The Adult Learner


Book Description

How do you tailor education to the learning needs of adults? Do they learn differently from children? How does their life experience inform their learning processes? These were the questions at the heart of Malcolm Knowles’ pioneering theory of andragogy which transformed education theory in the 1970s. The resulting principles of a self-directed, experiential, problem-centred approach to learning have been hugely influential and are still the basis of the learning practices we use today. Understanding these principles is the cornerstone of increasing motivation and enabling adult learners to achieve. The 9th edition of The Adult Learner has been revised to include: Updates to the book to reflect the very latest advancements in the field. The addition of two new chapters on diversity and inclusion in adult learning, and andragogy and the online adult learner. An updated supporting website. This website for the 9th edition of The Adult Learner will provide basic instructor aids including a PowerPoint presentation for each chapter. Revisions throughout to make it more readable and relevant to your practices. If you are a researcher, practitioner, or student in education, an adult learning practitioner, training manager, or involved in human resource development, this is the definitive book in adult learning you should not be without.




How to Teach Adults


Book Description

Your hands-on guide to teaching adults. . . no matter what the subject In this expanded edition of How to Teach Adults, Dan Spalding offers practical teaching and classroom management suggestions that are designed for anyone who works with adult learners, particularly new faculty, adjuncts, those in community colleges, ESL teachers, and graduate students. This reader-friendly resource covers all phases of the teaching process from planning what to teach, to managing a classroom, to growing as a professional in the field. How to Teach Adults can guide new instructors who are trying to get up to speed on their own or can help teacher trainers cover what their students need to know before they get in front of a class. It is filled with down-to-earth tips and checklists on such topics as connecting with adult students, facilitating discussions, and writing tests, plus everything you need to remember to put into your syllabus and how to choose the right textbook. Dan Spalding reveals what it takes to teach all students the skills they need to learn, no matter what the topic or subject matter. Full of vivid examples from real-world classrooms, this edition: Shows how to get started and tips for designing your course Includes information for creating a solid lesson plan Gives suggestions for developing your teacher persona How to Teach Adults offers the framework, ideas, and tools needed to conduct your class or workshop with confidence.




Adult Education Policy and the European Union: Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives


Book Description

FREELY AVAILABLE ONLINE AS OPEN ACCESS BOOK! The European Union is now a key player in making lifelong learning and adult education policy: this is the first book to explore a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives researchers can use to investigate its role. Chapters by leading experts and younger scholars from across Europe and beyond cover the evolution of EU policies, the role of policy ‘actors’ in what is often seen as the ‘black box’ of EU policy-making, and the contribution state theory can make to understanding the EU and its relations with Europe’s nations. They consider what theories of governmentality—drawing on the work of Foucault—can contribute. And they demonstrate how particular methodological approaches, such as ‘policy trails’, and the contribution the sociology of law, can make. Contributors include both specialists in adult education and scholars exploring how work from other disciplines can contribute to this field. This is the first book in a new series from the European Society for Research on the Education of Adults, and draws on work within its Network on Policy Studies in Adult Education.




Adult Education in the American Experience


Book Description

From the earliest contributions of Native Americans in the colonial period to the workforce preparation crisis in the 1980s, this book explores the patterns, themes, and changing ideologies of learning and education in adulthood.Harold W. Stubblefield and Patrick Keane detail the broad context of adult learning and its relationship to social, economic, and political movements throughout American history. Giving special attention to issues of race, ethnicity, class, religion, and gAnder, the authors examine the institutions, agencies, and programs that have disseminated knowledge and culture to adults. They describe the ideology of self-improvement and the role of adult education in the struggle against social injustice, economic powerlessness, and segregation. And they show the alternative educational systems--including women's organizations, self-help efforts of African Americans, and education programs created by industrial workers and farmers--created to address interests ignored by the larger society.From the earliest contributions of Native Americans in the colonial period to the workforce preparation crisis in the 1980s, Adult Education in the American Experience explores the patterns, themes, and changing ideologies of learning and education in adulthood.




Research Anthology on Adult Education and the Development of Lifelong Learners


Book Description

Whether it is earning a GED, a particular skill, or technical topic for a career, taking classes of interest, or even returning to begin a degree program or completing it, adult learning encompasses those beyond the traditional university age seeking out education. This type of education could be considered non-traditional as it goes beyond the typical educational path and develops learners that are self-initiated and focused on personal development in the form of gaining some sort of education. Essentially, it is a voluntary choice of learning throughout life for personal and professional development. While there is often a large focus towards K-12 and higher education, it is important that research also focuses on the developing trends, technologies, and techniques for providing adult education along with understanding lifelong learners’ choices, developments, and needs. The Research Anthology on Adult Education and the Development of Lifelong Learners focuses specifically on adult education and the best practices, services, and educational environments and methods for both the teaching and learning of adults. This spans further into the understanding of what it means to be a lifelong learner and how to develop adults who want to voluntarily contribute to their own development by enhancing their education level or knowledge of certain topics. This book is essential for teachers and professors, course instructors, business professionals, school administrators, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students interested in the latest advancements in adult education and lifelong learning.




Adult Education at the Crossroads


Book Description

Adopting a social action perspective, this book is an assessment of where adult education now stands in the world. It argues that the purposes and rationale of adult education need to be reconceptualised for it to become an effective agent of change.




Organization and Administration of Adult Education Programs


Book Description

Administrators of adult education programs work in dynamic and ever-changing environments. They are continually challenged with a myriad of issues related to program budgeting, marketing, strategic planning, funding, human resources, and other topics. With decades of real world experience in the field, Steven Schmidt and Susan Yelich Biniecki have developed a practical guide for those who are involved in the organization and administration of educational programs for adults. Whether you work in the human resource department of a corporation, a grass-roots community organization, a higher education unit, a consulting company, or any other type of organization that provides adult education, this book is for you. In a no-nonsense approach, Organization and Administration of Adult Education Programs: A Guide for Practitioners “talks” to you as an administrator about topics that are important to you. Guidelines, processes, and procedures discussed in the book can help to make you a more effective practitioner. Scenarios, role plays, and activities are also included for classroom use and personal reflection.




Adult Education and the State


Book Description

First published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.







Mapping out the Research Field of Adult Education and Learning


Book Description

This book discusses the current state of the art in research on the education and learning of adults, and how such research has been transformed through contemporary policy and research practices. Gathering contributions from leading experts in the field, the book draws on previous research, as well as new findings in order to provide a map of this research field and its contemporary history. The chapters address a number of questions, including: What constitutes this research field? What theories and methodologies dominate within the field? What “invisible colleges” are active in shaping this academic field, in marking out its contours and in transforming its contemporary battle zones? Who is publishing in the field and who is deemed worth citing? What is the relationship between the shift in state policy on adult education and the research that is conducted on the education and learning of adults? How has the research field changed over time in various western countries? What do these meta-reflections of the field tell us about possible future research endeavours? Rather than speaking from within the field, this is a book about the research field. The diversity of the chapters provide a fascinating resource for anyone interested in research on the education and learning of adults.