Definition
The process by which adults acquire knowledge and skills, characterized by self-direction, reliance on prior life and work experience, readiness to learn things tied to immediate roles or goals, and a preference for problem-centered material that can be applied right away.
Plain English
How grown-ups learn. Adults learn best when they choose to, when the topic connects to what they already know, and when they can use what they're learning straight away.
Context Anchor
Used in flight instructor training when planning how to teach student pilots, especially adults returning to school or learning a new skill later in life.
Derivation
Adult comes from Latin adultus, meaning grown up. Learning comes from an older English word meaning to get knowledge. Together, adult learning points to teaching people who bring grown-up experience, goals, and choices into training.
Why Pilots Care
Instructors who apply these principles help student pilots learn faster, retain more, and complete training with greater confidence and safety.
Intuition Check
Adult learning does not mean adults automatically learn faster or need less help. It means the instructor should teach in a way that respects the learner’s experience and connects the lesson to useful aviation tasks.
Example Sentence 1
The CFI applied adult learning principles by letting the student choose which maneuver to focus on during the lesson.
Example Sentence 2
Because adult learning is problem-centered, the lesson focused on solving a real crosswind landing issue the student had encountered.