Practices of Teaching Adults in Russia and Foreign Countries

The article analyses and summarizes foreign and national practices of adult learning implemented by various educational institutions. The authors focus on four aspects of adult learning: organization and implementation of educational programs; content and didactic features of learning; technological solutions and training of seniors as a special category of learners. The most effective form of implementation of adult learning programs is networking with the support of state authorities, non-governmental organizations, as well as enterprises of the real sector of the economy. A flexible approach to building an educational program allows training in the workplace. World practices of adult learning are based on independent, self-directed (self-regulated) and transformative learning. The analysis of the presented cases actualizes the following principles of building programs for adult learning: student-centered learning, collaborative activity, reliance on the experience, needs and goals of the learner and actualization of the acquired knowledge in practice. The results of the study are addressed to the developers and managers of educational programs of different levels (vocational, higher or further education), social workers, corporate educators, as well as teaching staff involved in adult learning.