With such creativity, even though adult learners are in programs for limited times and their goals are usually pragmatic, skilled instructional planning can broaden the learning experience. In order to select and achieve learning standards, it is necessary to become familiar with the materials available and appropriate for the adult learner. Commercial materials on the market are available to utilize in instructional planning. There are many circumstances when such “packaged” instruction is perfectly appropriate. However, adult educators are often very resourceful in tapping into their creativity and planning their own instructional activities.

The breadth of available resources for instructional planning is unending (see box for examples). Creatively harnessing these resources provides a sense of self-satisfaction, helping prevent that all-too-common condition afflicting educators: burn-out. To assist in instructional planning, SED has developed a number of programs and other resources addressing a variety of populations and issues. These can be found in the resources section, later in this guide.

Also, as part of this package, a series of collections of learning experiences will be included. The first collection consists of lessons developed by New York State's adult educators and reviewed and accepted as best practices by their peers. Collecting learning experiences, reviewing them, and selecting best practices will be an ongoing process and other volumes will become available.

Classroom Management

Another way to broaden the scope of learning standards is to look for opportunities in classroom management. This important educational process encompasses all activities contributing to making a program work.

Classroom management extends far beyond the classroom. Learning takes place at the worksite, in the home with families, with friends, in the learning center, or in the library -- to mention a few. However, the classroom is the hub where a learner's progress is planned, guided, facilitated, assessed, and documented. The care exercised in creating an inviting and safe environment for instruction to take place will go a long way to ensure that adult learners achieve their goals in a timely fashion.