Synopses & Reviews
Written for new and seasoned instructors, this user-friAndly manual shows how to tailor classes to be relevant to the life experiences of adult learners.Adults learn more easily when the material is connected to their life experiences. This indispensable ?how to do it? guide for instructors and trainers in all areas of adult education shows how to customize course content to the needs and previous knowledge of their students. The authors take a practical step-by-step approach filling the book with a wealth of useful worksheets, charts, and graphs, and they also give instructors a concise grounding in the theoretical base for their approach, covering such themes as how adults learn, and how learning styles differ among adults. While sophisticated enough for experienced teachers, the book is also an excellent resource for instructors and trainers who may have little or no classroom experience. The manual is especially suited to instructors in the areas of adult basic education, literacy education, and workplace basic education.John Dirkx is one of the leading adult educators in the country. His unique theme-based approach to adult learning has been proven successful through repeated use in diverse settings.
Review
"Too many policies, publishers, and programs assume low-literate adults require remedial schooling?meaning teaching adults as children, but more politely. Here, at last, is a comprehensive adult-focused approach to teaching structured around learner needs. No literacy, ABE, or GED teacher looking for a better approach to helping their students learn should be without this book." (B. Allen Quigley, Associate Professor and Regional director of Adult Education, Penn State University)
"As adult educators, we know that our learners enter instructional settings for a variety of reasons and have a vast array of life experiences. This guide provides practical information to facilitate learning by emphasizing connections between different disciplines while addressing life issues. Theme-based instruction incorporates much of what we know about sound adult education principles." (Connie Eichhorn, coordinator, Career Center and Adult Education Programs, Omaha Public Schools)
?As an adult literacy facilitator and parent educator this guide is a tremAndous tool for maintaining instructional motivation while utilizing contextually appropriate themes in diverse settings for authentic assessment, instructional excellence and emergent curriculum.? (Virginia Tardaewether, family literacy specialist, Salem Oregon)
Synopsis
Adults learn more easily when classroom material is connected to their life experiences. A Guide for Planning and Implementing Instruction for Adults is an indispensable ?how to do it? guide for instructors and trainers in all areas of adult education who need a proven means of customizing what they teach to the needs and previous knowledge of their students. John Dirkx and Suzanne Prenger take a practical step-by-step approach, filling the book with a wealth of useful worksheets, charts, and graphs for use with theme-based instruction. They also give instructors a concise grounding in the theoretical base for this approach, covering such topics as how adults learn and how learning styles differ among adults. While sophisticated enough for experienced teachers, the book is an excellent resource for instructors and trainers who may have little or no classroom experience. The manual is especially suited to instructors of adult basic education, literacy education, English as a second language, and workplace basic education.
About the Author
JOHN DIRKX is associate professor of higher, adult, and lifelong education at Michigan State University and associate director of the Michigan Center for Career and Technical Education. SUZANNE PRENGER is a doctoral student in psychological and cultural studies in education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Table of Contents
Using Integrated, Theme-Based Instruction with Adults.
Understanding Contextual Learning in Educating Adults.
Defining the Teacher's Role in Thematic Instruction.
Identifying, Selecting, and Planning Theme Units.
Sample Theme Units.
Instructional Strategies.
Assessing ITB Instruction.
Successfully implementing ITB Instruction: Challenges and Opportunities.