Before Malcolm Knowles coined the word “andragogy” to describe the principles of helping adults learn, some popular wisdom on the matter had already accumulated. Learning gets “harder” as you get older; adults learn languages differently than children do. Whatever the truth in these matters, learning does present different risks and benefits to adults than to children. And it is certainly true that adults’ increased understanding and greater store of acquired knowledge make them far more critical judges of the material being presented and of the instructor. To be effective, any training program or lesson plan must be designed with the needs of an adult audience in mind, and this requires thinking about the reasons why adults approach learning.

Adults often seek new learning experiences as a way to cope with specific life changes (marriage, promotion, new job, change of career). Because of the way work dominates our lives, 80% of any change is perceived as work-related even if it is not. Training programs should include strategies to

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CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

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