Who is the Adult Learner?

Adult learners are usually concerned about the following:

Meaningful and financially lucrative work

Personal and family health

Keeping current in their jobs and/or increasing competence

Effective interpersonal skills

Doing something

Gaining something

Current family, personal and social responsibilities

Independence

Instructors can encounter these typical problems when working with adult learners:

Unlearning

Adjusting to class, training, etc.

Inability to focus

Poor study skills

Unrealistic goals

Time constraints/commitments

Poor self image

Therefore, when designing instruction for adults, consider:

Why the adult wants to learn?

Adults will need to learn experientially.

It may be best to approach the topic as problem-solving.

Repeatedly emphasize the relevance of the topic.

Involve the adult in the planning, learning, and evaluation.

Adults will need to process and reflect.

Other characteristics of adult learners.