Facilitating Learning with the Adult Brain in Mind

KATHLEEN TAYLOR is professor in the Doctorate of Educational Leadership program in the Kalmanovitz School of Education at Saint Mary’s College of California. A former Fulbright Scholar, she teaches, writes, and consults internationally in the areas of adult development and learning, learning and transformation, creativity, and “brain-aware” facilitation of adult learning.CATHERINE MARIENAU is professor-faculty mentor and coordinator of the Master of Arts in Educating Adults program in the School for New Learning at DePaul University. She teaches, writes, and consults in the areas of adult learning and development, competency-based learning, assessing learning, reflective practice, and “brain-aware” facilitation of adult learning. They are the authors, with Morris Fiddler, of the award-winning Developing Adult Learners: Strategies for Teachers and Trainers from Jossey-Bass.

• Preface ixPART I: Brain: Then and Now 1Chapter 1: Brain Basics–changes in the brain over eons 3Chapter 2: The Learning, Changing Adult Brain–experience, memory, and emotions 33Chapter 3: Metaphors, Embodiment, and Hemispheres–foundations of brain-aware approaches 59PART II: PracticesThat Enhance Adult Learning–featuring the Theatre of Knowing 81Chapter 4: Setting the Stage for Learning–lowering anxiety, engaging curiosity 91Chapter 5: Enter Stage Left–starting with verbal-theoretical conceptual approaches in mind 115Chapter 6: Enter Stage Right–starting with embodied and metaphorical approaches in mind 135Chapter 7: Center Stage–interweaving multifaceted approaches 175Chapter 8: Spotlight on Meaning Making–scaffolding reflection and feedback 215PART III: Reflecting on Practice 245Chapter 9: Enhancing Brain-Aware Practice with Theory–foundational theories of learning and development 247Chapter 10: Toward Complexity and Commitment–learning that promotes courageous informed action 287Epilogue 311References 315Acknowledgments 331About the Authors and Contributors 333Name Index 345Subject Index 349