A Guide to Planning and Implementing Instruction for Adults: A Theme-Based Approach

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.

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.

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.