Choice is one of the most important words in adult education. Adult learners choose their paths. Adult educators clearly advise and facilitate. However, honoring the adult learners' choices is a unique, integral part of adult education. These choices may not encompass all of the learning standards.

Where to Begin

This edition of the Adult Education Resource Guide and Learning Standards addresses the English language arts and mathematics, science, and technology learning standards. Adults may not choose to master all of these learning standards when they enter an education program. Later, however, they may enter another adult education program to further enhance their skills in English language arts and mathematics or tackle another learning standard. Or, they may enter an employment training program, again strengthening their skills. The point in adult education is that the learner comes to a program with goals and a path in mind. Cumulatively, they may achieve all the learning standards at the commencement or exit level, or they may not.

The job of teachers and counselors is to help adult learners achieve their goals by creatively using the critical educational processes -- curriculum development, instructional planning, classroom management, and assessment -- to capitalize on skills and life experiences, maximize impact, meet students' time frames, and achieve the learning standards. Instructional planning, classroom management, and assessment will each be briefly described below to provide a context for reviewing the resource guide and the curricula. Curriculum development is the focus of the remainder of this resource guide. But first, a review of the terminology:

Curriculum: A set of intended learning outcomes.

Instruction: Learning experiences or activities designed to achieve outcomes.

Assessment: The measure of outcome mastery.

Classroom Management: Orchestration of all phases of instructional planning, implementation, and delivery; also known as “creating a learning community.”