different approach to teaching adults: andragogy. Andragogy acknowledges that adult learning is situation-motivated and experience-centered. First, Adults need to know the reason for learning something. Adults have a more secure self-concept and can direct their own learning. Adults have a great deal of experience to draw from when they learn. Adults see the value of learning. Adults want immediacy of application for what they learn. While many children are driven to learn by external motivators (grades, punishment) adults are more internally motivated. When you create clarity in these areas, learning happens naturally.

2. Self-Directed: As seen with andragogy, adults like to make decisions about their own learning. They may not always be able to choose the topic or how they will learn it. But, they have the maturity to determine how they might approach their learning, and this in turn can result in more meaningful outcomes. These are the hallmarks of self-directed learning. As a Leader, Trainer or Coach, you can facilitate and enable them to find the direction and also how to travel in the right direction.

3. Experiential Learning: The assumptions of andragogy also acknowledge that adults like their learning to be experience-centered, problem-focused, and immediately applicable. A great approach to accomplish this is through using experiential learning techniques. Through experiential learning, adults directly participate in an activity related to a topic or subject. Simulations, case studies, hands-on activities, and games are all examples of experiential learning. No matter the technique, the key to successful experiential learning is to ensure the learners participate in an experience, analyze the experience to understand what they learned and apply what they learned with the support and tools they need.

4. Platform: Create a right atmosphere for the learning Process. As a coach or immediate superior you can always challenge them to find solutions or alternative ways. Guide them and also engage them in the course of the learning process. This would motivate them to move forward. If people learn, then the thinking boundary naturally expands and more innovative ideas will come to the table.

An easy way to remember this is that all experiential learning activities need to include a plan for what, so what, and now what. Establish a clear action plan at the end of the Learning Process. What is that they can do after the learning?

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