Learning and Development : Making Connections to Enhance Teaching

"The authors pull off an impressive double. They synthesize an enormous amount of relevant research on learning and development while also making clear the connections this research has for practice. Written in a helpful and accessible style, and full of case studies, applications, instruments, and vignettes of practice, the book will be an invaluable resource for college teachers at any level."--Stephen Brookfield, Distinguished Professor, University of St. Thomas

"Effectively integrating the perspectives of a director of a university learning assistance center and a scholar in the area of developmental education, Silverman and Casazza have written an important book. It should be read by anyone concerned with the academic success of the increasingly diverse population of undergraduates in colleges and universities."--Ernest Pascarella, Petersen Professor of Higher Education, University of Iowa

Comprehensive yet easy to follow, Learning and Development is designed to help faculty, student affairs professionals, and other educators understand how students learn and what they can do to foster student achievement. Sharon Silverman and Martha Casazza reveal how diverse developmental needs--such as lack of self-esteem or cultural alienation--can be at the root of a student's learning difficulties. They draw from the latest theory and research to explore the critical connection between learning and development in six key areas: (1) self and identity; (2) motivation; (3) interaction with the environment; (4) ways of knowing; (5) learning styles and preferences; and (6) self-regulation and goal setting. The authors also present six case studies to show how educators can assess and resolve learning problems while enriching and advancing their own teaching expertise. Written in clear, nontechnical language, Learning and Development provides useful, systematic approaches for making connections between teaching and learning.

SHARON L. SILVERMAN is former director of the Learning Assistance Center and has taught in the School of Education at Loyola University. She currently teaches in the developmental studies graduate program at National-Louis University in Chicago.

MARTHA E. CASAZZA is director of the developmental studies graduate program in the Adult Education Department at National-Louis University. She served as president of the National Association for Developmental Education in 1999.Both authors were Fulbright Senior Scholars at the University of Port Elizabeth in South Africa during the 1999 academic year.