Full Description
Become an effective adult educator by approaching teaching systematically As the author describes at the beginning of Creating Courses for Adults, "The big idea of this book is that education for adults has to be designed." Whether in basic skills training, English language classes, professional development workshops, personal interest courses, or formal degree programs, good teaching tends to conceal all the planning and decisions which had to be made in order to present participants with a seamless and coherent process for learning. The author posits that nobody is a completely intuitive teacher and that everybody has to make a series of choices as they put courses together. The decisions they make are important and far-reaching, and deserve to be considered carefully.
Starting with the three core factors which must be taken into account when creating courses, Creating Courses for Adults walks readers through a manageable process for addressing the key decisions which must be made in order to design effective learning.
Instructor factors are what the teacher brings to the teaching and learning process, such as experience and preferences.
Learner factors are the influences that students bring with them, including their past experiences and expectations for the class.
Context factors include the educational setting, whether in-person or online, as well as the subject matter.
Readers of Creating Courses for Adults will learn a systematic approach to lesson and course design based on research into the ways adults learn and the best ways to reach them, along with pointers and tips for teaching adults in any setting.
Contents
Preface xi
Why Design? xv
Perspective on Learning xix
Further Information xx
Acknowledgments xxi
About the Author xxiii
Part One Core Factors in Teaching
One All About You 3
Why Who You Are and What You've Done Matters 4
Reflecting on Your Approach 7
What Are We Doing It For? 11
Why Identity Matters 16
Going Further 18
Conclusion: Pulling It Together 21
Two Engaged and Involved Learners 23
How Do People Learn? 24
Engagement in Learning 30
Learner Diversity 36
Responding to Diversity 47
Conclusion: Making Difference Matter 52
Three Context Drives Design 53
Why Context Matters 54
Ball Gown or Boots: Formality 56
Wired Learning 59
Organizational Context 62
The Aims of the Course 65
Time, or the Lack Thereof 67
Somewhere to Sit: Physical Resources 69
Conclusion 72
Part Two The Key Decisions
Four Knowing Where You Are Going 77
Objectives—And Some Objections 80
The Educator 86
The Learners 88
The Context 90
Conclusion 92
Five Content and Resources for Learning 95
Information and Objects 98
Resources and Materials 101
The Educator 103
The Learners 105
The Context 107
Conclusion 109
Six Ways of Working Together 111
The Range of Methods 114
The Educator 121
The Learners 123
The Context 125
Conclusion 127
Seven What Do the Learners Say? 131
Designing Evaluation 134
The Educator 138
The Learners 140
The Context 142
Conclusion 145
Eight Making Learning Visible 147
Counting What Counts 150
The Educator 157
The Learners 159
The Context 162
Conclusion 164
Nine You Can Take It with You! 167
Moving Learning beyond the Course 170
The Educator 174
The Learners 176
The Context 178
Conclusion 180
Ten Design Frames Practice 183
The Book in a Box 183
An Example of a Program Design 186
For New Educators of Adults 187
Conclusion 191
References 193
Appendix A: A Blank Design Framework 199
Appendix B: Where to Find Further Resources 201
Index 203
