Twelve Universal Principles of Adults as Learners

When children learn, they are establishing basic knowledge matrixes on which they will build as they mature. Children may need more help than adults in developing and populating their knowledge matrixes. Adults learn by building on the knowledge structures they have already established, by enhancing these structure, expanding them, and modifying their knowledge to the suit the circumstances in which they will apply it. The following are 12 basic principles (and two additional ones) you should use in supporting adult learning, based partially on the often quoted “Laws of Learning” of corporate consultants Thiagi, Inc.

Relevance

Effective learning is relevant to the life and work of a learner. Activities that create links between a learning situation and the real world are useful for a learner in transforming knowledge to a form that he or she can use. After any learning activity, learners should be invited to examine their learning and discuss strategies for applying what they have learned in their real-world context.

Previous experience

New learning should always be linked to and build on the existing experiences of a learner. Participants in any learning experience bring a variety of knowledge and experience to the learning session. The learning session should be adjusted to ensure that it reaches the different levels and different relevant experiences of the learners.

Self-direction

Adults, as learners, are self-directed. This is the reason they have chosen the learning experiences they are currently undergoing. Not everyone should be forced to participate in every activity. Involving participants in setting their goals and selecting appropriate types of learning activities is an ideal design.

Expectations

New learners’ reactions to a learning session are shaped by their expectations as related to the content area, depth of the content, learning format, fellow participants, and teacher. Encouraging learners with challenging activities and shortcut techniques is always helpful. Recognizing the efforts of participants is important to and helpful to the learners.

Self-image

Learners have ideas and perceptions of what types of learners they are. These perceptions can either enhance or interfere with their learning. Reassure your participants about their ability to learn new concepts and skills, provide motivating and challenging tasks for them, and ensure frequent and early success by introducing tasks in a pattern to become progressively more complex. Do not patronize your learners with simple or trivial tasks. However, incorporate learning tasks at different levels of difficulty and complexity to suit all present. If the learners are working in groups, you may wish to have more advanced learners serve as teachers, leaders, or facilitators.