Remember Anything

Adult Learning Theory is a fascinating topic. How do adults learn? Why do adults learn? How do you facilitate adult learning? What makes learning valuable to the adult? There have been many, many studies and in the end, seven key factors to adult learning emerge.

In general, adults will learn when the knowledge obtained is considered realistic and important. Adults need real-world and applicable, relevant information in order to commit to learning. Adults are problem solvers and they learn best when information can be put to immediate use. It is important for adults to be the origin of their learning. Adults will resist any teaching which they believe to be an attack on their own intellect and competence. It is important that in a professional development situation the adult students have some control over the what, how, and why of their education.

Taking the previous two principles into consideration, it is no surprise that adults need to understand that professional development education is directly related to their day-to-day activities. Trying to engage a person who works as a mechanic in a discussion on the hiring and firing practices of the company would be a waste of time. An adult learner needs direct experiences to apply in his real work. For that reason, adults should participate in small group exercises. These exercises allow the adult students to share and generalize their learning experiences, which in turn will encourage the students to apply the new knowledge in a real-world, concrete way.

An important point for the educator to remember is that in adult learning, the student’s ego is involved. For this reason, the professional development environment must be structured to provide support and reduce the fear of judgment in regards to errors and speed of learning. It has been found that motivational factors such as monetary incentives, recognition, and the hope of advancement will all encourage adult learners.

Along with the adult learner’s ego, educators need to remember to provide feedback for adult students. Opportunities for feedback must be a strong component of any professional development activities, including small group exercises. It is important to note that the feedback does not have to be one hundred percent positive but it absolutely must be helpful, concrete, specific, and directly applicable to the situation.

One of the challenges for adult educators is realizing that their adult students come to the learning process with a wide variety of previous experiences, competencies, interests, and knowledge. The diversity of adult learners must be accommodated in any adult learning situation. In short, the transfer of learning for adults is not automatic and must be carefully facilitated if the learning process is to be successful. Coaching and follow-up support are critical to helping adult learners transfer information and knowledge into daily practice so that learning is sustained.

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