Guidelines for teaching early childhood teachers and other adults about computers and their use are offered. Discussion focuses on how attitudes of the adult learner can impede learning, how the trainer can encourage teachers and other school personnel to learn about computers, and the trainers'"invisible agenda" of educational goals…

Museums, zoos, nature centers, science centers, aquariums, and other similar places provide an opportunity for lifelong learning in a nonthreatening setting for most adults. They are places where nonformal learning (outside the formal learning setting and characterized by voluntary participation) can easily take place through such methods as…

Popular misconceptions about creativity include the following: it is limited to a few unique individuals, it declines seriously with age, and it is associated with uniqueness or innovation. As the focus of creativity research has shifted from examination of the personality traits of creative individuals to examination of the social and…

One way to approach the question of whether teaching adults is different is by examining the types of learning in which adults engage. Adult learning has been classified as subject oriented, consumer oriented, and emancipatory. Only emancipatory education has been described as unique to adulthood, but even that claim has been challenged. As a…

Malcolm Knowles is attributed with developing the most cogent model underlying the assumption that teaching adults should differ from teaching children and adolescents. His andragogical model is based on the premise that adult learning differs from preadult learning. Two studies have examined whether teachers do actually use a different style when…

This brief identifies advantages and challenges to using video-based distance education for adult English language learners (ELLs), describing implementation alternatives and suggesting practical implementation strategies. Advantages include multiple mentoring opportunities and the ability to reach more learners. Challenges include identifying…

Research on adult learning shows that there is no decline in ability to learn as people get older, that except for minor considerations such as hearing and vision loss, the age of the adult learner is not a major factor in language acquisition, and that the context in which adults learn is the major influence on their ability to acquire a new…

Adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) is a complex undertaking that serves diverse learners with a variety of needs. Although no definitive list of adult education principles exists in the literature, the following principles have been identified in multiple sources devoted to principles of effective adult education: involve learners in…

The use of small groups in adult literacy and basic education has been stimulated by a desire to provide a more learner-centered and collaborative learning environment. Another set of factors promoting their use is related to increased use of language experience or whole language as instructional approaches in adult literacy and basic education.…

Emerging perspectives on numeracy and their social, cultural, and political implications provide a context for new ways of thinking about adult numeracy instruction. Beyond daily living skills, numeracy is now being defined as knowledge that empowers citizens for life in their particular society. Thus, numeracy has economic, social, and political…

This paper attempts to provide information in response to the needs of educators of adults with learning problems. For the adult education teacher, information is offered on the nature of learning, information processing, problems that can be diagnosed, and strategies suitable for adults with learning problems. For the administrator, focus is…

In the situated learning approach, knowledge and skills are learned in contexts that reflect how knowledge is obtained and applied in everyday situations. As an instructional strategy, situated cognition is a means for relating subject matter to learners' needs and concerns. Four major premises guide the development of classroom activities for…

Journals have a long history as a means of self-expression, and they can be used as learning tools in adult education. Types of journals include the reader response journal or literature log, the learning journal, the reflective journal, and the electronic journal. Journal writing offers several benefits for adult learners: journals are less…

Critical reflection blends learning through experience with theoretical and technical learning to form new knowledge constructions and new behaviors or insights. Through the process of critical reflection, adults come to interpret and create new knowledge and actions from their experiences. It is generally agreed that critical reflection consists…

Teaching adults should be different if adults learn differently than children do. Theories or perspectives on adult learning, such as andragogy, make a number of assertions about the characteristics of adults as learners. If there are indeed distinctive characteristics of adults, on which claims for the uniqueness and coherence of adult education…