Building for Adult Learning

K. Leed and J. Leed. Building for Adult Learning. Cincinnati, Ohio: LDA Publishing, 1987. 280 pp. $29.95.

In judging the merit of a book, the reader must understand what the authors are trying to do. The Leeds clearly outline in the foreword their assumptions as well as their goals. One must be aware that:

This handbook also assumes that the reader is interested in organization-related training and development, not public education. The clear purpose of organizational training and development is primarily related to the growth and development of the organization (p.iii).

Numerous groups of adult educators will find comfort in two aspects of Building for Adult Learning. First, the Leeds do a superb job in explaining their vision of the adult as a lifelong learner. The introduction dealing with learning and the adult learner is strikingly clear and based on accepted traditions of adult learning theory. While they claim, "The handbook itself is not designed to be an academic treatise" (p.iii), they do the adult education enterprise a service in explaining succinctly what others have written at greater length. Second, there's a consistent development of the concept of teamwork. Drawing a distinction between a true team and a committee, the Leeds respect the skills of each proposed member of a planning team and encourage the reader to recognize and use these differing perspectives.

What may be difficult for many to accept is the underlying assumption of Building for Adult Learning that a facility has important impact on learning. This isn't much ado about nothing. Rather, it's an acknowl-edgement that "people learn in the strangest places" (p. 3) and that "a creative solution to a problem or the perfection of a skill is often revealed in non-classroom spaces, while the classroom often is the catalyst for learning" (p. 3). The Leeds are successful in this book only to the extent that they can instill in the reader an appreciation that "most adult learners are not consciously aware of a facility, but subconsciously they can detect annoyances which can quickly block or hamper learning" (p. 3). When all of us involved in adult education recognize that building, interior, media, and support elements constitute usable variables in the learning equation, then adult learners will benefit from informed control rather than haphazard acceptance. The Leeds postulate a five-step building block model leading from meeting creature comforts through a climate of trust and sharing, a maximizing of social contact, high expectations of quality, and finally, an environment that inspires greater achievement. For too long, too many adult educators have accepted learning environments, usually classrooms, that are at the lower end.

The serious reader of Building for Adult Learning will benefit from its concise, clear statements as well as its comprehensive coverage of human, media, and structural components of the environment. The reader can learn facts and information from the Leeds, but this book's greatest value is its potential to change one's attitude. This book helps us learn about and from the learning environment, making the book a worthwhile investment for those serious about facilitating learning throughout adulthood.