As an adult, you learn differently than you did when you were younger. When you were a child, you depended on your teacher to present the necessary skill sets and knowledge. As an adult learner, you will find that the process of obtaining the information and resources you need is much different.

First, the process is a more collaborative one. You will find yourself relying not just on your teacher, but on your peers in the classroom as well. Adults have different needs, and they bring different experience and cultural issues to the classroom than younger students.

There are several varying theories of adult learning, and no one specific theory completely covers the subject. All of them attempt to break down adult learning into different styles. You may fit into just one style or you may find that more than one style describes how you learn best. Regardless, it can be helpful to determine which style or styles you can relate to when you are reentering the world of education. Knowing your learning style can help you to optimize your performance and can even aid in your decision of what to study.

Kolb's Four Learning Styles

In 1985, David A. Kolb, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Cleveland's Weatherhead School of Management, developed an adult learning model that develops four different styles of learning. His model is based on the theory that individual adults each lean towards specific learning behaviors.

The first type of learner is the converger. Convergers are practical and rational, and are strong in areas that require organization of information. If you are a converger, you are likely to obtain your knowledge through thinking and analysis, and then attach it to the concept you are learning.

If you are a diverger, you collect your information by using your intuition. You can look at the same concept many different ways by using your imagination. Divergers are able to take pieces of knowledge together to create a meaningful whole.

Assimilators obtain their knowledge through thinking and analysis like the convergers, but then plan and reflect. Unlike convergers, assimilators are not practical as much as they are theoretical. They use theories and reason in learning, and if a fact does not match their theory, they may disregard that fact.

Accommodators get their information from others, and use their intuition and a trial-and-error to learn. They are the opposite of the assimilators in that they will toss out the theory if a fact does not match. If you are an accommodator, you are open to new experiences.

Endorf and McNeff's Five Types of Learners

Mary Endorf and Marie McNeff, authors of "The Adult Learner-Five Types," from The Journal of Staff, Program and Organizational Development in 1990, based their learning theory on more emotional and sociological elements than Kolb.

Confident adult learners are goal-oriented and have no problem figuring out what their learning needs are. They tend to be competitive, but only with themselves. Confident learners learn best through interaction and experience.

If you are an affective adult learner, you fully cooperate with the teacher and the environment. You enjoy learning in itself. Affective learners are very in-tune with the emotional aspects of learning.

A learner in transition finds setting goals much more difficult than a confident adult learner. Instead of being given information, learners in transition would rather discover information through interactive learning, such as discussion.

Integrated adult learners like to be recognized in the learning environment and are very concerned with their own success. If you are an integrated learner, you enjoy a collaborative type of classroom where you interact with the instructor and your peers.

Risk takers are found to be the rarer sort of adult learner. As we get older, we are often apt to take fewer risks, especially when it comes to education, which can be expensive. If you are a risk taker, you are self-confident and are more than willing to delve into new ideas and concepts.

Success for Every Type of Learner

There are many more adult learning theories than the two outlined in this article, and no theory is thought to be better than the next. No matter which type of adult learner you think you are, embarking on a new path of education is exciting and entirely possible. Once you identify your individual needs, you will find that you are more successful in and out of the classroom.

If you cannot identify your learning style from the two theories presented here, you have other options. North Carolina State University's Barbara A. Solomon and Richard M. Felder created the Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire , a 44-item online questionnaire you can use to identify your learning style. Knowing your learning style is not only helpful to you but can be very helpful to your instructor. Always let your instructors know what you need to be the best learner you can be.