Facilitating Group Learning Strategies for Success with Adult Learners

George Lakey presents the core principles and proven techniques of direct education, an approach he developed for effectively teaching adults in groups. To illustrate how it works in action, Lakey includes a wealth of compelling stories from his vast experience facilitating groups in a variety of situations. Direct education cuts through the pretense and needless complications that can distance learners from subject matter. This approach focuses the encounter between teacher and group; it replaces scattered attention with gathered attention. Unlike in other books on group facilitation, the author emphasizes critical issues related to diversity, as well as authenticity and emotions. Step by step, this groundbreaking book describes how to design effective learning experiences and shows what it takes to facilitate them. Ultimately, it brings all the elements of the author's direct education approach together. Facilitating Group Learning also contains material on sustaining the educator, addresses working with social movements, and includes the Training for Change toolkit of group learning techniques.

George Lakey has led over 1,500 social change workshops on five continents. Mark Leier works in the history department of Simon Fraser University.