Teaching methods for adults, especially older adults, are very different from those for children and adolescents. It is important to keep the material relevant to the goals and interests of the students; it is also important to use methods that facilitate independent learning.
Scaffolding method
The scaffolding method provides adult learners with a structure that they can apply and adapt to different situations. The teacher gives the students a task to complete, then the teacher shows the students a series of steps or a structure ("scaffolding") that they can use to complete the task. Once the students have completed the task, they can use the scaffolding to perform similar tasks on their own. Adult learners can also change the scaffolding to accomplish different tasks. The scaffolding method gives adult students the tools to learn to perform tasks independently of a teacher.
Learning through volunteering
Engaging adult learners in real life situations through volunteer placement is a practical method of teaching adult education. According to Sandra Kerka, author of Education Resources Information Center Digest Digest, the type of learning and skills acquired depend "on the goals of the organization and the volunteer, as well as the content and methods involved." Adult education is one of the tasks of managers and volunteer trainers. Skills-based organizations, like literacy tutoring, train in specific skills, like lesson planning. Social cause organizations such as Neighborhood Improvement Groups allow adult volunteers to learn about political processes.
Self-directed learning Adults often have specific goals or interests when taking adult education classes. Teachers should facilitate the interests and goals of mature students when developing homework and lectures. For example, in an introductory psychology course, one adult student might be interested in working with the elderly, while another might be interested in early childhood education. Homework should allow each student to follow their interests, while covering the topics of the class. On the first day of class, or even upon registration, teachers could give students a short survey to find out what their interests are.