Center for Faculty Development

Adult Learners Annotated Bibliography

Found in Scholarship and Professional Development > Annotated Bibliographies

Bash, Lee (2003).  Adult Learners in the Academy. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company, Inc.  ISNB: 1-882982-60-6
As higher education enters the 21st century, the focus on adult learning programs and initiatives will be greater than ever. This book is designed to assist faculty members or administrators who want to understand how the impact of adult learning programs has already helped transform the academy and how newer initiatives are likely to change their own campuses in the coming decades.

Drawing on his extensive expertise, Bash engagingly depicts each facet of adult learners and the requirements higher education must fulfill to meet their needs. By blending some of the theoretical aspects of adult learning with many of the practical and personal components that characterize higher learning, this book is a helpful guide to all interested in implementing and sustaining adult learning programs.

The book is divided into four parts:
Adult learning from four perspectives: adult programs, adult learners, demographics and projections, and programmatic best practices.

• The distinguishing characteristics of adult learners, the special challenges they face, their motivations to continue their education, and why they seek and what they bring to college-level learning.
• Institutional responses to the adult learner. Topics include programmatic perspectives and the fundamental needs required to sustain adult learning programs.
• Meaningful applications of the term "lifelong learning" as well as some projections on how the 21st century academy is likely to change.

Pratt, Daniel D. and Associates (1998).  Five Perspectives on Teaching in Adult and Higher Education. Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing Company, Inc.  ISBN: 0-89464-937-X
This book won the 1998 Houle Award for Outstanding Literature in Adult Education. It is a blend of theory and practice, derived from several years of studying the teaching of adults in and North America. It presents five different perspectives on teaching adults. The Perspectives are: 1) Transmission 2) Apprenticeship 3) Developmental 4) Nurturing and 5) Social Reform. Perspectives are explained as "something we look through, rather than at” as we go about the business of teaching. Each perspective is described as an interrelated set of actions, intentions, and beliefs and then is illustrated within contexts of adult education practice.

Renner, Peter (1999).  The art of teaching adults: How to become an exceptional instructor & facilitator.  PFR Training Associates, LTD.  ISBN: 0-9697319-0-6
This is a 140-page book packed with practical ideas of how to help students learn. The chapters are: 1. On becoming a teacher, 2. Planning a session, 3. Setting up the room, 4. Getting packed, 5. Breaking the ice, 6. Contracting for learning, 7. Working in groups, 8. Delivering lively lectures, 9. Asking beautiful question, 10. Flexing learning styles 11. Observing group behavior, 12. Rallying learning circles, 13. Brewing brainstorms, 14. Directing role-plays, 15. Teaching by demonstration, 16. Inspiring participation, 17. Studying cases, 18. Inviting experts, 19. Learning outside the classroom, 20. Individualizing assignments, 21. Writing in journals, 22. Assessing the course, 23. Giving & receiving feedback, 24. Designing tests & quizzes, 25. Projecting overhead, 26. Flipping charts, and 27. Showing films. Footnotes, bibliography, and index are at the end of the book. The book is well organized and easy to read. It uses large print, bolded headings, bullets, numbered lists, case studies, quotations for emphasis, and illustrates room set-ups. It gives step by step instructions for how to get students involved in learning. It is not only for the beginning teacher, it is also useful for the seasoned teacher to review the book and reflect on how the teacher could teach even better. It is a good reference book for a teacher to use throughout one's teaching career.(Ann Tomey, Terre Haute, IN).

Taylor, K., Marienau, C. & Fiddler, M. (2000).  Developing adult learners: Strategies for teachers and trainers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.  ISBN: 0-7879-4573-0
Today's adult educators recognize that it is no longer sufficient for teachers to teach and trainers to train. This practical guide shows how to encourage learning and development while helping adult learners to become more aware of their personal growth and change. It not only offers a rationale for focusing on the experience and development of adult learners, but also presents a theoretical and conceptual framework of the intentions that guide educators.

The authors provide nearly seventy instructional activities--some of which can be done in a single session and others that can be done in a series of sessions or an entire course. These flexible activities are organized according to their focus on a particular learning strategy. No matter the content or setting, readers can select any activity and customize it to suit their developmental and instructional objectives. Most important, Developing Adult Learners highlights the compelling voices of teachers and students who have discovered the excitement of growing and changing through learning. It is full of pragmatic advice for faculty members, part-time instructors, workplace educators, leadership trainers, and anyone dedicated to helping adult learners achieve rich and rewarding experiences.

Vella, Jane (2000).  Taking learning to task: Creative strategies for teaching adults. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.
Known for her work in popular education and her worldwide teaching experience, Jane Vella has significantly changed the way we view adult learning. In her three bestselling books--Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach, Training Through Dialogue, and How Do They Know They Know?--she writes with one basic assumption: that learning is most effective when teachers involve their students in the learning process.

In Taking Learning to Task, Vella shifts the spotlight from teaching tasks to learning tasks. Unlike traditional teaching methods, learning tasks are open questions leading to open dialogue between teacher and learner. To illustrate this unique approach, Vella provides seven steps to planning learning-centered courses, four types of learning tasks, a checklist of principles and practices, critical questions for instructional design, key components for evaluation, and other tools. She also shares real-world examples of successful learning programs, including online and distance-learning courses. Taking Learning to Task is a hands-on, practical guide to designing effective learning tasks for diverse learners and diverse content. Teachers, trainers, and all types of instructors will find a wealth of advice for refining their day-to-day practice.