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There are three necessary requirements for teaching adult learners opposed to younger learners.

First you must have and show patience. As an instructor for Learning in Retirement Classes at a local college the number one praise I receive from my students is "I really appreciate your patience." Patience is not necessary because the students are unintelligent or lazy. The need for patience ensues because many senior learners face barriers due to health, mobility, hearing, and sight that make learning and performing certain skills difficult. As a teacher you must posse's patience in order to help older students learn in spite of their limitations.

The fact that many colleges now sponsor senior organizations and other learning activities demonstrates the fact that the capability of older adults to learn new skills is a reality.

The second necessity for teaching the older learner is the ability to offer lots of hands on training. As we get older our memory is often times not as reliable as when we were younger. Hands on training helps provide older students with the necessary repetition of physically doing a task to help them remember and focus on the task at hand.
Adult Education Quarterly, Adult Learning, Educational Gerontology, the Gerontologist, the International Journal of Aging and Human Behavior, and the Journal of Gerontology are only a few of the many journals in the United States that report regularly on the psychological and physiological problems adults face as they age. Some of the topics they cover include: how information is processed in short and long term memory, and the implications for learning in an educational setting. Many report that repetition and hands on learning is essential for the older learner.

The third necessity when teaching the older adult learner is the ability to show respect. These students bring a wealth of experience, a lifetime of interpersonal skills, strong intellectual patterns, and a genuine commitment to learning to the classroom. Instructors who teach older adult learners have a wealth of knowledge sitting before them and that alone desrvers respect.

When instructors recognize and implement these three rules teaching adult learners can be a rewarding experience for both parties.

Learn more about this author, Debbie Seko.
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