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Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach is designed to demonstrate the power and value of dialogue over monologue, and active over passive learning when it comes to educating adults. Vella demonstrates through real life examples how her twelve transcendent principles flesh out in a variety of specific contexts all around the world. This book is designed to help all adult educators embody and model a more effective way to facilitate actual learning. Not only does the book clearly explain and illustrate the twelve principles, but it also calls us to engage and analyze the principles along the way. This book demonstrates what active learning is all about.A quick summary of the principles for effective adult learning:1. Needs Assessment: The First Step in DialogueIt is important to have a need-oriented approach to learning, where the scratch meets the itch by asking the www (political) question - "Who needs what as defined by whom?"2. Safety: Creating a Safe Environment for LearningCreating an atmosphere where learners feel safe: where they can trust in the feasibility, relevance and sequence of the learning objectives; where the learners can be both "creative and critical" in their response to the program in an affirming environment.3. Sound Relationships: The Power of Friendship and RespectThe relationship between the teacher and student is vital. The more that the teacher can formally and informally create a relationship of mutual respect, the greater the motivation and learning potential of the adult learner.4. Sequence and Reinforcement: Knowing Where and How to BeginBased upon the needs assessment, the teacher designs an appropriate sequence of lessons moving from simple to complex and from group supported to mastering the lessons alone, in a way the reinforces the learning outcomes. The Seven Steps of Planning: Who, Why, When, Where, What For, What and How help design and reinforce the achievement-based objectives.5. Praxis: Action with ReflectionPraxis is practice in dynamic relation with thought, where the learner engages in the practice of a new skill, attitude or concept - then immediately reflects on what they just did. The process of action and reflection, practice and thought is repeated in a cyclical process, each informing the other.6. Respect for Learners: Learners as Subjects of Their Own LearningIn as far as it is possible, allow adult learners to determine what occurs in a learning event, based on their need assessment and the seven steps of planning.7. Learning with Ideas, Feelings and ActionsActive learning is more effective than passive learning and requires learning objectives that help people think, feel and do.8. Immediacy: Teaching What is Really UsefulInviting people to immediately use a skill and see its benefit, gives them motivation to continue to learn more of the skills set out in the learning sequence.9. Clear Roles: Reinforcement of Human Equity between Teacher and StudentThe goal is to do whatever is necessary to foster honest dialogue, so that adults can learn together - while at the same time clarifying who has a deliberate voice and who has a consultative voice.10. Teamwork: How People Learn TogetherBy using small groups in healthy competition with each other, the learners are able to provide reinforcement and constructive feedback with each other, enabling effective learning.11. Engagement: Learning As an Active ProcessThe goal is not to cover a set of materials, but to allow the learner to engage in an active process of learning by doing.12. Accountability: Success Is in the Eyes of the LearnerIn the end, the educator wants to understand if the learner has actually learned the achievement-based outcomes. The best way to determine if someone has learned is to see if the learner is able to put into action what they have learned and if they have confidence that they "know that they know".This is a great book to help teachers engage their students in active learning.