Teaching is a complex process of enabling learners to gain new knowledge, understand it, and be able to apply it in the classroom and beyond it. Although the primary goals of educating children, teenagers, and adults might be similar, instructors need to adjust to students of varying ages, as they have different expectations of the learning process. This essay will argue that competence and expertise, communication skills, and flexibility and creativity are essential characteristics of an effective trainer of adult learners.
An instructor must possess many traits and qualities to communicate their experience and expertise. According to Niederriter et al. (2017), adult nursing students note that a course teacher must be highly knowledgeable and competent to be efficient. Lack of understanding of a subject they are teaching can lead to the trainers failing to fulfill the course goals and objectives. It can also result in pupils not feeling comfortable and confident in their instruction and themselves as learners (Niederriter et al., 2017). If a teacher does not know how to apply the skill they are coaching, they will not be able to assess their students correctly, facilitating the certification of incompetent specialists. Overall, trainers should have extensive knowledge of the subject they are teaching to be effective.
Another essential characteristic of a skilled instructor is the ability to communicate with their students. Adult learners have fully developed learning styles that teachers must be able to cater to convey relevant information and knowledge. According to Bolkan et al. (2017), communication can have a substantial effect on learning. Teachers’ ability to communicate clearly can directly impact the test result of students in higher education institutions (Bolkan et al., 2017). Therefore, if a trainer cannot explain what is required of learners in the course, they are unlikely to acquire knowledge from it. Similarly, Andrews (2021) notes that instructors must be able to notice and interpret the non-verbal communication of their trainees to establish whether they are content with the course and understand its content and the given instructions. Overall, communication skills can be viewed as one of the most important characteristics of an effective trainer.
Furthermore, flexibility and creativity are vital traits for instructors of adult learners. Every group of trainees is different and requires a creative and adaptable coach who can adjust their lesson plans and pre-prepared activities for them. Adults receiving professional training can have different backgrounds, resulting in some students being familiar with most of the material presented and others requiring additional instruction. Tefera (2019) notes that efficient trainers must be able to modify the content they are offering to match the knowledge level and the needs of their trainees. The failure to adjust lesson plans, content, and activities to the specific group of students can lead to them losing interest in the course and its goals and objectives not being met. Thus, trainers need to be prepared for different teaching scenarios and able to adapt to their learners’ needs.
In summary, teaching adult pupils can be challenging, and instructors should aim to develop characteristics that will make them more efficient in the classroom. Trainers of adult students should be highly competent, have excellent communication skills, and be flexible and creative. Incompetent teachers are unlikely to present any new or relevant information. Similarly, trainers who cannot communicate might fail to understand students’ needs and convey what they expect of them. Finally, a lack of creativity and flexibility can result in the instructor failing to meet the trainees’ expectations and course objectives.
References
Andrews, A. (2021). What are the characteristics of an effective trainer? ZandaX – Training Courses that Get Results. Web.
Tefera, G. M. (2019). Characteristics of effective trainers. Atlas Corps. Web.
Bolkan, S., Goodboy, A. K., & Myers, S. A. (2017). Conditional processes of effective instructor communication and increase in students’ cognitive learning. Communication Education, 66(2), 129–147. Web.
Niederriter, J. E., Eyth, D., & Thoman, J. (2017). Nursing students’ perceptions on characteristics of an effective clinical instructor. SAGE Open Nursing, 3, 1–8.