Book Review: Making Sense of Adult Learning

This book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Learning. Learning is the act of gaining knowledge through study, instruction or experience. Pat Wyman is the Official Guide to Learning. Making Sense of Adult Learning, by Dorothy MacKeracher, is a valuable resource for people interested in Learning Problems and it is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Updating her 1996 edition to include new research on brain function and the role of the learning environment, MacKeracher (University of New Brunswick) describes how adults learn. She begins with the basic assumptions about learning in general and adult learning in particular—and how individuals have preferences and experiences which may affect their learning—and then describes cycles in learning as proposed by Kolb and Taylor and theories of learning styles. Other topics include the workings of the nervous system, the mind, intelligence and cognitive development; how physical learning works in adults; the influence of relationships, spiritual issues, environment, and context on the willingness or ability of adult learners; and basic strategies and theoretical models for facilitating adult learning. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

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Dorothy MacKeracher is a professor emerita in the Faculty of Education at the University of New Brunswick.