Taking Learning to Task: Creative Strategies for Teaching Adults 1st Edition

Taking learning to task is an excellent resource for any adult educator. The author recognizes the power of dialogue and demonstrates how to leverage that power in clear, practical steps. Taking all of her books together, Vella shows us how to create interactive environments that encourage deep and transformative learning. The book is based on solid adult education theory yet she does not burden the reader with a lot of unnecssary educational jargon; she cuts to the chase. Instead of just talking about the virtues of theorists such as Freire, she shows us how to do it. Furthermore, Vella writes from extensive cross-cultural experience which makes this book even more valuable in our globalized society.

The book used in its design the very approach to adult learning it is promoting and it has been effective. I will now seek to apply this new method to all my teaching and learning events, classrooms and seminars.

Hosanna Bible College

Used for my college class and got it for a great price

good review and evaluation of education

Very please

This book was difficult to use in a Biblical setting.

When you are teaching a class of adults, do you find yourself wondering if the class is getting the information? Do you wonder if you are talking too much? These are questions for all adult educators, and this book is a good first start. It teaches the use of learning tasks rather than lectures.Jane Vella is a trainer and an adjunct professor. She has written past works on adult training and, at times, refers to them in this book. The cultures and educational backgrounds of students she has taught are many, and she uses that experience. These techniques will help educators work with that.The book is a short piece that has an easy tone. The beginning educator can easily access this without being caught up in theoretical discourse. This is designed for use rather than reflection. Likewise, Vella gives plenty of examples to walk you through the different steps in planning learning tasks. In one example, she discusses an online history course. Rather than have the student read the test and answer questions (basically enforcing rote memorization), the example asks the student to investigate how the US president gets power through the Constitution. The question is more of an open question that invites exploration rather than a closed question that asks for a parroting of the answer.Unfortunately, not all of the steps are explained clearly. In some places, there is no example to illustrate the point. In one instance, she mentions there needs to be critical feeling in the lesson. This sounds like a great idea and probably the point that requires the most explanation, but there is no example to make sure the reader follows the writer.There is also, in my opinion, a bit of bombast. Towards the beginning, Vella mentions graduate students she works with who have trouble with their dissertations. She proposes that they would have no trouble at all if they had learning tasks since preschool. Why is this in the book? If students were lectured on dissertations since preschool, I think they would have success in writing a dissertation in graduate school, too. Because this statement is in the beginning, it makes me wonder if she believes she has a system or idea that will sell itself.Nonetheless, Vella�s book is good for the new instructor or the instructor who feels there must be a better way than lecturing; in contrast, the book may not be a good investment...

I stumbled across Jane Vella when I was doing an adult education course in teaching (PTLLS). She wasn't on the reading list, but I picked her book off the shelf in the library and was immediately interested. I still can't understand why she isn't recommended reading on the course. I am a trainer at work and this book revolutionised how I train. I have put into practice most of what she says - in particular I use small groups within a large group, and I set action based learning objectives - and my training is hugely improved as a result. She encourages the trainer to step down from the 'expert' role and to think less about teaching and more about learning. It means you talk a lot less and listen a lot more on the day! Her message that teaching is a dialogue was news to me - but then apart from the PTLLS I have never done teacher training so perhaps this is all less radical if you have.Working as a teacher outside an educational environment can leave you feeling rather isolated and at sea. You don't get the support of educationalists, and your only benchmark for doing well is the feedback of your trainees. But you don't want to be experimenting on them as they are giving up precious time and deserve the best training possible. This book gives practical information about how to become learner and learning focused. I return to it all the time and it stops me going back to bad habits.

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