Compiled and annotated by Gerald
Grow
Merriam, S. & Caffarella, R. (1999). Learning in Adulthood.
This textbook is the best overview of the adult education. Very well done.
Brookfield, Stephen. (1986). Understanding and Facilitating Adult Learning.
Brookfield has
several books worth looking at, including, Developing Critical Thinkers and Becoming a Critically
Reflective Teacher.
Daloz, L. (1986). Effective Teaching and Mentoring: Realizing the Transformational Power of Adult Learning Experiences. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
A deep and sensitive account of teaching and learning. See especially his chapter on three maps of how adults change.
Grow, Gerald. (1991)."Teaching Learners to be Self-Directed." Originally published in Adult Education Quarterly, available in expanded form at <www.longleaf.net/ggrow>.
Adapts Situational Leadership to education and proposes that students progress through four stages of learning to be independent, and that each stage requires a different kind of teaching.
Knowles, M. (1980). The Modern
Practice of Adult Education: From Pedagogy to Andragogy .
Arguably the most influential book by the most influential writer in the field.
Mezirow, Jack. (1991). Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning.
The key work on how adults use learning to make meaning out of their life experiences and transform themselves in the process.
Parajes, Frank. (n.d.) Self-Efficacy
Beliefs and Current Directions in Self-Efficacy Research.
Parajes has applied Bandura’s self-efficacy to education, with many implications for adult education. He maintains an a helpful and exuberant website at: <http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/self-efficacy.html>.
Tennant, M. & Pogson, P. (1995). Learning and Change in the Adult Years.
Stages of development in the adult years.
Vella, Jane. (1994). Learning to
Listen, Learning to Teach.
With an engaging combination of grit, practicality, and idealism, Vella nails down the essential steps in design programs for adults—from needs assessment to accountability.
Wlodkowski, Raymond J. (1998). Enhancing
Adult Motiva tion to Learn : A Comprehensive Guide for Teaching All Adults.
Excellent book on motivation, with an emphasis on adults.