How to Teach Adults: Plan Your Class, Teach Your Students, Change the World, Expanded Edition (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education (Paperback))

Disclosure again: We used this book in a graduate level course entitled Interdisciplinary Pedagogy. Dan came to the class and talked to us about his book and he also addressed our questions regarding our teaching endeavors.This book is a great nuts and bolts book: lots of real common sense for teaching and for developing one's professional teaching abilities. Dan makes it clear that teaching, like any other profession, is fired by desire and fueled by hard work. The groundwork of developing a syllabus is fundamental. Being clear with students likewise. Being flexible keeps both the teacher and the students learning. Dan knows his stuff because he has lived and worked through all the advice he provides. Do buy this book.

This book is extremely helpful for new teachers and veteran teachers! Dan's writing style is clear and concise. He gives ideas not only for lessons but also for how to best succeed in the difficult field of adult teaching. I would have found this book valuable when I was teaching high school as well! It's a quick read and I find myself referring to it weekly.

For someone who is constantly writing documentation to teach adults in the corporate world, this book gave me some valuable insights. Thanks, Dan!

To understand this book properly, the reader must grasp that Spalding has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to adults for several years. He is engaged in self-education and in innovation of education for other groups. In the final chapter of this book, he lays out an ambitious vision for what public education has to offer America in our time.He addresses learning for adults primarily in a classroom environment (such as with his ESL classes), not in graduate school nor informally in a workplace. As such, he misses the mark in terms of what adult education is about. Much of adult education happens in unstructured (or even pseudo-structured) environments like churches. People learn from each other in an ad hoc manner. Or they read something (say, on the Internet) that teaches them about something else and discuss it with friends, family, or colleagues. In my experience, adult education – even in more formal graduate schools – is focused on efficient learning but not as much on the formalities of a teacher/student dichotomy.I personally aim to teach and to learn in every environment I’m engaged with. I keep a book blog; I coordinate a Sunday School class for adults; I develop software with co-workers and discuss learnings; I lead discussions about that software with computer users; I talk over life with my daughter at the dinner table; etc. I’m interested in how to make those relationships adhere to efficient two-way knowledge exchange. This book frankly did not hit that sweet spot. It did point me to some resources that might, however.This book’s audience is those engaged with teaching adults in formal (classroom) environments. It goes into detail about the issues educators might face and pushes the envelope about how to adapt those environments to contemporary needs. It adapts how schools of education teach teachers to adult learning contexts. This is a very necessary task; it just doesn’t fit my personal situation. It would have been nice to have a chapter (or even a series of chapters) on how to teach adults in non-classroom environments, where most adults spend most of their time. This could include in informal relationships, through group presentations, in meetings, or by technology and media.The book did close strong by dwelling on two important issues for every American teacher: how to grow personally and where American education ought to go corporately. Clearly, Spalding cares about his profession and about his own and his students’ places in the world. His pedagogy is informed by his life, and vice versa. Professional teachers in particular will benefit from his approach.

Anyone teaching 6-12, and college can benefit from this book. The author writes in simple forms so that anyone, especially a teacher can make meaning from what the author suggests. At the same time, the author allows for his own personal stories and suggestions to help the reader better understand the various topics which are presented. I am looking forward to reading the additional books the author suggested, which will enhance my teaching and own personal development.

Honest and helpful. It had great tips and insight. I found myself writing notes as much as I read. I checked this book out of the library and I liked it so much, I had to buy it. That way I could mark and highlight the book for later reference.Helpful book, would recommend to anybody who interacts with adults! Managers, teachers, parents who want good relationships with their children (your children will grow into adults.(sometimes parents have to hear that)).

Good book with useful information.

no. what a joke of a book. this was required reading for a class. the authors seems to mock students while puffing out his chest thinking he so darned smart, which he is not. boring. a waste of pages.

Short easy read with very helpful points!

Great book, Maybe the only one on the market about this subject. I am fully referring to it for my classes. The only thing is that it's maybe too much 'school " orientated , it should have a part about people teaching to private people or private organisations ( no marking, no admin, and you can be friends with the students ! )

GOOD