The theory and practice of learning.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

An overview of the basic theories of learning. It looks at how these have developed and demonstrates how they can be put into practice. The authors put forward their own theory as well as examining others.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• The authors (p. vi)
• Preface to the first edition (p. viii)
• Preface to the second edition (p. x)
• 1 The emergence of lifelong learning (p. 1)
• From childhood to adult to lifelong (p. 2)
• From the few to the many (p. 3)
• From learning as process to learning as an institutional phenomenon (p. 4)
• From education and training to learning (p. 4)
• From teacher-centred to student-centred education (p. 5)
• Liberal to vocational and human resource development (p. 6)
• From theoretical to practical (p. 7)
• From single discipline to multidisciplinary to integrated knowledge (p. 7)
• From knowledge as truth to knowledge as relative/information/narrative/discourse (p. 8)
• From rote learning to learning as reflection (p. 9)
• From welfare needs to market demands (wants) (p. 10)
• From classical curriculum to romantic curriculum to programme (p. 10)
• From face-to-face to distance e-learning (p. 11)
• Conclusion (p. 12)
• 2 The social background of lifelong learning (p. 13)
• The focus on change (p. 14)
• Characteristics of modern societies (p. 15)
• Education and modern society (p. 17)
• The forces of change (p. 19)
• Learning and the postmodern condition (p. 22)
• 3 Behaviourist approaches to learning (p. 24)
• The problem of definition (p. 24)
• Behavioural theorists (p. 25)
• Conditioning (p. 27)
• Teaching and learning (p. 28)
• Conclusion (p. 30)
• 4 Cognitivist theories (p. 32)
• Jean Piaget (p. 32)
• Lev Vygotsky (p. 36)
• Jack Mezirow (p. 38)
• Conclusion (p. 41)
• 5 Social learning (p. 42)
• Learning, culture and social roles (p. 44)
• Mead and the social construction of self (p. 47)
• Bandura and social learning theory (p. 49)
• Collective learning (p. 50)
• Conclusion (p. 52)
• 6 Experiential learning (p. 53)
• The nature of experience (p. 53)
• The nature of experiential learning (p. 56)
• Reflections of experiential learning (p. 65)
• Conclusion (p. 67)
• 7 Types of learning (p. 68)
• Authors and their terminology (p. 68)
• A process of synthesis (p. 72)
• Conclusion (p. 75)
• 8 Culture and learning (p. 76)
• Introduction (p. 76)
• How do women learn? (p. 77)
• Women's identity and morality: the work of Carol Gilligan (p. 78)
• Women's ways of knowing (p. 80)
• Do Chinese learners learn differently? (p. 85)
• Conclusion (p. 88)
• 9 Self-directed learning (p. 89)
• Cyril Houle (p. 91)
• Allen Tough (p. 92)
• Malcolm Knowles (p. 94)
• Stephen Brookfield (p. 96)
• From theory to practice (p. 99)
• Self-directed learning and public policy (p. 101)
• Conclusion (p. 101)
• 10 Contracts and learning (p. 103)
• The search for predictability (p. 103)
• Contracts and markets (p. 105)
• Learning contracts: self-direction and personal autonomy (p. 106)
• Contracts and competence (p. 108)
• The 'contracting society' (p. 109)
• Learning contracts and modular learning (p. 112)
• The language of contracts (p. 113)
• Contracts and freedom (p. 115)
• 11 Open and distance learning (p. 116)
• Traditional education and closed institutions (p. 117)
• Defining open learning (p. 118)
• Open learning and distance education (p. 119)
• Theories of distance education (p. 121)
• From theory to practice (p. 125)
• Conclusion (p. 128)
• 12 Work-based and problem-based learning (p. 129)
• Learning at work (p. 129)
• A brief history of learning at work (p. 130)
• Training and the changing workplace (p. 132)
• Developing 'human resources' (p. 133)
• 13 The learning organization (p. 144)
• The historical evolution of the learning organization (p. 144)
• Defining the learning organization (p. 147)
• Landmark contributors (p. 149)
• Applications (p. 152)
• A critical perspective (p. 153)
• Conclusion (p. 155)
• 14 Assessing learning (p. 157)
• The traditional approach to assessment (p. 158)
• Contemporary issues in assessment (p. 161)
• References (p. 171)
• Further reading (p. 185)
• Index (p. 194)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

The Theory and Practice of Learning is a deceptive title: it suggests something along the lines of Jeanne Ellis Ormrod's Human Learning (3rd ed., 1999) or Richard Hamilton and Elizabeth Ghatala's Learning and Instruction, 1994), but there is an important difference. Ormrod and Hamilton are primarily interested in explaining the origin and development of different theories of learning, almost entirely within the context of psychology. Jarvis et al. (Univ. of Surrey) are more interested in the evolution of learning theory as a product of the social movements occurring when each theory emerged. Their ultimate objective is to explain the transition from education to lifelong learning in postmodern society. Traditional learning texts explain and contrast different learning theories; while these authors also do this to a certain degree, they are not satisfied with that element alone. They identify the relevant philosophical, sociological, and economic changes that are the driving forces behind the move to lifelong learning. As a result of this emphasis, this book has an interdisciplinary character. It will provoke comment beyond the realm of psychology and the bounds of traditional educational institutions. Recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above. D. E. Tanner; California State University, Fresno