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For Bryan Tan, teaching adults is not about expecting a quiet classroom or instant agreement. After nearly three decades in the field, he has learned that resistance is part of the process. People arrive at his sessions with doubts, frustrations or simply because their managers told them to. Yet time and again, Bryan has seen those same learners walk away realising that learning can be useful, even enjoyable. Learning never stops
Bryan Tan (back row in blue) with his classmates in 2024. More than just the content from those lectures, it was listening to his classmates' diverse real-world experiences that made a significant difference in his professional learning. (Photo provided by Bryan Tan)
Bryan holds fast to one principle: you cannot teach well if you stop learning yourself. Over the years he has made it a point to pick up new skills, from organisational change to visual facilitation, and to put them straight into practice. “Every skill I gain, I use. My own learning must serve others,” he says.
Part of that commitment means to ensure that he stays ahead of the curve. “If I don’t maintain a strategic outlook, by the time change comes, I’ll be overwhelmed,” Bryan explains. He makes it a point to keep abreast of upcoming trends so that when shifts happen, he is not caught off guard but ready to help others adapt.
That attitude kept him prepared when the pandemic forced everything online. Even before many trainers struggled with digital tools, Bryan was already experimenting with blended learning. When the time called, he ended up coaching other educators on platforms like Zoom, helping them adapt quickly.
Part of that commitment means to ensure that he stays ahead of the curve. “If I don’t maintain a strategic outlook, by the time change comes, I’ll be overwhelmed,” Bryan explains. He makes it a point to keep abreast of upcoming trends so that when shifts happen, he is not caught off guard but ready to help others adapt.
That attitude kept him prepared when the pandemic forced everything online. Even before many trainers struggled with digital tools, Bryan was already experimenting with blended learning. When the time called, he ended up coaching other educators on platforms like Zoom, helping them adapt quickly.
Facing resistance head-on
The moments Bryan remembers most are when he faced learners’ resistance – challenging but rewarding.
One learner he fondly recalls is a veteran educator in her seventies who joined his class on technology-enabled learning. From day one she declared that online teaching could never match the richness of the physical classroom. At that time, she was also caring for a hospitalised spouse, making learning tougher for her. Instead of choosing to defer the course, she pressed on.
Bryan adjusted his approach — pairing her with supportive peers, checking in on her progress, and giving her room to test ideas at her own pace. At the end of the module, she surprised the class by producing a project that used more digital tools than anyone else’s.
One learner he fondly recalls is a veteran educator in her seventies who joined his class on technology-enabled learning. From day one she declared that online teaching could never match the richness of the physical classroom. At that time, she was also caring for a hospitalised spouse, making learning tougher for her. Instead of choosing to defer the course, she pressed on.
Bryan adjusted his approach — pairing her with supportive peers, checking in on her progress, and giving her room to test ideas at her own pace. At the end of the module, she surprised the class by producing a project that used more digital tools than anyone else’s.
From “I know enough” to “I learned something”
Resistance sometimes shows up in more subtle ways. Bryan remembers an experienced educator who joined a certification programme expecting it to be just paperwork. He dismissed lesson planning tasks and argued about facilitation techniques.
Instead of pushing back, Bryan let this learner test things out in practice. “He came to realise his old methods weren’t connecting with students as well as he thought,” Bryan says. By the end of the programme, the learner admitted he had picked up new approaches that worked better than expected.
For Bryan, stories like these prove that even the most reluctant learners can uncover value when they give learning a chance.
Preparing for change
The field of adult education is constantly evolving. Adult Educators today are expected to be facilitators, assessors, curriculum designers and consultants. For Bryan, this is a reminder that he must keep learning too.
Bryan with his learners in his Facilitators-in-Training class.(Photo provided by Bryan Tan)
“If I don’t keep preparing for change, I’ll be caught off guard when it comes,” he says. “It’s better to stay a step ahead.”
Besides pedagogy courses, Bryan also provides corporate training in areas such as leadership, change management, coaching and organisational development.
These experiences give him a broad view of how learning applies directly to workplace realities. “It’s not just about a certificate,” he says. “It’s about whether people walk away able to apply skills that make a difference to their teams and organisations.”
Over 29 years, Bryan has seen learners arrive doubtful, defensive or simply disinterested. Yet with the right support, those same learners often leave with something new: confidence to try, skills they can apply, and a clearer sense of purpose.
His message to fellow educators is straightforward: keep learning yourself, and do not be discouraged when learners resist. “It’s part of the journey,” Bryan says. “Sometimes, resistance is the very thing that helps learning take root.”
Besides pedagogy courses, Bryan also provides corporate training in areas such as leadership, change management, coaching and organisational development.
These experiences give him a broad view of how learning applies directly to workplace realities. “It’s not just about a certificate,” he says. “It’s about whether people walk away able to apply skills that make a difference to their teams and organisations.”
Over 29 years, Bryan has seen learners arrive doubtful, defensive or simply disinterested. Yet with the right support, those same learners often leave with something new: confidence to try, skills they can apply, and a clearer sense of purpose.
His message to fellow educators is straightforward: keep learning yourself, and do not be discouraged when learners resist. “It’s part of the journey,” Bryan says. “Sometimes, resistance is the very thing that helps learning take root.”
Belng able to make a difference to his learners kept Bryan motivated as an adult educator. (Photo provided by Bryan Tan)
If you are an Adult Educator like Bryan, you can now register with the National Adult Educator Registry!
The National Adult Educator Registry, managed by the Institute for Adult Learning under SkillsFuture Singapore, is a national platform that tracks continuing professional development activities, practice hours, and professional growth for registered adult educators.