Adult Learning: Quick Tip #4
February 10, 2007 – 5:25 am
This is the fourth segment in a series of Quick Tips covering a wide range of adult learning principles. So if you are an inexperienced instructor, you may want to read these tips carefully and think about how you can incorporate them into your curriculum. If you are an experienced instructor, you may find yourself thinking “Oh, I forgot about that.” Of course, if you are a really experienced instructor . . . well, they are short tips so it will only take a minute or so to read them. Well let’s get started.
There is an old adage amoung instructors that sums up the physical limitations of adult learners, “The mind will only absorb what the butt can endure.” This is a cute way of saying that the learning environment for adult learners must be both physically and psychologically comfortable. Remember, you are training the products of the television generation. Long lectures and periods of interminable sitting without a “commercial break” simply doesn’t cut it. In addition, adults also enjoy the opportunity to practice new skills.
From a psychological perspective, adults have something real to lose in a classroom situation. Their self-esteem and ego are on the line when they are asked to risk trying a new behavior in front of their peers. Adults may also be bringing in baggage to the classroom from their previous educational experiences and a variety of issues may impact the in-class experience of adult learners. For instance, they may have struggled in a traditional education environment or they may carry animosity about authority. Something as simple as a preoccupation with life events outside the classroom can interfere with the learning experience.
Instructors should also keep in mind that adults have expectations when they attend training and it is critical to take time early on to clarify and articulate all expectations before getting into content. The instructor can assume responsibility only for his or her own expectations, not for those of students.
Of course, adults bring a great deal of life experience into the classroom. Adult students can be an invaluable asset if they are acknowledged, tapped and used. There is much knowledge to be gained through a dialogue with their respected peers. Instructors can help facilitate this exchange of idea by concentrating on the use of open-ended questions to draw out relevant student knowledge and experience.
Check Out Adult Learning: Quick Tip #1
Check Out Adult Learning: Quick Tip #2
Check Out Adult Learning: Quick Tip #3
Check Out Adult Learning: Quick Tip #5