Book Review: The New Update on Adult Learning Theory: New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education

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. The New Update on Adult Learning Theory: New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, edited by Sharan B. Merriam, is a valuable resource for people interested in Learning Theories and it is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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A companion work to 1993's popular An Update on Adult Learning Theory, this issue provides the adult learning educator with the latest developments, significant research, and continuing scholarship in andragogy and self-directed learning. Exploring a variety of frameworks, including context-based learning, informal and incidental learning, somatic learning, and narrative learning; the authors analyze recent additions to well-established theories and discuss the potential impact of today's cutting-edge approaches. Revised models of theories introduced in the 1993 edition, such as women's learning and transformational learning, are updated with the results of burgeoning scholarship and empirical data gathered in the 1990s. Articles also introduce pioneering developments in adult learning research, including new understandings of the brain's relationship to mind and consciousness and the role of emotions, feelings, and the imagination in the learning process. As an assessment of adult learning theory today, this volume is an indispensable resource for adult learning educators committed to delivering a more effective practice in the classroom, in the workplace, or in the community.

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This is the 89th volume of the quarterly journal New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education.