In the Adult Multiple Intelligences (AMI) study, 10 teachers of adults from the northeastern region of the United States explored for 18 months the ways that multiple intelligences (MI) theory could support instruction and assessment in various adult learning contexts. The results of this research were published in a book by Julie Viens called MI…

This book explains the TrainSmart approach to training, which is based on how the authors believe the brain naturally learns best. Part 1 introduces the five pillars of the TrainSmart Model, which are as follows: (1) engage (engage participants' attention); (2) frame (establish a frame of reference); (3) explore (introduce a conceptual activity);…

A 12-month research project evaluated the effects that competency-based approaches have had on the role of instructors in the vocational education and training (VET) sector in Australia. Specifically, the project investigated the levels of understanding of competency based-training (CBT) by instructors in the VET sector in a variety of settings…

In the classic employment contract, especially at large companies, wages were not strongly responsive to the labor market. Instead, individual companies had distinctive company wage levels and patterns. An exhaustive study of employers and employees in the United States and Japan examined whether the "old employment contract" has been…

How to attract and retain adult students remains an enduring question for adult education providers. Recent research sheds light on adult learners' unique learning goals, needs, and aspirations and offers guidance on recruiting and retaining adult learners. Adult students' participation and persistence in educational activities is a complex…

The arguments for deschooling expressed by Ivan Illich a quarter of a century ago have relevance today. We are in danger of losing their most salient insights; perhaps because the critique was phrased in this oversimplified binary form, excessive institutionalization should be countered by deinstitutionalization, professionalism by…

Four issues of this newsletter published by Project ACTT (Activating Children Through Technology), an Early Education Program for Children with Disabilities Outreach Project on educational technology, include the following major articles: "Computer Applications and Young Children with Disabilities: Positive Outcomes" (Patricia Hutinger); "Project…

The five-volume directory describes more than 1,200 discretionary grants and contracts supported by the Research to Practice Division of the Office of Special Education Programs. The projects are grouped into sections representing the seven program areas of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments (1997), Part D. This…

The research implications of the concepts of working knowledge and work-based learning were examined. A research agenda for work-based learning arising from the analysis of "working knowledge" was presented. The agenda listed questions pertaining to the following areas: (1) the conditions bringing about work-based learning; (2) the…

Considerable attention has been given recently to how children educate each other and how to maximize the cognitive benefits of peer learning. Based on papers presented at a 1996 symposium on Cognitive Skills and Learning with Peers, this book focuses on peer learning. Part 1 presents implications of Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories. Part 2…

This booklet, which is written for adult literacy practitioners in Australia, argues that adult literacy practitioners working as trainers and assessors must become familiar with the tasks and texts used by competent workers in particular occupations and industries, and must understand how those tasks and texts fit within the broader social…

Focusing on teaching and learning (the learning process rather than selection of learning content), this book provides a comprehensive perspective on the process of adult and higher education. Part 1 explores the transactional relationship between the personal reflective world of the learner and the collaborative shared world of the educational…

Continuous quality improvement (CQI) models, which were first applied in business, are critical to making new technology-based learning paradigms and flexible learning environments a reality. The following are among the factors that have facilitated CQI's application in education: increased operating costs; increased competition from private…

Members of a subgroup of the European Training Foundation's Advisory Forum were surveyed regarding their perceptions of problems and priorities relating to initial and inservice vocational teacher and trainer training and innovation in the European Union (EU). Advisory Forum members from 10 EU countries completed the questionnaire. Priorities…

Contextual learning is rooted in a constructivist approach to teaching and learning. According to constructivist theory, individuals learn by constructing meaning through interacting with and interpreting their environments. Current perspectives on what it means for learning to be contextualized include the following: situated cognition, social…