Articles - Adult Learners - Andrew Schwartz

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Adult Learners
by Andrew E. Schwartz

Sure, adults are more independent than children, but that doesn’t mean you can leave them alone in the classroom.

Before Malcolm Knowles coined the word “andragogy” to describe the principles of helping adults learn, some popular wisdom on the matter had already accumulated. Learning gets “harder” as you get older; adults learn languages differently than children do. Whatever the truth in these matters, learning does present different risks and benefits to adults than to children. And it is certainly true that adults, increased understanding and greater store of acquired knowledge make them far more critical judges of the material being presented and of the instructor. To be effective, any training program or lesson plan must be designed with the needs of an adult audience in mind, and this requires thinking about the ways in which adults differ from children in their approach to new learning.

For the most part, children are open to new ideas and people, enthusiastic, and curious. However, they also have short attention spans and limited knowledge and life experiences. Adults tend to be more closed and cautious when facing new information, but they have longer attention spans and they may be very knowledgeable in the subject area being taught. Their wide variety of life experiences may be useful in solving problems or constructing useful idea structures. While adults may at times feel threatened by new things and ideas, and be reserved and controlled in class, they do not require constant supervision, they are capable of being less dependent and emotional than children are likely to be, and they are less likely to be passive recipients of information.

Adults expect recognition on a level close to equality with the instructor; they expect acknowledgment of their contributions to class and their knowledge in the field. In short, unlike children, adults want to be partners of the instructor instead of beneficiaries of his wisdom. But still, there are many very real reasons for adults to feel defensive and fearful in training programs.

They are often attending training because of orders which imply that they are not performing well.

They are vulnerable to personal and professional embarrassment from poor performance in the training program. Poor performance in the classroom may become the basis for personnel decisions by supervisors or the source of ridicule by peers. New ideas, practices, and policies tend to represent a threatening rejection of the “status quo” which the trainee may have a strong psychological commitment to and a large personal investment in maintaining.

Economic benefits or promotion may be associated with the training program, creating a feeling of pressure to succeed.

They way you handle these fears will largely determine the effectiveness and usefulness of your training program. To fail to recognize that adults have legitimate fears, or to treat them as children, is to guarantee failure. You must also take several other concerns into account. Adults often seek new learning experiences as a way to cope with specific life changes (marriage, promotion, new job, change of career). Because of the way work dominates our lives, 80% of any change is perceived as work-related even if it isn’t. Training programs need to include strategies to help ease any tension.

Adults also seek new knowledge because they have a specific use for the knowledge or skills; secondarily, it helps increase or maintain their self-esteem and provides pleasure. Therefore, training content need to be tangible and measurable, focusing heavily on application, with the underlying theory structured into the application.

Adults take errors personally, and are more likely than children to let them affect their self-esteem. Therefore, they tend to use tried and true solutions and to be unwilling to take risks. Trainers must design risks which feel safe and calculated.

Training that is in conflict with an adult’s basic values is unlikely to be effective. The trainer need to be very conscious of the values of the people in a training program and structure the material so that these basic values are not threatened. However, the concepts presented in the course needs to also be explained from another perspective to give trainees a broader understanding.

Because adults tend to be more critical than children and are used to having more control of their environments than children, it is particularly important to provide learning environments that are comfortable both physically and psychologically.

Each adult has unique expectation of the course. Trainers need to allow students to clarify and articulate these expectations before getting into the content.

New knowledge and information needs to be integrated with adults’ previous knowledge. This requires active learner participation, a supportive atmosphere, and freedom of expression. This quote by Edward Lindeman sums up the notion that adults must receive special treatment in the classroom if training programs are to be effective. “None but the humble become good teachers of adults. In an adult class the students’ experience counts as much as the teacher’s knowledge.”

Andrew E. Schwartz, CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates of Boston, MA a comprehensive management training and professional development organization offering over 40 skills specific programs and practical solutions to today's business challenges.

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