In Brief: Facilitating Group Learning: Strategies for Success with Diverse Learners (Second Edition)
Reviewed by Karie Firoozmand
June 1, 2021
By George Lakey. PM Press, 2020. 320 pages. $20/paperback; $8.95/eBook.
Teaching is a space of perennial interest, and in this book, first published in 2010, George Lakey shares much wisdom that “harvests half a century of teaching and training,” with particular attention to the group doing the learning. As the title indicates, there’s a need to know how a teacher succeeds with a diverse class and turns a collection of students into a cohesive group, which benefits all.
The content is highly relevant to the world today, as the questions we grapple with are clearly both urgent and global. Imagine an environment where two or three generations, various racial identities, and different experiences of gender are learning together. They would start with wildly divergent sets of knowledge and experience. Wide variations among learners can be expected especially in training for participation in social change movements. Lakey’s longevity as a trainer informs this work, along with the spark that keeps it fresh. The relevance of the content and the personal sparkle both animate this book, one of Lakey’s many gifts to the world.
