Beyond the Stereotypes: What Generational Research Really Tells Us About Learning

Adult learning principles have guided training design for decades. But in a workplace with five generations, each shaped by different technology and different ways of engaging with information, are those principles still holding up? This session takes a closer look at what’s really happening when we apply the same training approach across every generation in the room, and asks whether the “rules” we’ve relied on for adult learning still fit today’s workforce. Walk away with a fresh perspective on your training strategy and questions worth asking about your own programs.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Analyze core adult learning principles against the realities of today’s multigenerational workplace

2. Evaluate how generational differences in technology and learning behavior challenge a one-size-fits-all training approach

3. Formulate questions to assess whether their own learning programs still fit the workforce they’re designed for

Agenda:

• Opening question: Are the “rules” of adult learning still true?

• Revisiting the foundations of adult learning

• What the research says about generational differences in learning

• Putting adult learning principles to the test across generations

• Rethinking your approach

• Q&A and discussion