Professional Development and Adult Learning Theory

To encourage a culture that values knowledge and growth, develop professional development formats that support adult learning theory.  Creating learning communities, peer coaching, collaborative action research and live lesson observations all support the principles of adult learning.

To stand in front of a group of educators and demonstrate a learning strategy is not an assignment to be taken lightly. Teachers can be a very tough crowd. In an earlier post, I mentioned, for example, that credibility, relevance, and respect are essential postures one must assume before delivering a training session for staff.  But credibility and relevance are subsets of the real issue that underpins the professional development of teachers. 

The real issue lies in the vast differences between child learners and adult learners.  That should be obvious, but the execution of most professional development illustrates that the differences have not been fully considered. When professional development providers deliver PDs by lecturing, for example, the delivery method itself works against the very principles of how adults learn.

One of the foremost thinkers on adult learning was Dr. Malcolm Knowles who developed the theory of andragogy to explain how adults learn differently from children.    Knowles’ theory was based on a few basic assumptions about adult learners: that adults are independent learners, that adults carry with them a lifetime of experiences, that adults must see an immediate application of the learning, and that adults are more driven by an internal as opposed to an external need to learn.

From these assumptions, Knowles extrapolated four principles that should be considered when developing a training or learning experience for adults.  Let’s look at these principles:

1. Adults must be involved in the planning of their learning.  Create a focus group of teachers with a representative sample of all staff.   Poll the focus group about their professional development needs.  Discuss. Share. Brainstorm.  List all answers on a giant piece of chart paper.  Each member of the focus group casts five votes to prioritize. Boom! That’s the PD agenda for the year. Added bonus:  Tap teacher leaders within the school to provide staff development.

2. Experience provides the basis for the learning activity. Think of the vast and divergent levels of experience present in the teaching staff.  Veterans and newbies, different philosophies, different contents.  Many staff may have experience in career sectors other than public education.  When building an effective professional development plan, school leaders must take into consideration the experience capital present in the audience.

3. The professional development must have immediate relevance and impact on teachers’ lives.  This may be the most important part of developing an effective PD.  A professional development session at the end of a long day of teaching about some abstract theory or philosophical framework will not go over well.  But offer a PD to your staff about how to cut their work load in half by using Google docs, you’ve got a blockbuster.

4. Adult learning is problem-centered.  Adult learners must have time to analyze, think, reflect, and assimilate the new knowledge they receive at any PD. Real world assignments with task-oriented instruction will appeal to adult learners. They must experience the learning, and once they’ve experienced it, they must apply it. Adults prefer to process information by doing something with it.  Active experimentation creates a problem-centered approach to a PD session that clarifies and creates more relevance for the staff.

The sage-on-the-stage, sit-and-get PD sessions of yesteryear will not cultivate the professional growth of a teaching staff.  To encourage a culture that values knowledge and growth, try some professional development formats that support adult learning.  Creating learning communities, peer coaching, collaborative action research and live lesson observations all support the principles of adult learning.

Knowles, M. S. (1980). The Modern Practice of Adult Education: From Pedagogy to Andragogy. New York: Cambridge.

Looking for more information like this? Click here to search our extensive library of additional resources.