What is Adult Learning?

By Anonymous -



What is adult learning?

  • Adult learning is a situation where adults are learning, pursuing an education, and/or acquiring a skill.
  • 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.

Popular ways adults tend to learn. 

  • Find experiences to help facilitate learning. Adult learners benefit from finding ways to get hands-on learning. Finding projects and other experiential opportunities can help them get a better grasp of their learning and be more excited about how it will translate to real life.
  • Setting goals. Adult learners who have a specific career goal in mind will have a better experience as they pursue their degree program. Adult learners need these goals because their learning is more in their own hands than younger learners.
  • Explain why. Knowing why they want to pursue education will help adult learners feel confident about their learning process. Understanding why different courses will help them reach their goal can make sure they stay motivated.
  • Review information regularly. Because adult brains have less neuroplasticity, they have a harder time creating new neural pathways. So adult learners need to be ready to review their material more regularly in order to help create those pathways.

Designing Instruction for Adults. 

The adult learning theories of andragogy, experiential learning, self-directed learning, transformational learning, and project-based learning point to five principles for designing instructional activities for adult learners. 


  1. Authentic: Base curriculum and interactions on real-world, authentic situations that learners are familiar with, and/or will encounter in the classroom.
  2. Active: Help learners “do” something with new information, whether it is in the context of a simulation, or a real-world problem to solve.
  3. Reflective: Create opportunities for regular and periodic reflection throughout the learning experience — including self-reflection, group reflection, and peer reflection.
  4. Self-Paced: Design ways for learners to control the pace of their learning, such as the ability to pause, repeat, or control the order of material, or access learning material anytime, anywhere.
  5. Collaborative: Incorporate ways for learners to interact with alternative points of view, either via projects and activities or through collaborations with others who have diverse views and experiences.


General Guidelines for Instructional Activities (for adults)
  1. Leverage technology that keeps them learning. 
  2. Use visuals wisely. 
  3. Add appropriate audio.
  4. Use conversational presenters that the learner can see.
  5. Get the right (concrete) content.
  6. Aim for consistency.
  7. Provide supplementary materials



General Resources to assist with Adult Learning
This blog is a short introduction to Adult Learning Theory based on the Bedford County Public Schools Adult Learning Theory Site. Feel free to explore the site and provide any feedback so we may improve our services.


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