New Adult Learning Titles in the Free Library's Catalog

By Betsy M. RSS Wed, April 24, 2024

Languages and Learning is the Free Library of Philadelphia's department for adult education support, connecting patrons seeking Adult Basic Education, English Language Learner, and World Language support to the appropriate resources.

There are many reasons that adults continue learning! Whether you want to sharpen your algebra skills or learn to read for the first time, the Free Library is ready to support you. In addition to programs like GED Math at Parkway Central Library or Adult Basic Literacy at Nicetown-Tioga and Lucien E. Blackwell Regional libraries, the Free Library also has short novels with simple language, guides to navigate learning as an adult, and other resources for those working with adult learners.

Recently, the Free Library acquired hundreds of new books centered around adult learning, including the ones below. What will you learn?

 

Easy Reads

Easy reads are short novels with simple language, written to keep the reader engaged and foster a love of reading. You can find these in Philbrick Hall at Parkway Central.

The Fall Guy by Barbara Fraser Fradkin

When handyman Cedric O'Toole is set up to take the fall for a murder he didn't commit, he will need all his inventive powers to save himself.

And Everything Nice by Kim Moritsugu

After joining a community rock choir, Stephanie helps her new friend recover her private journal from a blackmailer.

 

Teaching and Learning

These are books geared toward learners and teachers alike, focusing on teaching methods and tools to use in the classroom or on your own.

The Dyslexia Guide for Adults: Practical Tools To Improve Executive Functioning, Boost Literacy Skills, and Develop Your Unique Strengths by Marci Peterson

Learn how to thrive with dyslexia as an adult. No matter when you're diagnosed, living with dyslexia can be a challenge — but it can also make you a unique and creative thinker. The Dyslexia Guide for Adults helps you boost your confidence with advice for embracing your greatest strengths.

The Adult Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development by Malcolm S. Knowles

How do you tailor education to the learning needs of adults? Do they learn differently from children? How does their life experience inform their learning processes? These were the questions at the heart of Malcolm Knowles' pioneering theory of andragogy which transformed education theory in the 1970s. The resulting principles of a self-directed, experiential, problem-centered approach to learning have been hugely influential and are still the basis of the learning practices we use today. Understanding these principles is the cornerstone of increasing motivation and enabling adult learners to achieve.

Let Them Choose: Cafeteria Learning Style for Adults by Jillian Douglas

Part experimental, part social, and part emotional, the Cafeteria Learning Style model encourages learners to explore and absorb content at their own speed and direction. It puts learners in the best position to succeed.

Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide by Sharan B. Merriam

Drawing from a background of work in sociology, philosophy, and critical social theory as well as psychology and education, the authors construct an inclusive perspective on adult learning, guiding readers toward new ways of thinking about teaching, learning, and the broader social implications of adult education.

 

Psychology of Learning

Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning by Tom Vanderbilt

Why do so many of us stop learning new skills as adults? Are we afraid to fail? Have we forgotten the sheer pleasure of being a beginner? Or is it simply a fact that you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Inspired by his young daughter's insatiable need to know how to do almost everything, and stymied by his own rut of mid-career competence, Tom Vanderbilt begins a year of learning purely for the sake of learning. He tackles five main skills (and picks up a few more along the way), choosing them for their difficulty to master and their distinct lack of career marketability — chess, singing, surfing, drawing, and juggling.

A Divine Language: Learning Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus at the Edge of Old Age by Alec Wilkinson

This is a spirited, metaphysical exploration into math's deepest mysteries and conundrums at the crux of middle age.

Learning: A Very Short Introduction by Mark Haselgrove

Learning is a key aspect of animal behavior, and central to survival. Without learning there can be no memory, language, or intelligence. Haselgrove looks at the nature of learning, and how it takes place. From the early experiments of Pavlov, Thorndike, and others, to the most recent studies in social learning, he traces the development of the main theories of learning in contemporary psychology describing the ingenious experimental approaches used to study learning in both animals and humans.


Please email adultlearning@freelibrary.org to learn more about Languages and Learning with the Free Library of Philadelphia.


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