Creating Courses for Adults E-Book

Ralf St. Clair

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

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.

Leseprobe

CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Preface

Why Design?

Perspective on Learning

Further Information

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Part One: Core Factors in Teaching

Chapter One: All About You

Why Who You Are and What You've Done Matters

Reflecting on Your Approach

What Are We Doing it For?

Why Identity Matters

Going Further

Conclusion: Pulling It Together

Chapter Two: Engaged and Involved Learners

How do People Learn?

Engagement in Learning

Learner Diversity

Responding to Diversity

Conclusion: Making Difference Matter

Chapter Three: Context Drives Design

Why Context Matters

Ball Gown or Boots: Formality

Wired Learning

Organizational Context

The Aims of the Course

Time, or The Lack Thereof

Somewhere to Sit: Physical Resources

Conclusion

Part Two: The Key Decisions

Chapter Four: Knowing Where You are Going

Objectives—And Some Objections

The Educator

The Learners

The Context

Conclusion

Chapter Five: Content and Resources for Learning

Information and Objects

Resources and Materials

The Educator

The Learners

The Context

Conclusion

Chapter Six: Ways of Working Together

The Range of Methods

The Educator

The Learners

The Context

Conclusion

Chapter Seven: What Do the Learners Say?

Designing Evaluation

The Educator

The Learners

The Context

Conclusion

Chapter Eight: Making Learning Visible

Counting What Counts

The Educator

The Learners

The Context

Conclusion

Chapter Nine: You Can Take It with You!

Moving Learning Beyond the Course

The Educator

The Learners

The Context

Conclusion

Chapter Ten: Design Frames Practice

The Book in a Box

An Example of a Program Design

For New Educators of Adults

Conclusion

References

Appendix A: A Blank Design Framework

Appendix B: Where to Find Further Resources

Back-of-Book Advertisements

Index

End User License Agreement

List of Tables

Table 6.1

Table 8.1

List of Illustrations

Figure 1

Figure 2.1

Figure 10.1

Figure 10.2

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

Part 1

Chapter 1

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Creating Courses for Adults

Design for Learning

Ralf St. Clair

Cover design by Wiley

Cover illustration: McMillan Digital Art/Getty

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and is on file with the Library of Congress.

ISBN 9781118438978 (paper); ISBN 9781118746905 (ebk.); ISBN 9781118747056 (ebk.)

Dedication

The Jossey-Bass Higher andAdult Education Series

Preface

The big idea of this book is that education for adults has to be designed. Whether it's a one-hour class on wine tasting or a four-month language course, there are some key decisions that must be made as the course is crafted. One striking thing about teaching is that people tend to see it as easy—until they have to do it. This is not a mistake that we make about skydiving or baking a cake. I think that this often happens because people's favorite teachers have done a pretty good job and did not seem to struggle too much. By its very nature, good teaching conceals all the thinking, planning, and decision making that goes on behind the scenes in order to present participants with a seamless and natural-feeling process. This is impressive, but it's not very helpful when you are trying to do it yourself and provide a good educational experience to another person or group of people—then the behind-the-scenes action takes on a whole new importance and urgency. The purpose of this book is to open the curtain a little on the backstage work and provide insights into the way that good teachers of adults do what they do and, equally important, why.

This book is aimed at people who want to learn more about putting together courses for adults. If you are new to teaching, it'll take you through the key decisions you will need to make in planning and delivering your course. If you have a little experience, the book will give you an opportunity to reflect on your approach and come to some new perspectives. Educators make many decisions that seem natural but that have important implications for our teaching and learning practices, including how much people in our classes can actually learn. This book starts from the position that nobody is an intuitive or completely natural teacher and that all teachers have 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.