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I think adult learner can be defined in various ways because even though age plays significant role on defining adult learner, I think it is so much more than this. When I think of the concept of adult learner, I think more of an individual that brings into the classroom a wealth of life experiences and responsibilities such as raising a family, working, attending college, volunteering, and involved in community services or outreach programs. I think these days, adult learners have so much on their "plate" considering when it comes to developing their  education and career opportunities. Developing new skills and being competitive in today's fast and innovative market can be challenging and even complex for an adult learner because they have so much more to try to balance.

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Adulthood has become a fluid concept, as entering into this phase of life varies from person to person, and the human brain does not stop developing until around age 25 in any case.  I would say that an adult learner is one who lives independently from their parents and has financial and work responsibilities in addition to educational ones.  This makes them distinct from their younger peers as they have to juggle many different tasks at once, and manage their time and energy wisely.

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Personally, I would define an adult learner as someone who does not fit neatly into the mould of the 'traditionally' aged college student (18-22). However, that simply scratches the surface of what it means to be an adult learner based purely on chronological age. Adult learners may be returning students, parents, working professionals, mid-career shift/change, graduate students, life-long learners, etc., and pursue a variety of educational goals such at high school completetion, certificate or trade, associates, bachelors, and, of course, learning for the sake of learning. During my time as a communitiy college student many years ago, I found the passion that adult learners possessed to be infectious and inspiring. Many were taking classes because they simply want to learn more about a given topic and not simply to jump through a hoop in persuit of a higher degree.

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An adult learner is someone who considers themselves and adult bases on responsibilities age or self- perception and learns in formal or informal locations and conscious or unconscious methods. Adult learners take many different shapes, someone learning a new hobby by watching youtube videos or us for example,  adults in formal masters level programs. We're all trying to engage in lifelong learning to enhance our lives or the lives around us.
Adulthood can be described many different ways, but I really do like the Merriam and Bierema describe it in the Chapter one, "those whose age, social roles, or self-perception, define the as adults (p.11). Because life evolves for each person in different ways, any combination of those factors can bring someone into adult hood at different stages of life. I view myself as an adult now because of my age, independence, marital status, work life, and more. I also considered myself an adult in college, but my perception of what adulthood means has changed dramatically.
I do agree that the level of responsibility in ones life as the book mentions does really make that distinction between adult learners and others. For example, I thought I was an adult learner in college, but as I think about what I juggle now, the responsibilities I carry, and the lens I have, that perspective has changed!!

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Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Our textbook effectively defines an adult, “those whose age, social roles, or self-perception, define them as adults” (Merriam and Brockett 2007 as quoted in Merriam & Bierema 2014 p. 11)

I think the key distinction is children are only responsible for school and everything else is taken care of for them, whereas adults are responsible for jobs/money, healthcare/safety, civic involement, and many other examples of responsibility. I think this can get very vague and confusing, because I know older siblings who are younger than 16 that have all of the responsibilities of an adult without the necessary emotional maturity that can only come with time and physical development. I also know many adults who are over the age of 21 and have people in their life who do everything for them.

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One thing I found very interesting from the first chapter of the book is the concept of formal vs. informal learning. I think when working with adult learners, one of the challenges is that it has (maybe) been so long since they were out of school (and formal learning), they are intimidated by a classroom or structured learning setting. Many of them (myself included) forget or don't realize how much informal learning happens in day to day life. I think using a conversational style when teaching adult learners, such as asking them questions and letting them share with other learners, can really help break down the barrier of "I don't remember what school is like/I can't do this".

Another thing that makes adult learners distinct, is that I think you have to make the material "real" for them. In my mind, adult learners have several competing priorities. They may work full or part time, have child and/or elder care responsibilities, and generally have more demands on their time than learners in childhood. Why should they participate in my class? What information can I provide that will bring value to their lives? Those two questions are the first two I ask whenever I think about creating a new learning module. - Nicole Gardner

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I found the discussion of how to define an adult learner rather interesting in the first chapter of our textbook.  By one definition, the textbook writers termed an adult learner anyone learning in an adult education environment be it a GED class, community college, or university.  By this classification, we can include students in adult learning who are in or just out of high school alongside students double or triple their age.  As someone in their mid 30's, I know that my motivation for learning is somewhat different from what it was at 18 or 20.  I have already observed and participated in adult learning classrooms that reflect this age range, and this reinforces the vast range of concepts we must study when deciding how to best understand the adult learner.  The adult learner is many things, age is one of them, but the wide variety of life experiences each adult learner can bring into a classroom is so much more than a predetermined number.

