Trainer Basics

Adult Learner Characteristics

Every trainer you are likely too meet has read or knows about the seminal book by Malcolm Knowles (1980) about adult learning theory, The Modern Practice of Adult Learning. Knowles is credited with popularizing the terms andragogy (learning styles of adults) and pedagogy (learning styles of children).

Here’s a list of the most important points about learning derived from Knowles and other learning theorists. If you want to know more about this field of study, take a look at the Additional Resources section at the end of this book. If you pay close attention to the characteristics listed in table 2-1, your time as a trainer ( however long or short) will be much more successful.

Table 2-1. Characteristic of pedagogical ...