Within at least the past twenty years there has been a dramatic "narrative turn" in the humanities and social sciences which finds its source in the
understanding of narrative as the primary structure of human meaning making. Researchers and practitioners in psychology, adult development, and education have given increasing attention to the power and pedagogical effectiveness of narrative. The purpose of this book is to apply these insights to our understanding of adults as learners. We know that the telling of the personal experience narrative is a powerful avenue to self-understanding, transformative learning, and personal growth. We
explore these and other ways in which narrative can inform the practitioners of adult education, as well as how we can understand learning as a narrative process. |
| | "Narrative and the Practice of Adult Education succeeds in presenting the goal of effective
and meaningful adult education focused on narrative or stoytelling. Rossiter and Clark, both practitioners in the field of adult education, succinctly capture the theme of adult education: transformative learning connects the storied self and the world in adult education classrooms." -- Yung Suk Kim, Teaching Theology and Religion, 2009
"…certainly fulfills the authors' hopes of marrying wide-ranging theoretical underpinnings of narrative to potentially transformative
teaching and learning practices. Another impressive feature of the book is the way Rossiter and Clark attend to ethical considerations related to narrative and dissuade any illusion of narrative as the mere diaristic rendering of one's individual experiences. They place narrative within the context of an interpretive approach, and encourage thoughtful and critical reflection." -- Dianne Roulson, The Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, Vol. 22 No. 1, November
2009
"Rossiter and Clark have written an interesting book on narrative that should be useful to the adult education practitioner." -- Dr. Kathleen B. Rager, Adult Learning, Vol. 19 Numbers 1 & 2 |
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