After sitting through a class lecture, I sometimes leave with the sense that something went wrong. Perhaps it was the speaker’s demeanor—maybe the lecturer talked down to us like we were incompetent children! Usually I just feel like something was missing. More could have been learned. Maybe I could have done something. Maybe others could have added to the learning experience.
What’s the Real Problem?
Our discomfort in such situations arises from the fact that adults don’t learn like kids do. Unfortunately, most teachers employ methods designed for children (pedagogy). That’s why the authors of the classic book The Adult Learner advocate methods for adults (andragogy). [1] The 5 principles below are derived from this influential work. I bet you will resonate with most of them.
Since many studies already confirm the principles, my goal is to briefly explain them and suggest how you could implement them in your learning environments. As far as I know, the authors are not professing Christians, so I will suggest a few caveats from a Christian perspective at relevant points . . .
Principle #1: Adults Need to Know That They Need to Know
Adults are busy. Jobs. Errands. Kids. More errands. The last thing they want is another obligation that might not add value to anyone’s life. A teacher may realize that a student will benefit by investing in a topic, even if the student doesn’t know it yet. To this, the Adult Learner authors say, “Facilitators can make an intellectual case for the value of the learners’ performance on the quality of their lives.”
So how can we do that? Illustrate the need. Convince the learners. Find out about their life situations and briefly explore how the learning experience might benefit them. Here’s one caveat: from a Christian standpoint, we need to be careful not to manipulate people simply to get more participants. Seek out those who really have a need and work to convince them if they aren’t already convinced.
Principle #2: Adults Should be Treated as Producers Who Can Self-Direct
In one way or another, adults already have a history of success and production. They want to apply themselves, problem-solve, and explore ways they can contribute. Unlike children who thrive on external rewards, they are internally motivated to improve aspects of their lives.
In addition, adults already have a sense of how they learn best. That’s why they struggle when others micro-manage their learning process. Knowles and his colleagues say, “Adults resent and resist situations in which they feel others are imposing their wills upon them” (63). I totally get this one. When possible, we should create learning conditions where adults can work toward an end-product with minimal limitations.
Now here’s the caveat: in a society that lusts after freedom and independence from authority, we still need to call people to humbly respect the leaders God has placed in their lives. Those leaders will sometimes err. They might even micro-manage. But God has provided them for our growth; that means we can learn from them even if they don’t follow adult learning principles to a tee.
Principle #3: Adults Learn When They Can Customize and Commune
Teachers shouldn’t just “teach”—they must facilitate learning. When an adult sees a course curriculum, they immediately begin to look for ways they can harness it for their benefit. Not all learners share identical life situations, so teachers need to use variety and present opportunities to accommodate different learning styles. In the seminary class I currently teach, I usually give the students options for their assignments. For example, they can do a formal presentation, deliver a sermon, or lead a group in a study. I let them choose an appropriate sub-topic to study or action to take grounded in the themes of the course.
Adults also like to hear from their peers and help their peers. They thrive when they can invest in others and vice-versa. I can hardly think of anything more biblical—people coming together, agreeing to patiently listen and help one another. God prescribes such mutual edification and he is honored by it (Eph 4:11-16).
Principle #4: Adults Need to Be Ready for the Content
This principle is not complicated, but it is important. If learners are not ready for the level or amount of content, they will spin their wheels. Negative experiences due to under-preparedness can greatly discourage an adult and impact their desire to engage the material in the future. The teacher-facilitator basically has two options to address readiness:
- Assure them that they are ready (if they really are).
- Take steps to get them ready (which may require some creativity).
Principle #5: Adults Want to Solve Real Problems Now
This principle is closely related to #3. Adults want to learn things they can use now—or at least very soon. How can the learning content help them enhance a skillset, face a personal deficiency, improve their family life, or relate better to others in their community? In my classes, I tell the students they must ask their church leaders to provide them with opportunities to share their learnings. Ideally, they receive permission to do their presentations formally within 6 months of taking my class. This motivates them to study hard, work hard, and pay careful attention to comments from their peers.
So what could be wrong with any of that? Yep, there’s a caveat. The Bible teaches that to focus only on the here, the now, and the pragmatic is short-sighted and worldly. That means some methods spurned by The Adult Learner still have their place. Sermons, lectures, and other traditional teaching formats are still valid, good, and necessary. These formats settle in on us and influence us over time. Those who have sat attentively under solid biblical preaching for many years know that regular exposure to the Scriptures has deeply formed who they are. I think the authors of The Adult Learner underestimate the power of attentive listening in their noble quest for more interactive forms of learning.
Jesus Practiced These Principles First
To wrap up, observe that Jesus exemplified the above principles long before they appeared in The Adult Learner. For example, when groups were large, he taught them (Matt 5-7). He often let people go their way if they were not ready for his guidance (Matt 19:21-24). He involved his disciples actively in ministry—they did ministry alongside him and on their own (Luke 9:1-17). He engaged people over topics they broached and cared about, and he often let them arrive at their own conclusions instead of spelling everything out for them (Mark 13:3-8, Luke 10:36-37). Jesus—teacher par excellence—harnessed the right forms of learning, in the right amounts, for the right circumstances.
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[1] Knowles, Malcolm S., Elwood F. Holton, Richard A. Swanson, The Adult Learner 7th ed. (New York: Routledge, 2012). Knowles, the original author passed away over two decades ago. His successors have continued to respectfully refine and update his ideas with new editions. The Adult Learner actually lists 6 principles. I have grouped principle 6 with principle 2 in this article.