This article begins with a scenario that reflects a growing concern for both teacher and adult learner in today's college history classroom. A student in his sixties remembers his experience as a young man growing up during this time period in American history, while the professor knows only what others have told him plus the scholarly works he studied. So how can the professor make his student's learning experience meaningful? This article focuses on important adult learning theories and makes some recommendations for instructors with adult learners in their higher education classes. Specifically, the following questions are addressed: (1) How do adults learn, and what are the major learning theories?; (2) How can the instructor use the past experience of the adult learner to make learning more meaningful?; and (3) What best methods employed by the instructor can motivate an adult learner? By using adult learning theories with various teaching strategies, the instructor becomes more of a facilitator or coach than an instructor, and even has opportunities to learn along with his or her students.