Facilitating Adult Learning: A Textbook for Educators of Adults

Why Have an OER Adult Education Textbook?
The developing world has great need for adult educators with a knowledge of the field and an understanding of the principles of adult learning, but most existing adult education texts are expensive and may be unavailable to those who actually deliver adult education services. This text is an attempt to summarize the field of adult education with special attention to the needs of those who actually deliver adult education services at all levels.

The wiki technique will enable adult educators from all over the world to add their wisdom to the text and will therefore make it a valid and useful tool for adult educators everywhere.

The process of collaboratively creating a text will enhance the global community of adult educators and will enable us to create a twenty-first century consensus on adult education "best practices".

Contributors
We thank you for your assistance with this project. As a community working together we will be able to provide a useful resource for all who are involved in helping adults to learn. Please add your user name below and go to the discussion tab attached to this page to check out our thoughts and to add yours. We look forward to working with you.


 * Sandy Causer (aka Wakalena)
 * Joyce McKnight
 * Valerie Taylor
 * Darren Lott
 * Mary Ziller

Possible major areas

 * Overview - Why?, how, call for help


 * What's in a name? - Education, Learning, Teaching, Facilitating, Training


 * History of Adult Education - generally and in various countries


 * Context of Adult learning - formal, informal, lifelong, work-based, institutional, flexible/blended learning, e-learning, distance, competency based, trainee/apprenticeship, individual learning, group learning, coaching, mentoring, experiential


 * Adult Learning - learning theories, characteristics of adult learners, research on the brain and it's effect on adult education


 * Training Needs Analysis - what, why, how


 * Designing Learning - learning outcomes, strategies, The learning environment, process, phases (analysis, plan, design, develop), designing and developing learning resources


 * Delivery - The role of the trainer, techniques, methods, tools and how to choose, session plans


 * E-learning - methods and tools, facilitating online


 * Assessment - what and why, methods, evidence, preparation, conduct, document, validate


 * Evaluation of Learning and Assessment - Models, designing, techniques, reporting


 * Managing - Role of Manager, Auditing, Planning (Strategic, Operational), Marketing and promoting, organising, staffing, monitoring, Return on Investment, Scope of Training Services, Coordinating training, change management


 * Contemporary Issues - what skills does an excellent teacher possess, what does professionalism mean in teaching, fostering educational innovation, reflecting on educational practice, quality in education (and continuous improvement), Recognition of Prior Learning, 21st century skills, e-portfolios, the role of technology in education, management development, leadership, new directions for Adult and Continuing Education, maybe open sourced v closed source materials :-)


 * Comprehensive Bibliography


 * Glossary


 * List of Resources

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD MORE!--Sandy Causer (aka Wakalena) 22:52, 26 November 2009 (UTC)


 * I think that you have done a good job of including all the information one could possibly want except perhaps for a comprehensive bibliography. --Joyce McKnight 21:36, 28 November 2009 (UTC)


 * I would hope to find research based best practices and lesson plans and materials and modules that I could immediately plug into my teaching practice. I would expect to find checklists and rubriks for traditional and non-traditional assessment. And I would hope to find a list of web 2.0 resources, with examples of each one, for integrating technology into my teaching practice. Does any of this sound like something that you would include in the textbook?redcamarocruiser 02:08, 9 December 2009 (UTC)

=Resources=
 * Adult Education - companion project - listing resources