ADULT EDUCATORS' RESOURCE MANUAL

Book excerpt: This book represents a compilation of all of the author's learning about teaching adults, from an almost fifty- year career in the field of adult education. It explores the art and science of training as a transformative learning process. It goes further than the development of understanding and skill, to actually help achieve a change in behaviour that reaches beyond the classroom experience. The purpose is to help learners critically reflect on their behaviour and underlying assumptions and provide an opportunity for these to be fully explored with others in a dialogic atmosphere. This manual outlines in detail the methods needed to create such an educational experience. It begins with life before training, including preprogram preparation, designing a training program, and planning for how to create a positive learning environment. It then explores life during training, including understanding the adult learner, dealing with difficult situations and behaviour, facilitating group dynamics in the classroom to create a transformative learning environment, managing your own personal leadership and facilitation style, and using instructional methods that work. To close, the book addresses life after training, including all forms of evaluation and ensuring enduring impact beyond the training program. Finally, personal anecdotes from the author's own experience are included throughout the book to enrich and illustrate points being made.