Songs have the capacity to engage learners actively. This engagement can help transform lifelong learning from a vague aspiration into an active process. (Author)

Absence or dropout in adult education has many explanations: life crises, safety issues, dissatisfaction, personal issues with instructors or fellow students. Adult educators should explore the issue without accusation, defensiveness, or labeling and consider how to remove barriers. (SK)

Increased emphasis on personal responsibility in public policy makes financial literacy a necessary skill. Adults need to be confident managers of their financial affairs and critical thinkers about the impact of financial events. As in health care, training in critical consumption skills is needed. (SK)

Assessment of the cost effectiveness of information technologies should pay attention to such benefits as learner motivation, individualization, efficiency, self-assessment, retention, consistent quality, and distributive power. (SK)

Although providing computers for prisoners is controversial, such training does improve their postrelease job prospects, enables them to experience the discipline of learning, and helps develop social and life skills. (SK)

Depicts adult education in Britain 30 years ago through description of the Kesgrave Evening Institute from 1965-69. Notes differences then and now in culture and value systems and similarities such as ongoing discussion of the adequacy of provision and differentiation between recreational and nonrecreational classes. (SK)

Looks at the changing language of adult education and argues that the social practice of adult education needs to be extracted from the middle of lifelong learning and imbued with the language of social purpose and the common good. (JOW)

Describes the achievements of Frank Laubach, founder of Laubach Literacy International, pioneer of a pragmatic method of literacy instruction and advocate of volunteer literacy tutoring. Compares Laubach's ideas with those of Paulo Freire. (SK)

The experience of adult educators planning a conference exemplifies the process of harnessing talents, skills, knowledge, and understanding in a collective enterprise that helps people articulate their views and ideas on critical issues. (SK)

The jigsaw puzzle approach applies a geological analogy in a structured scenario in which students identify fossils and determine the age of strata. The engaging strategy increases student confidence and interest in learning science. (SK)

This research framework has three levels: (1) societal (individual, household/family, work organization, regional/national/international); (2) disciplinary approach (social anthropology, sociology, industrial relations, economics, politics); and (3) time (historical/diachronic, life course, routines). (SK)

Explains how starting with simple questions about adult education leads to sophisticated techniques and questions about effectiveness of research methods. Considers that some questions may never be answered. (SK)

Presents a series of questions through which adult educators can explore controversial questions of environmental values and moral behavior in their programs. The subjects include geography, local history, natural history, economics, politics, business, labor education, world affairs, literature, women's studies, psychology, and courses for the…

An outgrowth of the United Nations Earth Summit, Britain's Environment and Development Education and Training (EDET) Group seeks to monitor and promote education for sustainability through development of national strategies, encouragement of participation and partnership at many levels, and establishment of support structures and communication…

Asserts that parent education attracts entrepreneurial providers who often have no training in adult education. Provides a matrix to identify types of programs by the following dimensions: voluntary vs. mandatory, curriculum focus, evaluation method, human development model used, educator expertise, and instructional processes used. (SK)