STUDY
GROUP OUTLINE
Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach:
The Power of Dialogue in Educating Adults
by Jane Vella, published by Jossey-Bass, Inc., Publishers, c 1994.
Part
Two: The Principles in Action-Across Cultures and Around the
World
Chapter
3-Needs Assessment: The First Step in Dialogue
- Author Jane
Vella says that, "Here is the key to adult learning.
. .the key is the loving, respectful relationship of learner
and teacher." (pg 45) Have you ever experienced this type
of relationship with a student, and, if so, how did it develop?
Do you have a continuing relationship with that former student?
- "A protocol, in this situation," according to Ms. Vella, "was
a system of related activities, in a very strict sequence, that got a job done
with assured quality. These protocols related one to the other so that the whole
program could be seen as a flow of activities." (pg 47) Can you identify
one or more protocols in your classroom instruction? Is there a situation where
protocol planning might have improved the effectiveness of your instruction?
- What does the author mean when she says that this question - "Who
Needs What as Defined by Whom?" - is "never definitively
answered. It must be asked again and again." (pg 48)
- "They felt safe to disagree with one another. In time, they would feel safe
to disagree with me and the program director. I have found that the moment of
dissent in a course is a rich moment of learning for all. Modeling a true attitude
of inquiry and learning is perhaps the most useful thing a teacher of adults
can do." (pg 50) Do your students feel safe disagreeing with you? Do you
feel safe ... or under attack ... when they disagree with you? Do you agree or
disagree with the author that dissent creates a rich learning opportunity? Why?
- When you
were in adult classes - adult education programs, community
outreach classes, college classes or other classes specifically
for adults - did an instructor ever consult you individually
to see if the course was meeting your needs and/or expectations?
Would such a consultation have affected your opinion of the
class? Have you met individually with one or more of your current
students to ask them if they are receiving the kind of instruction
they expected to receive before the class began? If you have,
what comments have you received, and what, if any, changes
have you made in your class instruction?
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