10 Simple Principles of Adult Learning

Adult learning, or the act of pursuing one’s own education as an adult, can be done in a formal setting such as higher education, a trade school, or an apprenticeship. It can also refer to an adult simply wanting to learn about a new skill or topic independently. For most adults, pursuing education stems from a desire for self-improvement, a professional need for specific skills, or a want to expand available job possibilities.

When imagining the role of an educator, it’s easy to overlook adult education when you think about schools and learning. But adult education happens every day, and understanding the theory, challenges, and principles that go into adult learning is important.

In the 1980s, educator Malcolm Knowles popularized the concept of andragogy, the practice of teaching adults, and contrasted it with pedagogy, the practice of teaching children. The andragogy theory states that adult learners are vastly different from children in terms of their motivation, the relevancy of the education to their lives, and how they apply that education. In practice, adult learning focuses on giving adults an understanding of why they are doing something, lots of hands-on experiences, and less instruction so they can tackle things themselves. Many adult learning theories developed out of Knowles’ work in the following decades, all with the specific goal to enhance teaching methods and experiences for adult learners.

For educators and educational institutions, being informed about the many challenges and theories behind effectively educating adults will only strengthen student outcomes and success. Children and adults are very different when it comes to how they learn, so different techniques must be used in order to make learning useful for adults.

And for adult learners getting ready to pursue higher education, knowing your learning style, understanding the strengths and weaknesses adult learners may have, and preparing for your individual strengths will also help you be successful. 

Learning new skills or studying new subjects as an adult can be challenging for many reasons, most notably:

• Lack of time: Adults often have full-time jobs and sometimes children or other dependents relying on them. This can make finding the time to continue learning very difficult.
• Self-doubt: It’s common for adult learners to feel that they are too old to continue their education. They may feel it is too late and that they have missed their chance, but whether someone has five years or 50 years left in the workforce, they deserve to follow a passion and pursue a career that they’re excited about.
  
• Neuroplasticity: The human brain has an element of plasticity that helps one learn and grow. Younger people have brains that are more plastic, so changes are easier for them. As one ages, the brain becomes less plastic. That can result in a struggle for adult learners who are trying to take on new concepts, forge new pathways, and more. These learners may have a harder time understanding new things simply because their brains are less plastic. While this is a difficulty, it isn’t something that is insurmountable.
  
• Financial Barriers: Younger learners may have parental help when it comes to higher education. That’s usually not the case for adult learners. Finances can get in the way of learners pursuing their dream of earning a degree.
  
• Contradiction: Some of the things adult learners will learn in their education may be different than what they thought they knew or learned before. This can mean a shift in a person’s worldview, opinions, and knowledge, which requires mental flexibility.
  
• Lack of Support: It can be overwhelming to try and tackle earning a degree without a strong support system. Adult students may find they don’t have the emotional or social support they need in place to be able to tackle the difficulty of classes and learning.

There are 10 simple principles of adult learning for future educators to keep in mind. All of these aspects are important when building curriculum and expectations for adult learners:

1. Adults Are Self-Directing: For many adults, self-directed learning happens naturally without anyone explaining it or suggesting it. Adult learners are more prone to plan, carry out, and evaluate their learning experiences without the help of others. When instructing adults, it’s important for learners to set goals, determine their educational or training needs, and implement a plan to enhance their own learning.

2. Adults Learn by Doing : Many adults prefer not only to read or hear about subjects but to actively participate in projects and to take actions related to their learning. Project-based curriculum utilizes real-world scenarios and creates projects for students that they could encounter in a job in the future. Many adult learners find that this kind of learning is hugely beneficial for them as they apply what they have been taught to their careers, giving them direct access to seeing what they can do with their knowledge. 

3. Adults Desire Relevance: While some enjoy learning as an end in itself, adult learners are more likely to engage in learning that has direct relevance to their lives. For example, if they’re taking a certification course to improve their chances of promotion on the job, then the course should immediately address their needs. 

4. Adults Utilize Experience: Adults are shaped by their experiences, and the best learning comes from making sense of those experiences. Adult learners can greatly benefit from finding ways to get hands-on learning. Internships, job shadowing opportunities, projects, and other experiential opportunities can help them get a firmer grasp of their learning and be more excited about how what they learn can be applied to their interests and careers.

5. Adults Process with Their Senses: Most adult learners don’t thrive as well in a lecture-style environment. Due to the lack of brain plasticity in older learners, it’s important to fully engage the senses when learning to successfully solidify new knowledge. Learning practices need to incorporate audio, visual, reading/writing, kinesthetic, independent, and group techniques. 

6. Adults Appreciate Repetition: Repetition is essential for adult learning. If learners can practice new skills in a supportive environment, self-efficacy will develop to take those skills outside of the classroom. And the more they can practice a particular subject or skill, the better the chances are for mastery.

7. Adults Guide Their Own Development: Utilizing dilemmas and situations to challenge an adult learner’s assumptions and principles helps them guide their own development. Adults can use critical thinking and questioning to evaluate their underlying beliefs and assumptions and learn from what they realize about themselves in the process. 

8. Adults Thrive with Goal Setting: Learners who have a specific career or personal goal in mind will have a better experience as they pursue their degree programs. For example, if a student wants to learn Spanish before a trip to Mexico, they might have a specific goal to be conversational by a certain date. Adult learners need these goals because their learning is more in their own hands than younger learners.

9. Adults Learn Differently Than Children: Children and adults are very different when it comes to how they learn, so different techniques must be used in order to make learning effective for adults. In addition to reading and memorizing, adult learners utilize their past life experiences and their current understanding of a subject as they learn. Also, adult learning needs to be problem-centered, making the impact more focused on current events or real life.

10. Adults Require Ownership: With a more nuanced and advanced hierarchy of needs, adult learners place more value on intrinsic motivation and personal ownership of their learning. It's important to give adults internal motivation by recognizing their success and promoting increased self-esteem and confidence.

Do you want to impact the next generation of learners? Then check out WGU’s online teaching degree programs. Whether you’re looking to begin a career in education or to further your expertise, WGU’s teaching degrees provide the knowledge to step confidently into the classroom in any of the 50 states. 

Have you considered going back to school to gain the skills needed for a new career? Are you finally at a place to focus on your education? There are many great reasons to become an adult learner. With low, flat-rate tuition and a competency-based education model, WGU offers the support and flexibility needed to earn a degree at your own pace and comfort level.