The Way to Teach

Teaching is a learning process.  While there are multiple ways of teaching someone how to fly, a role play is successful.  Example:
Tim is flying with his student pilot Mark.  They start to work on ground reference maneuvers, and Mark is having a hard time understanding how they will help him later on in his aviation career. Tim remembers that Mark asked him about Aerial photography, and so he decides to change circle around a point to an aerial photo-shoot.  Mark becomes excited to do the maneuver, and excels at it from that moment on.
With a normal approach to teaching some students find it difficult to apply themselves.  Role playing something applicable to them creates a better environment for learning.

These are some other ways of teaching.
The Lecture method, which is what most classroom teachers use.  It can involve the students, but for the most part the instructor stands in front of the group and conveys his/her knowledge to the class.
The Cooperative Learning method splits the students into small groups, and encourages active participation from all the students.
The Guided Discussion method is similar to the lecture method, but involves the students and is a much more informal way of learning.  The instructor is more of a facilitator of topics to discuss, making sure that the topics are applicable, and ensures that the students follow a specific path.
The Demonstration-Performance method is more of a hands-on method.  This is the type of teaching done in an airplane.  The instructor teaches, demonstrates, and then the student performs.  The method concludes with an evaluation by the instructor.

Age is an important aspect of adult learners. Each age group holds different assumptions than others.  Gender is another factor.  In aviation women are heavily out-numbered, and a woman aviator can be intimidated.  Language and background can form barriers to learning if not properly addressed.  In aviation English is standard, but an understanding of the background of a student will help immensely. 

Teaching aviation students presents a unique challenge.  The average aviation student is 30 yrs old, and needs a completely different approach than a group of teenagers.  Adults learning a skill are motivated and have a reason to learn.  They are also very independent and self-directed.  The average adult has many experiences, and draws on them to guide decisions.  It is important to establish clear goals, and to provide the students with a specific schedule/syllabus.  Teaching to the level of the student is important.  There shouldn't be any "spoon-feeding" and the student should be treated with respect.