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a ready-to-run workshopFacilitating Adult Learning
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Facilitating Adult Learning (Andragogy) (Workshop)

Teaching adults is not the same as teaching children. Adults learn best when the learning is relevant to their real work, respects their experience, gives them some control, and is active. Designing PD around how adults learn is what makes it land.

Key takeaway

Adults learn best when PD is relevant to their work, respects their experience, gives them some control, and is active; designing for how adults learn is what makes PD stick.

Format
PLC / team meeting
Length
45 minutes
Group size
Any (works 4-40)
Who can run it
A coach or PD facilitator
You will need
Slides (5)Printed handoutAn upcoming PD sessionA timer
Aligned to
Learning Forward: Transformational ProcessesLearning Forward: Conditions for SuccessKnowles: andragogy
Share / assign

Why it works

Adult learning theory holds that adults are motivated to learn what is relevant and immediately useful, bring valuable experience to build on, prefer some autonomy over their learning, and learn by doing and solving real problems. PD that ignores this, passive, generic, disconnected from teachers' work, fails, while PD designed around these principles engages and changes practice.

The research: Knowles on andragogy; research on effective adult professional learning.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

    The core activity: redesign PD for adult learners

    Facilitators leave with one PD session redesigned around adult-learning principles.

    Respect experience, make it relevant and activeAdults learn what is useful, build on what they know, and learn by doing. Design PD around that, and teachers lean in instead of tuning out.

    Facilitator notes

    Teachers are not empty vesselsPD that ignores teachers' experience and treats them passively breeds resistance. Build on their expertise and make it relevant and active.

    Adapt it

    Participant handout

    One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

    K12 Academics · Professional Learning

    Facilitating Adult Learning: design for adults

    <b>How adults learn:</b> relevance, respect for experience, some autonomy, and active problem-solving.

    1. The PD session:
    2. How I make it relevant to their real work:
    3. How I build on their experience:
    4. The choice or control I give:
    5. How I make it active and problem-centered:

    Make it stick

    Design for adult learners:

    Common questions

    How is teaching adults different from teaching students?
    Adults need relevance to their real work, their experience respected and built on, some control over their learning, and active, problem-centered sessions. Sit-and-get fails with them especially.
    Why do teachers resist some PD?
    Often because it ignores their experience, is not relevant to their classroom, or treats them passively. Honoring their expertise and making it useful changes that.
    What's one principle to apply immediately?
    Make it relevant and active: tie the learning to a real problem teachers face, and have them do something with it, not just receive it.

    Go deeper

    Build it into a bigger day

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