DR. JANE VELLA
MENTOR. WRITER. RETIREE (AND LOVING IT).
Founder of Dialogue Education™ and
Global Learning Partners, Inc.
JANE’S STORY
Jane Vella was born in 1931 and raised in New York City, a daughter to an Italian immigrant family. Drawn to a vocation in the Catholic Church, Jane became a Maryknoll Sister in 1950.
Jane went to Tanzania in 1956 and spent her formative years in education teaching in various settings for the next 25 years. She taught at the Institute of Education at the University of Dar es Salaam from 1968 to 1973. Her teaching there brought her into contact with Sally Timmel and Ann Hope who developed the Training for Transformation program, Julius Nyerere, visionary and former President of Tanzania, and Paulo Freire, a legendary advocate for the democratization of learning in South America. Freire’s work has inspired adult educators around the world.
In 1977 Jane left Maryknoll and returned to the US. She took up a program of study at The University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she completed her doctorate in Adult Education, doing research entitled Community Education for Development. She began teaching at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
Jane started the Jubilee Popular Education Center in 1981. As a training entrepreneur, Jane took the best of her experience and study of formal and participatory education and developed a series of training courses. The principles and practices of Dialogue Education™ outlined then are the foundation of today’s GLP courses. Many men and women all over the world learned how to use dialogue in the design and management of adult education programs. Over time Jane trained several graduates of her courses to become “Master Teachers,” able to take on teaching her courses independently. In 1998 Jubilee became Global Learning Partners, Inc.
In early 2000 Jane Vella, at the age of 69, was committed to research and retirement. GLP had high quality, much sought-after courses and a community of Certified Teachers who were committed to Dialogue Education. That summer Peter Noteboom, already a GLP Master Teacher and Connie Kuipers (now also a “Certified Teacher” – after a change of terminology in 2002) assumed ownership of Global Learning Partners. Jane is honored as the Founder of GLP.
Jane is a budding pianist, an earnest kayaker (quiet lakes only!), an enthusiastic opera fan, an avid reader, and a relentless lover of her home. She welcomes students and friends to the back porch – any season of the year! Her current work is leisurely philosophizing on education, music, friendship and life. For this she used to keep a bi-monthly journal and now writes for GLP’s Speaking of Dialogue blog.
RECENT WRITINGS
More from Jane's back porch!
DR. JANE VELLA MENTOR. WRITER. RETIREE (AND LOVING IT). Founder of Dialogue Education™ and Global Learning Partners, Inc. RECENT WRITINGS
Read More ›More Personal Reflections from Jane
DR. JANE VELLA MENTOR. WRITER. RETIREE (AND LOVING IT). Founder of Dialogue Education™ and Global Learning Partners, Inc. RECENT WRITINGS
Read More ›New Personal Reflections from Jane
DR. JANE VELLA MENTOR. WRITER. RETIREE (AND LOVING IT). Founder of Dialogue Education™ and Global Learning Partners, Inc. RECENT WRITINGS
Read More ›A COLLECTION OF WORKS BY JANE VELLA
Listen to Simply True with Dr. Jane Vella
On this limited series podcast, GLP Founder Jane Vella is joined by friends and colleagues to explore the simple truths behind some of her favorite axioms about how adults learn. These veritable “fireside chats” feature rich dialogue, stories, and laughter.
Listen today on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or virtually anywhere you listen to podcasts. Transcripts for all episodes are available on our podcasts page.
Simply True is produced by Global Learning Partners and Greg Tilton Jr, with theme music by Kyle Donald. Check out our sister series – Shift the Power: A Learning-Centered Podcast.
- Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach
- Training Through Dialogue: Promoting Effective Learning and Change with Adults
- How do They Know They Know? Evaluating Adult Learning (with Paula Berardinelli and Jim Burrow)
- Taking Learning to Task: Creative Strategies for Teaching Adults
- Dialogue Education at Work: Case Studies (with Associates)
- On Teaching and Learning: Putting the Principles and Practices of Dialogue Education into Action
Go to the Books page for more information on Jane Vella’s published books.
