Materials for Learning: How to Teach Adults at a Distance

Materials for Learning (1981) examines the ability of books and broadcasts to change lives. The combination of print, radio, television and group meetings – distance teaching – can transform education in developing countries. Effective distance teaching requires effective teaching materials, and up to now there has been a lack of guidance about how to produce such materials and how to do so for different cultures. Materials for Learning aims to supply this need by suggesting guidelines for action and, where evidence is mixed or lacking, defining questions that still require answers. It is a practical book aimed at people actively involved in nonformal education and will be particularly useful for the developing world educators. The book looks first at how distance teaching can help with educational problems, considers how adults learn, and surveys problems of language and culture. It then considers the planning of distance teaching and looks in detail at the use of different media. There were also chapters on teaching numeracy and science at a distance, and a discussion of the kind of support that can be provided for people studying at a distance.