Understanding and Supporting Adult Learners offers faculty and administrators a hands-on guide to the myriad issues adult learners face in their enrollment and participation in higher education. This comprehensive resource is filled with the analytical and practical skills that can help faculty make sound decisions relative to adult learners. The book also includes techniques and frameworks for assessing, implementing, and evaluating practices within the institution—at the classroom, department, school, and campus levels—to nurture and support responsiveness to adult learners. Praise for Understanding and Supporting Adult Learners "This timely book provides a clear road map for institutions to attract, retain, and graduate adult learners. It will provoke discussions among faculty and administrators on the best ways to serve and assess this important demographic."— John V. Moore III, associate director of institutional research, Temple University "A must-read for everyone serving adults in higher education! The book's wonderfully insightful and provocative cases bring to life the real dilemmas facing adult learners and the institutions that support them. It provides an enlightened analysis of the issues and an effective framework for creating and improving programs that ensure the success of adult learners in higher education."— Tai Arnold, assistant vice president for academic programs, SUNY Empire State College "This book is a must-read for community college faculty and administrators. Community college adult learners span several generations and even decades and bring different levels of learning skills and student support services needs. This is an excellent practical guide to addressing the varied needs and issues of the twenty-first century adult learner."— Christine Chairsell, vice president, Portland Community College

This learning-oriented model of school leadership details four Pillar Practices for helping adults grow throughout their careers: teaming, providing leadership roles, collegial inquiry, and mentoring.

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.

Solidly grounded in theory and research, but concise and practice-oriented, Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice is perfect for master’s-level students and practitioners alike. Sharan Merriam and Laura Bierema have infused each chapter with practical applications for instruction which will help readers personally relate to the material. The contents covers: Adult Learning in Today’s World Traditional Learning Theories Andragogy Self-Directed Learning Transformative Learning Experience and Learning Body and Spirit in Learning Motivation and Learning The Brain and Cognitive Functioning Adult Learning in the Digital Age Critical Thinking and Critical Perspectives Culture and Context Discussion questions and activities for reflection are included at the end of each chapter.

This book offers a new and promising way to support adults in Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) programs specifically, and learners in adult education, in general. Applying renowned Harvard University psychologist Robert Kegan's constructive-development theory, Drago-Severson depicts an in-depth investigation into how and why adults develop "ways of knowing" to better prepare them for their work in the 21st century. This book provides practical suggestions for applying Kegan's theory in adult education classrooms to enable teachers, curriculum developers, program designers, and policymakers to better respond to adult learners' strengths and learning needs.

There are many reasons to be curious about the way people learn, and the past several decades have seen an explosion of research that has important implications for individual learning, schooling, workforce training, and policy. In 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition was published and its influence has been wide and deep. The report summarized insights on the nature of learning in school-aged children; described principles for the design of effective learning environments; and provided examples of how that could be implemented in the classroom. Since then, researchers have continued to investigate the nature of learning and have generated new findings related to the neurological processes involved in learning, individual and cultural variability related to learning, and educational technologies. In addition to expanding scientific understanding of the mechanisms of learning and how the brain adapts throughout the lifespan, there have been important discoveries about influences on learning, particularly sociocultural factors and the structure of learning environments. How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures provides a much-needed update incorporating insights gained from this research over the past decade. The book expands on the foundation laid out in the 2000 report and takes an in-depth look at the constellation of influences that affect individual learning. How People Learn II will become an indispensable resource to understand learning throughout the lifespan for educators of students and adults.

This book provides a critical examination of the myths surrounding adult education and its practice.