Teachers are trained in pedagogy, the term used to describe the art or science of teaching, and principles of effective instructional design or assessment. These principles apply to classroom teaching generally, but another term—andragogy—refers to the instructional principles that are specific to adult learning. Malcolm Knowles developed six principles of andragogy that continue to underpin the instructional design and delivery methods of post-secondary school training, such as workplace training or higher education courses. I’ve summarised these principles briefly here:

1. 1. The need to know. Knowles’ theory shows that adult learners need to know why they need to learn something before they start learning it.
   2. The learners’ self-concept. Adults are very much aware of being responsible for their own decisions and being seen by others as capable and autonomous. For both children and adults, emotions are strongly connected to successful learning.
   3. The role of the learners’ experiences. Adults come into the classroom with a wealth of experiences that younger learners have not yet accumulated.  
   4. Readiness to learn. Adults want to learn things that are relevant to their real-life situations. 
   5. Orientation to learning. Adults will be oriented towards learning that will help them in everyday life situations.  
   6. Motivation. Adults can be motivated by external motivators (for example, getting a highly paid job), but there are barriers to an adult’s motivation to learn, such as a lack of self-confidence in their ability to learn and time or resource constraints. 

If you are teaching adults, you might find it helpful to consider the principles of andragogy from an educational neuroscience and second language learning and teaching perspective. For example, learning at school is part of the everyday routine of life and not something to be questioned for most children. But if you are returning to study as an adult, you aren’t taking learning for granted anymore. Learning is slower, more challenging, and adults expect more of themselves and their teachers than they did as children. If you are faced with questions from your adult learners about why you are teaching a particular topic, you can leverage principles of educational neuroscience to help satisfy your students’ need to know why. There are brain-based benefits to learning, such as the benefits of neuroplasticity, that can help to add to a topic’s value if its intrinsic value isn’t easy to see from an adult learner’s perspective.

For both children and adults, emotions are strongly connected to successful learning.

Emotions have a powerful effect on learning as they are connected to areas such as memory, attention, and focus. The need to maintain a positive self-concept is important for adults returning to study after many years of absence and fostering adult learners’ positive emotions towards their language learning progress can help to build much-needed confidence determination to persevere. You can bring some of the lessons from positive psychology into your classes to encourage positive self-concept development. Including simple activities to foster a positive attitude to the learning journey can help students be less anxious about making errors and to be patient with themselves and each other as they develop new skills.