Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Tips for Teaching Adults

We are convinced that being a teacher, for any age, is a skill not everyone possesses. When you are teaching adults, as many professional associations and certification organizations do through a wide range of educational opportunities, the job takes on a whole new meaning.

Most school teachers are trained. Think about the presenters you had at your last conference or seminar. Did they have any training beyond just being an expert on the topic at hand? Keynote presenters and speakers are often professional speakers that have public speaking skills and are being paid for them (sometimes handsomely). Associations seek out volunteers to fill the remaining session spots who are less likely have had training in speaking and, more importantly, teaching an adult audience.

Here is a collection of tips that can help make any presentation more effective. Consider including a sheet of these and other guidelines in your next speaker packet.

We found a few good tips from these resources through a simple Google search.

How to Motivate Adult Learners, Kimeiko Hotta Dover (About.com)

  • Refer to learners by name.
  • Acknowledge the limitations of your own knowledge, skills and experience and draw upon the expertise of individuals in the class whenever possible.
  • Provide opportunities for participants to exchange ideas and learn from each other in pair and group work.
  • Understand that adult learners juggle multiple responsibilities, and excuse reasonable lateness and absences.


    Principles of Adult Learning, Stephen Lieb (Arizona Dept. of Health Services)

  • Adults are goal-oriented. Upon enrolling in a course, they usually know what goal they want to attain. They, therefore, appreciate an educational program that is organized and has clearly defined elements. Instructors must show participants how this class will help them attain their goals. This classification of goals and course objectives must be done early in the course.
  • Adults are relevancy-oriented. They must see a reason for learning something.
  • Learning has to be applicable to their work or other responsibilities to be of value to them.

    You might also want to review these articles:

    Teaching Tips/Learner Strategies, Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center
    Tips for Teaching Adult Learners Online, Rosemary F. Wolfe, Ph.D. (About.com)

    The bottom line is that working adults seeking professional education have different needs that associations need to consider as they select speakers and prepare and educational program.

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