Synopses & Reviews
"A great update of a classic. Should be required reading for anyone involved with adult
learning in schools, businesses and communities."
Sam Stern, Professor & Dean, School of Education, Oregon State University, USA
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 infl uential 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.
This update of a pioneering classic contains all Knowles’ original chapters alongside a newer second part by Elwood "Ed" Holton and Richard A Swanson charting the advancements on these core principles. A third section includes selected readings from previous editions to illustrate the theory’s evolution, as well as important articles from other key experts around the world for a comprehensive view.
This new edition includes:
• New chapter outlines, learning objectives and careful edits of Malcolm Knowles’ work to simplify the original theory
• Updates to the second part to refl ect the very latest advancements in the field
• Revisions throughout to make it more readable and relevant to your practices.
If you are a specialist 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 shouldn’t be without.
* Provides a theoretical framework for understanding adult learning issues both in teaching and workplace environments
* Essential reading for a wide audience of practitioners and students in the field of adult learning and human resource development
* Incorporates Knowles' classic theories on adult learning alongside the latest advances in the principles and practice of adult education
Review
Tighter, more focused and more accessible this new edition of a great classic in the field presents Knowles' theories and interlinks new developments in one essential adult learning text.
Review
Praise for The Adult Learner, 6th edition:
"A great update of a classic. Should be required reading for anyone involved with adult learning in schools, businesses and communities."
Sam Stern, Professor & Dean, The New School of Education, Oregon State University, USA
Synopsis
Discover how to help adults learn. By understanding how adults learn differently you can adapt your teaching to increase motivation and achieve better results. Building on the pioneering work of Malcolm Knowles and his theory of Andragogy, leading authorities on adult education and training, Elwood Ed Holton and Richard A. Swanson, show you how to apply classic fundamentals today.
Divided into three sections, the first part contains the classic Knowles chapters that describe the roots and principles of Andragogy. New chapter outlines, learning objectives and careful edits have been made to simplify the original theory. The second part focuses on the advancements in adult learning, with each chapter updated to reflect modern theories and practices that draw upon and complement the core principles. Part three presents selected readings from previous editions with illustrative articles on adult learning in practice from around the world.
This new edition has been revised and updated to make it more accessible, more readable and more relevant to understanding adult learning principles and practices. It is essential reading for adult learning practitioners, training managers and human resource development professionals. It is also an indispensable text for students taking adult learning modules within adult education, teacher training courses and human resource programmes.
A great update of a classic. Should be required reading for anyone involved with adult learning in schools, businesses and communities. Sam Stern, Professor and Dean, School of Education, Oregon State University, USA
* Provides a theoretical framework for understanding adult learning issues both in teaching and workplace environments
* Essential reading for a wide audience of practitioners and students in the field of adult learning and human resource development
* Incorporates Knowles' classic theories on adult learning alongside the latest advances in the principles and practice of adult education
About the Author
The late Malcolm S. Knowles, Ph.D., was one of the leading authorities on adult education in the second half of the twentieth century. He wrote the first major accounts of informal adult education and the history of adult education in the United States, authoring more than 200 articles and 18 books. He is famous for his adaptation of the theory of Andragogy as a conceptual basis for adult education and learning, and was a significant force in reorienting adult educators from 'educating people' to 'helping them learn'.Richard Swanson is a past president of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD), founding editor of Advances in Developing Human Resources, a scholarly journal sponsored by AHRD, and founding editor of the Human Resource Development Quarterly, the research journal of AHRD and American Society for Training and Development. The AHRD presented him with the Outstanding HRD Scholar Award in 2000 and in 2001 he was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. In 2004, he was inducted into AHRD's Human Resource Development Scholar Hall of Fame. He has performed consulting work for leading US corporations and is an internationally recognized authority on organizational change, performance improvement and financial analysis of human capital investments.Elwood F. "Ed" Holton holds an impressive record of accomplishments in adult and continuing education and human resource development. He is the founding editor of Human Resource Development Review, a past president of the Academy of Human Resource Development and author of over 200 publications, including academic and professional articles in HRD, performance improvement and psychology journals. In addition to his academic role as the Jones S. Davis Distinguished Professor of Human Resource, Leadership and Organization Development at Louisiana State University, he has more than twenty years' HRD and performance improvement consulting experience with a wide variety of private, public, and non-profit organizations.
Distinguished Professor of Human Resource, Leadership and Organization Development, Louisiana State University, USA.
Table of Contents
Preface; Introduction; PART I: The Roots of Andragogy; Exploring the world of learning theory; Theories of learning; A theory of adult learning: Andragogy; Theories of teaching; An Andragogical process model for learning; PART II: Advancements in Adult Learning; Andragogy in practice; Adult learning within human resource development; New perspectives on Andragogy; Beyond Andragogy; The future of Andragogy; PART III: Practice in Adult Learning; References; Author index; Subject index.