Facilitating Learning with the Adult Brain in Mind

PRACTICAL BRAIN-AWARE APPROACHES FOR HELPING ADULTS LEARN AND DEVELOP Brain-aware facilitation seemed likely to contribute to the very kind of learning that enable adults to make more informed choices and act in more deliberate and impactful ways. Learning about how the adult brain learns underscores the role that we and other practitioners can play in fostering these developmental outcomes both for individuals and toward the greater social good. -From the Preface The educational implications of current brain research are often over-hyped and over-generalized. Synthesizing contributions from colleagues around the globe with foundational theories of adult learning, Taylor and Marienau offer dozens of examples of brain-aware approaches to practice that can be adopted and adapted for the multitude of settings-workplace and academic, formal and informal-where adult learning happens. -David A. Kolb, founder & chairman of Experience Based Learning Systems, Inc.; author, Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development, 2nd ed.; creator of the Kolb Learning Styles Inventory The workings of the brain, and the connections between brain chemistry and adult learning, have long been missing from the literature of adult education. So many assertions about what conditions best foster learning are based on anecdotal evidence or broad generalizations drawn from the theory of the day. In this groundbreaking book the authors take us skillfully and creatively on a journey through the construction of 'brain aware' approaches to support adult learning. Although the topic is complex the text is written clearly and accessibly. Facilitating Learning with the Adult Brain in Mind is a must read for anyone interested in facilitating adult learning. -Stephen D. Brookfield, John Ireland Endowed Chair, University of St. Thomas, and author, Powerful Techniques for Teaching Adults Historically, once we, as facilitators, enter the theatre of adult learning and the houselights fade to dark, we have found it challenging to gauge what truly transpires behind the fixed faces of our adult audiences in our attempts to perform miracles of learning transfer. Mystery no more, as authors Marienau and Taylor use the latest insights of neuroscience to lift the curtain at long last and reveal which facilitation techniques work-and why- leading to real adult learning moments. WARNING: This book both validates and verifies; be prepared to leave your assumptions at the stage door. -Trish Uhl, CPLP, Learning Transformation Leader at Owl's Ledge