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Who is an adult learner?
An adult learner is someone who is gaining an education for the experience. They are gaining knowledge that is  more focused on where they are at in life.
How do we define adulthood?
I think there are many different definitions of adulthood, in general I would suggest adulthood is someone who is considered responsible enough to be employed, married, have children, etc. I think being an adult has more to do with how capable they are of taking on these responsibilities verses his or her actual age.
What makes an adult learner distinct from other learners?

An adult learn is distinct from other learners because their learning is based off experience and is more focused on where they are at in life. They can use their own experience to continue their education and the focus of what they are learning will be on what will help them to move forward. When younger learners are in school the focus is just on being a full time learner and being taught what they are told is important.

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Before starting this class I had not really thought about defining adulthood. I like the idea of a continuum that is related to age and responsibilities. I also think that it is useful to consider the roles a person has in their life. The question of how young someone can be and be considered an adult in the terms of this class may be quite different from what I might consider an adult in my therapy practice where the laws told me when I could consider a client an adult which was 18.

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One major distinction between adults learners and other learners would be the amount of responsibilities that are involved. As a masters level student, I would absolutely consider myself an adult learner, given the many commitments and responsibilities that I am juggling while going to school. These responsibilities include working two jobs, maintaining relationships with friends and family, and owning a pet. No two adult learners have the exact same commitments, and adult learners could have any number of combinations of responsibilities. - Milana Davydova

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Active Adult Learning is definitely a higher level of learning and engaging with material and knowledge. I don' think there should necessarily be an age limit or even range on this style of learning, I think this learning is beneficial for young people to also know how to do and be given when they need to be challenged. The distinction to me comes in when a person wants to be challenged in ways that a traditional(lecture) classroom wouldn't challenge that person.
Although, I think that young people could use this learning and not be considered "adult". I think I define adult simply as someone who has the responsibility to take care of themselves or others.

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An adult learner is someone who is learning while juggling many responsibilities.

How do we define adulthood?

Adulthood is when someone needs to take on the responsibilities of an adult such as be employed, take care of a family etc. Someone can be an adult at age 16 if they need to take on these responsibilities.

What makes an adult learner distinct from other learners?

An adult learner is distinct from other learners because they usually have many responsibilities and learning is often related to employment.

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I believe an adult learner is someone getting an education while having the choice not to.
Adulthood, in my opinion, is someone who has some responsibilities in their hands. Such responsibilities could be taking care of a home, taking care of a family, having a job, etc.
An adult learner is distinct as they choose to be getting that education. While is learning a language, learning a different skill, or getting a degree, adult learners want to be there. - Stephanie Schafer Vieira

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Adult learners are often out of practice in terms of learning and are easily distracted by their personal lives. School is often just one of the many responsibilities an adult learner has at any point in their lives and this can make concentrating on learning more difficult.

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I would say that any adult is an adult learner. It is essentially impossible to go through life without constantly learning things, even if they are small enough to go unnoticed. This being said, the degree of learning certainly changes, ranging from passive learning from day to day observation to devoted, active academic learning.

Ironically, the definition of adulthood seems to become considerably more blurred when one transitions from childhood to adulthood. A child can easily point out a "grown-up," but we, as adults, have a menagerie of ways that we may choose to define "adult." Personally, I would define an adult learner as someone who has become actively aware of their own learning process and chooses to pursue it.

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I consider myself an adult learner as a 25 year old Masters Student. I think adulthood can be defined in many ways, and is not necessarily limited by age, but more so by the responsibilities and experiences we hold. For many adult learners, education is optional, making them distinct from children for whom attending school is their only job. I think another distinction for adult learners is that they often display interest and passion for what they are learning, rather than attending class or participating out of sheer requirement.