How to Start Teaching Adults: A Practical Guide for New Instructors

If you’ve ever tried to teach an adult, you know it’s not like teaching a teenager or a child. Adults walk into the room with full lives-jobs, kids, bills, exhaustion-and they’re there because they need to learn, not because someone told them to. That changes everything.

Understand Why Adults Learn

Adults don’t sit in class because it’s expected. They’re there for a reason: to get a job, to pass a test, to fix something broken in their life. Maybe they’re learning English because they just moved to New Zealand. Maybe they’re studying for their driver’s license after losing theirs. Or perhaps they’re taking a digital skills course because their workplace is changing and they’re scared of being left behind.

That’s the first rule: adults learn when they see the point. If you start with theory or abstract concepts, you’ll lose them. Start with their problem. Ask: What are you trying to achieve? What’s stopping you right now?

A 2023 study from Massey University found that adult learners who could connect new skills to a personal goal were 68% more likely to complete a course. That’s not luck. It’s motivation. Your job isn’t to cover the syllabus. It’s to help them cross the finish line they’ve already imagined.

Start With What They Already Know

Adults aren’t blank slates. They’ve spent years solving problems, managing teams, fixing cars, raising kids, navigating bureaucracy. That’s knowledge. That’s experience. And if you ignore it, you’re wasting the most powerful tool in the room.

Instead of saying, “Today we’re going to learn about budgeting,” try: “Tell me how you’ve managed money in the past. What worked? What didn’t?” Then build from there. You’ll find they already know more than they think.

This is called andragogy-the science of adult learning. Unlike pedagogy (teaching kids), andragogy assumes learners are self-directed, bring life experience, and need to know why something matters before they invest time in it. You’re not the expert who has all the answers. You’re the guide who helps them unlock what’s already inside them.

Keep It Practical, Not Theoretical

Adults don’t care about the history of the Pythagorean theorem. They care about how to calculate the cost of tiling their bathroom. They don’t want to memorize grammar rules. They want to write an email that won’t get ignored.

Every lesson should answer: “How will this help me tomorrow?”

Here’s how it works in practice:

• Teach Excel by having them build a grocery budget for their family.
• Teach English by writing a job application letter they can actually send.
• Teach basic math by calculating how much they’ll save by switching energy providers.

Real tasks. Real stakes. Real results. That’s what sticks.

One teacher in Christchurch started a class called “Math for Renters.” Students learned percentages by figuring out how much deposit they’d need, how much rent they could afford, and what happens if they’re late. Attendance went up. Pass rates doubled. Why? Because they weren’t learning math. They were learning how to stop being afraid of their next lease agreement.

Respect Their Time

Adults are busy. Most are juggling work, family, transport, and maybe two part-time jobs. If your class runs 90 minutes, they’ll need to leave work early, arrange childcare, catch a bus, and get home after dark. That’s a lot.

Make every minute count.

• Start on time. Always.
• End on time. Even if you’re not done.
• Send clear materials ahead of time so they can review before class.
• Record sessions (with permission) so they can replay tricky parts.

One adult education center in Wellington started offering 45-minute “micro-classes” twice a week instead of one 90-minute session. Completion rates jumped from 52% to 81%. Why? Because 45 minutes felt possible. Two hours felt like a mountain.

Don’t underestimate the power of small wins.

Build Trust, Not Authority

Adults don’t respond to “Because I said so.” They respond to honesty, respect, and consistency.

If you make a mistake-say, mispronounce a word, give wrong info, forget a handout-own it. Say: “I messed that up. Let me fix it.” That builds more trust than pretending to be perfect.

Also, learn their names. Use them. Ask about their kids, their dogs, their commute. Adults want to be seen as people, not students.

One instructor in Palmerston North keeps a small notebook. Every week, she writes down one thing each student shares: “Maria’s son started school,” “Carlos got his license,” “Linda’s garden is blooming.” She mentions it next class. “How’s your son doing?” That tiny thing turns a classroom into a community.

Use the Right Tools

You don’t need fancy tech. But you do need tools that match adult learners’ habits.

• Use WhatsApp or Facebook groups for quick reminders and support. Most adults already use these daily.
• Share PDFs, not PowerPoint slides. They can read them on their phone while waiting for the bus.
• Use free apps like Google Docs or Canva for group projects. No login headaches.
• Avoid learning platforms that require 10-step logins. Adults will quit before they even start.

One group of refugees learning English in Auckland used a shared Google Doc. Each day, they wrote one sentence about their day. The teacher replied with corrections in color. No app. No password. Just real writing, real feedback, real progress.

Let Them Teach Each Other

Adults learn best from each other. Not from you.

Set up pair work. Group discussions. Peer feedback. Let someone who’s been in New Zealand for three years explain how to use the bus system to someone who just arrived. Let someone who passed their driver’s test on the third try give tips to someone who’s failed twice.

When learners teach, they solidify their own understanding. And they feel valued. That’s a double win.

At a community center in Dunedin, a class on basic computer skills started with a simple rule: “If you know how to do it, help someone else.” Within weeks, students were creating their own cheat sheets. One man, who’d never used a mouse before, ended up teaching his whole retirement village how to video call their grandchildren.

Be Patient. Really Patient.

Adults learn slower than kids-not because they’re less capable, but because they’re carrying more baggage. Fear of failure. Shame from past school experiences. Doubt that they’re “smart enough.”

Some will miss classes. Some will say they “can’t do it.” Some will cry. That’s not resistance. That’s trauma. That’s years of being told they’re not good enough.

Your job isn’t to fix them. It’s to say: “You’re here. That’s enough. Let’s try again tomorrow.”

One teacher in Invercargill kept a “Progress Wall.” Not grades. Not scores. Just sticky notes: “I sent my first email.” “I understood the bus schedule.” “I asked for help.” No one saw it as a competition. Everyone saw it as proof they were moving forward.

Start Small. But Start Now.

You don’t need a degree in education to teach adults. You just need to care enough to show up. To listen. To adapt.

Here’s your first step:

1. Find one adult who wants to learn something-anything-and ask them: “What’s the one thing you wish you could do?”
2. Help them take the smallest possible step toward it.
3. Celebrate that step.
4. Do it again next week.

That’s it. No curriculum. No certification. Just connection.

Teaching adults isn’t about delivering content. It’s about restoring confidence. It’s about saying: “You’re not behind. You’re not broken. You’re learning. And that’s powerful.”

If you’re reading this, you already care enough to try. That’s more than most. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. The rest will follow.