Teaching Adult Students

Many adult students are a little apprehensive when they first begin an educational program. There are several reasons for this: they may be experiencing self-doubt because they've been away from the classroom for so long; or they may be feeling vulnerable, as many will be in the process of bouncing back from a life-changing and traumatic event. Many adult students return to the classroom after experiencing a time of change.

But they soon shake off the initial jitters! Adult students often rebound from those initial feelings and become vocal, successful, and self-directed learners.

Here are more characteristics to look out for in a classroom full of adult students.

• They're paying for this and they're serious. You may want to keep an open mind when it comes to adult students' outside needs and time issues. Adult students are footing the bill for their classes, unlike traditional-aged students. They're less likely to fool around and make excuses.
• They'll come with experience, and they will want to talk about it. Older students prefer nontraditional class styles, with lots of discussion and debate. Many of the topics will inspire adult students to talk about real-life applications of lessons they learn or have learned. Be warned: they'll also come well-established opinions.
• Adults will probably have well-developed learning styles. By the time they reach adulthood, many people realize that they remember and learn best by either seeing, hearing, or experiencing new information. Be open to the fact that people learn in different ways. You may want to incorporate different teaching styles to facilitate learning and match the different learning styles.

You may also want to read more about androgogy, or the teaching of adult students.

Also see 30 Things We Know about Adult Students.