- Promoting Dialogic Teaching Among Higher Education Faculty in South Africa
- A Biography of Dr. Jane Vella: Twelve, Seven, Six, Six
- Building Community through Adult Learning Principles & Practices
- Basic Field Guide to Christian Dialogue Education
- Paulo Freire & Jane Vella: From Theory to Accessibility
- Unlocking Chilean Communities by Training
- More Than a Conversation: Using Aspects of Dialogue to Improve Academic Advising
- The Death of the Professor: the Case for Dialogue Education
- Learner-Centered Education to Improve Fruit & Vegetable Intake in WIC
- Dialogue Education: A Learning-Centered Pedagogy
- Learning Design in a Global Classroom
- Blended Learning: Curriculum Design for Effective Learning
- Death of the Professor: Dialogue Education’s Learning Focus
- Urban Environmental Education Review, Chapter on Adult Education
- Shifting Focus: Agency and Resilience in a Self-Management Program for People Living with Dementia
- A Spirited Epistemology – published article
- Lose the Podium – published article
- Quantum Learning: Teaching as Dialogue – published article
- Respecting Learners in their Unique Cultures – published article
- The Power of Dialogue in Adult Learning – published article
- My Letter to the World – unpublished article
- Quality Dialogue Education: A Checklist
- Whence depth
- Dialogue Education Essentials – Laughter
- Dialogue Education Essentials – Safety
- Dialogue Education Essentials – Verbs
- Dialogue Education Essentials – The Right Bit of What for the When
- Dialogue Education Essentials – Well Researched Content
- Teacher as Neuroplastician?
- Inclusion Means All
- How to Stop Dialogue and How to Make Dialogue Thrive
- Evaluating Adult Learning as Seasonal Change
- The Praxis of Dialogue
- Please do Not Disturb
- Play it Again, Sam
- Excellent Engagement
- Cognitive, Affective, Psychomotor
- School of the 80s
- The Fourfold Framework Called Dialogue Education
- Don’t tell what you can ask
- A Delightful Epiphany
- Creating the System; We Make the Road by Walking
- Tracing, from Decision back to Principles and Practice
- A New Principle: Resilience
- A Surprising Lesson with Deep Insights
- What Jane is Reading: Parker Palmer’s Newest Book
- School of the 80s: Learning from Stillness and Suspending
- An Exhilarating Review
- A Letter from Ken Williams
- A Gift for Springtime
- A Book Launch
- A Good Week
- The Teacher Is in the Room
- Jane’s Reflections during the Pandemic
- Thanks-living
- Learning at 89
- Lavish Affirmation
- Considering Silence
- Learning – It’s Biology, Baby
- Learning to Yield, Learning to Teach
- Machungwa No More
- Celebrating Vulnerability
- A New Framework
- Love Shows
- A Surprising Bit of Learning
- Looking for You
- He Must be a Bakuria
- Evolution
- One Small Step at a Time
- Disappointment vs. Dis-attention
- It Takes a Village
- Tears of Recognition
- Twogether
- Give Them an Experience
- A Piquant Approach
- Do Less More, Now
- Mifano Halisi
- In Love with Life
- Who Woulda Thunk It
- Jane Made the Journal of Higher Education, or Did She?
- Proclivity
- The Wilderness of the Nineties
- Emergent Research
- Learning from Tennis
- What’s Next
- How Did I Get Here
- Celebrating the Quiet
- The Pyramid System
- Irenic Education
- From Both Sides Now
- I Love a Good Mystery
- Thanks and Praise
- Listen to their Feelings Part I
- Listen to their Feelings, Part II
- A Joyful Reading Lesson
- New, or Renewed
- I Send Myself Flowers
- Was It Augustine
- Say Nothing, Do Nothing
- YOU are the Content
- To Dream Dreams
- Sign-ificance: Signs
- Twogether-ness
- Her Own Eye Doctor
- Transformation
- And In Color
- Doin’ Nothing
- Passing the Baton
- You are Special
- Affirmation: Lavish Indeed!
- Find Your Martha
- Selfebration
- Emergence-see
- Who Sends Flowers
- Thank you, Regina
- Who Makes the Music
- Change at the Met
- Whence A Dream
- Penny-Aware
- Who Goes First