What are the basic principles of adult learning?

How adults learn

Knowing how adults learn is critical to the design of training programs. Incorporate the following learning principles into training program design or evaluation of existing programs.

The goal(s) of training should be clear to the participants. Adults are goal-oriented and need to know why they're learning something; they must believe it will have a personal benefit. This is the critical what's in it for me question.

New material should be related to known material. Adults have lifetime experiences that should be engaged and used as a basis for further training. Adults use their knowledge from years of experience to filter new information. Each training experience should itself be built upon previous ones. This structure facilitates absorbing the new material into an integrated whole.

Modeling is a very valuable technique. Adults like to see someone else do it before they try it; they are no longer comfortable with being beginners. Demonstrations, diagrams, videos and pictures are examples of ways in which modeling can be used in training.

Although there are certain core principles revealed in adult learning theory, employees learn at different rates and with different learning styles. For example, some individuals are visual learners; they learn by seeing and benefit from demonstration. Others are more auditory learners; they learn best through verbal instruction, either through others or themselves (e.g., using self-talk or internal dialogue to learn). Still others are primarily kinesthetic learners; they learn by doing and hand-on involvement. Although everyone uses all three approaches, at some level people are apt to rely more on one style than the other. Consequently, training programs should try to account for differences by variety in presentation formats.

Adults learn best from hands-on, problem-solving approaches to learning. They want an opportunity to experiment and practice with learning materials. Repetition increases learning; therefore, training courses should include practice of new skills. Break tasks into the smallest reasonable step without fragmenting meaning. Then teach each step sequentially.

Space training sessions. Humans do not have unlimited attention and retention spans. There are exceptions, but as a general rule, it is best to limit the length of each session and offer multiple sessions over time. For the majority of trainees, there are plateaus that occur in the learning process. Research shows that humans do not absorb knowledge in a steady and unbroken stream. We absorb new information for a period of time, then we stop learning for a period of time and then we begin learning again. Thus, building reflection time into the training process will allow adults to integrate new information into their work lives.

Adults will expect to apply new knowledge and skills immediately, which will aid retention. The more realistic the exercises, the more the concepts will be likely to be accepted, adopted and subsequently used in the workplace.

Adults expect that the training will be relevant to their jobs and their lives. They want training that is practical, with immediate application.

Rewards and reinforcement are important motivators to learning. It may be impossible to separate rewards from feedback (reinforcement). Nonetheless, adults need respect in order to learn effectively, and they enjoy sharing life experiences and will test what is trained against their own personal interpretations and those of other trainees. Good training takes advantage of these adult learning attributes to provide opportunities for group feedback and personal application as reinforcement.