No undergraduate or postgraduate programmes currently exist for the professional education of informal educators. The authors outline the development of previous programmes and consider the emergence of informal education as a discrete concept. The article then highlights some key failings in the professional education of informal educators and…

The six essential elements of this model are based on adult learning principles: (1) motivation; (2) ongoing meetings; (3) changes in attitudes, knowledge, and skills; (4) varied formats; (5) small number of participants; and (6) continuous feedback. Comparison with large seminars and individual study illustrates the merits of this format. (SK)

By describing the working of the UTA (University of the Third Age) system in Paris and Cambridge, the author examines the differences that have arisen in the transfer of the concept from France to Britain. (Author)

The Personal Adult Learning Lab was establsiehd at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education (GCCE) at the University of Georgia to serve self-directed adult learners and conduct research on self-directed learning. The lab allows adult learners to design, conduct, and evaluate their personal learning experiences while proceeding at their own…

Describes two vocational programs for retarded adults--a two-semester food service program and a one-semester janitorial service program. The article discusses program eligibility, financial aid, counseling, teaching philosophy and techniques, and program content. The community college's role as a resource center is also described. (CT)

Adult education standards are the cornerstone for quality teaching, quality learning, and quality lives. The Arizona Adult Education Standards Initiative (Standards Initiative) represents a proactive effort by Arizona's adult education community to ensure rigor and consistency in program content and student outcomes for adult learners throughout…

University for Man (UFM) has developed into a major national organization, impacting the worlds of lifelong learning, alternative education, and rural and community resource development. It was founded in 1968 when Manhattan, Kansas, residents secured several hundred dollars from the Kansas State University student government to organize seven…

A project was undertaken to introduce gerontological content into the professional preparation of adult educators in the master's program in adult education offered at the University of Southern Maine. After courses in the existing curriculum of the master's program were analyzed for the appropriateness and currency of their gerontological…

Even Start is a family literacy and support program for families with young children. This paper identifies several characteristics of adult learners in order to suggest effective approaches for working with adults to improve literacy skills. The first section presents five case studies illustrating adults with different histories, circumstances,…

The end of communist rule in Romania meant that the country's Rroma (Gypsy) population could affirm its ethnic and cultural identity. However, educational opportunities for Rroma children remain low. The following are among the many factors that have led to social exclusion of the Rroma in Romania: existing policy priorities; high unemployment and…

The 12 programs selected as 1996 winners of the Secretary's Awards for Outstanding Adult Education and Literacy Programs illustrate a diverse range of promising practices for the 21st century. Winners were selected based on the presence of 10 elements, including the following: effective and potentially replicable practices; measurable objectives…