Concepts of Teaching the Adult Learner

The classic image of teaching and learning is an elementary school-age student presenting as tabula rasa ready to learn all the materials selected by the teacher expert. This young mind is ready for the molding. However, adult learners are far from blank slates. Adults present with already-learned lessons through a myriad of lived experiences. These experiences also develop the lens through which future learning occurs. It is imperative for adult educators to consider the prior knowledge and experiences of each learner when attempting to educate. Additionally, adults differ from children in that it is a child’s primary job to attend school. Adults, on the contrary, have a wide scope of other responsibilities in addition to their own learning. Educators must be mindful of this aspect of educating adults as well. Multiple learning theories exist from which educators can choose when teaching adults. The selection of the theory and subsequent teaching modality is dependent on the needs of each adult learner, the prior experiences and knowledge of that learner, and the goals of the teaching session. In this section, we will discuss andragogy versus pedagogy, introduce adult learning theories, and provide strategies on how to link those theories to practice.