Knowing the experiences of the learner will help you identify appropriate learning activities. Adults like learning from other adults and peers. Adults want practical real world information. Linking classroom learning to patient care increases the relevance of the material you present. If adults must learn calculus, they will need a reason to learn it.
Adults view learning as a continuous process.
Adults undertake a learning project to solve a problem, rather than to learn a subject. Adults want to be involved in their learning. Given some sort of buy-in, most learners do better when they have some say over the instruction. Within the Department of Family Medicine, a small group of clerkship faculty and students have formed a Learning Team. They learn best in a comfortable environment.