Adult Learning Principles

Adults in a learning situation have particular needs. To ensure successful transference of health and safety skills, it’s important to incorporate these elements of andragogy:

Principle	Practices
1. Autonomous and Self-Directed	Ask what they would like to get out of the training before beginning class, and adjust lesson plan Discuss what they think they need to accomplish the objectives or do their jobs Allow them to skip material they already understand Present in a way that caters to a variety of learning styles
2. Experienced	Ask them to share an example from their life experiences to help clarify the lesson Approach "unlearning" of old information gently before facilitating learning of new information
3. Goal-Oriented	Explain the reasons why completing the training is important Use real-world problems or case studies that call upon expertise of group members Focus on "doing" something with information, rather than simply "knowing" the information
4. Require relevance	Provide them with the objectives for the class Ask them to reflect on how they may use what they've learned in the future
5. Practical	Explain how the training will be useful on the job
6. Need to be shown respect	Encourage them to express their thoughts, opinions, and reasoning on the subject Treat them as equals in the subject you're training Appeal to intrinsic motivation by providing feedback that increases self-esteem, satisfaction, or quality of life