Learning is essential to our existence. And just like food nourishes our bodies, continuous learning nourishes our minds. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever”.

And despite the studies citing that after the age of twelve we lose some of the capacity to absorb new information, all of us have neuroplasticity. This is the brain’s ability to rewire itself in response to new challenges. This fact alone is motivation enough for you to work in the area of adult education, and a great first step is to undertake our Facilitate Adult Learning & Development course!

Whether it’s in literacy, language or numeracy, this course will teach you how to guide, advise, support and respond to the needs of those keen to step into the wonderful world of adult learning courses. Need more inspiration to get started? Let’s look at some theories around adult learning, the types of adult learners, and what makes adult learners different from younger generations.

Adult Learning Theories

There is an abundance of theories surrounding adult learning, and many are based on “andragogy”. Andragogy is the “art and science of helping adults learn”. The first recorded use of the word was in the 1830s, however, the disciplined pursuit began in the 1960s.

Within formal education including adult learning courses, the word is most often used in reference to self-directed learning. This takes into account an individual’s desire to know:

• The reasons for learning something.
• Broad experiences and knowledge bases.
• Need for high levels of autonomy in their learning.
• Inclination toward immediately relevant and useful subjects.
• Preference for informal, problem-centred over formal, content-focused engagements.
• Tendencies to be more internally than externally motivated.

Alexander Kapp and Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy developed theories around adult education that were later popularised by Malcolm Knowles, a theorist in adult education.

For Knowles, adult learning was premised on these principal metaphors:

• Knowledge is … what one has learned.
• Knowing is … using what one has learned.
• A learner is … an adult (individual).
• Learning is … experiencing and integrating.
• Teaching is … facilitating.

How Adults Learn

As a result of undertaking our Facilitate Adult Learning & Development course to encourage individuals to undertake adult learning courses, you may be interested in some of the fundamental theories around how people learn. Three major theories are:

#1 – Behaviourism

Behaviourism stems from the work of B.F. Skinner and assumes the learner begins as a “clean slate”, passively receives information, and adopts behaviours through negative or positive reinforcement. Learners focus on and remember key points, and learning is a response to particular stimuli. Instruction is repetitive and reinforced. The focus of this theory is that all behaviours are acquired through conditioning.

#2 – Cognitivism

Cognitivism rejects the idea that all behaviour is merely a response to external stimuli. Instead, learners actively process information by linking old and new information together in a cumulative and meaningful way. The theory assumes that learning occurs as a result of mental or cognitive processes. Mental processes include thinking, knowing, remembering, observing, problem-solving, categorising and making generalisations. This theory focuses on the human mind and how people think and understand.

#3 – Constructivism

With constructivism, learning is a process of building one’s own subjective reality, and learning is an active, constructive process. Knowledge is developed through the process of contextualisation, and learners bring their own experiences, interpretation and cultural factors to a learning experience.

Types of Adult Learners

Those who undertake adult learning courses can be typically described in five groups:

#1 – Lifelong learners. Adults who have had positive experiences of learning and want to continually expand their knowledge, skills and interests.

#2 – Reluctant learners. Adults who have had negative learning experiences and need a lot of encouragement to give learning another go if it is in a formal environment.

#3 – Breaking barriers learners. Adults who want to learn more but have barriers to participating in adult learning such as isolation, financial concerns or lack of family support.

#4 – Community builders. Adults who want to learn with others in order to participate in their community and expand the quality of their relationships.

#5 – Foundation learners. Adults who missed out on the schooling they need and want to be able to read, speak, write and listen more effectively and improve their basic maths skills. It also includes adults whose first language is not English who want to improve their English reading, writing, listening and speaking.

What Makes Adult Learners Different?

For Knowles, adult learning was premised on the following characteristics:

The need to know

Adults want to know why they need to learn something and understand its value. They may ask, “Why is this important?” or “Why do I need to know this?” They also want their learning experiences to:

• be relevant
• meet their needs
• help them achieve their goals.

Learner’s self-concept

Adult learners want to be seen as capable learners and should be offered choices and be encouraged to set their own learning goals. Adult learners:

• are independent
• are self-motivated and self-directed
• can make their own decisions
• like to find their own way
• want to manage their own learning.

The role of the learner’s experience

Adult learners bring the diversity and richness of their lives with them. Hence, they should be given the opportunity to use their existing experience and knowledge, which they can apply to new learning experiences. They typically:

• may have ingrained ideas about things
• have diverse experiences and knowledge
• apply their life experience and knowledge to new learning
• use their reflecting, problem-solving and reasoning skills.

Readiness to learn

Adults are ready to learn when they identify something they want to know, become proficient at, or experience something that connects with their life situation. They typically:

• are goal focused
• want timely learning
• seek meaningful learning experiences
• need clear learning goals.

Orientation to learning

Adult learners want to be engaged in problem-centred or life-centred learning experiences. They typically:

• are practical – their learning should apply to their job, lives, etc.
• want to be involved in planning their learning
• focus on the aspects that are most useful to them.

Motivation

Adults are responsive to external motivators such as an increased salary or a better job, however, the best motivators are internal. For example,

• increased job satisfaction
• heightened self-esteem
• better quality of life
• personal growth and development.