This research explores the relationships between self-directed learning readiness and transformative learning theory (TLT) reflected by the Constructivist Internet-based Learning Environment Scale (CILES). A questionnaire survey about adult learner's perceptions of Internet-based learning was administered to adults enrolled in classes in community…

Aspiring leaders in preparation programs need up-to-date research applied in real-life situations. University faculty need to change their understandings of what it means to effectively promote leadership development through university programs. This article presents understandings on how exploratory, field-based coursework offered through a…

Students undertaking field-based learning, in which they work with Indigenous people in Northern Australia, describe a profound learning experience redolent with emotion. Inspired, challenged and transformed, the students are compelled in ways that require them to interrogate their own selves and taken-for-granted beliefs. In this paper, we draw…

Devastations, transitions, crises, and challenges can trigger what are sometimes referred to, particularly in the field of adult education, as "disorienting dilemmas." Jack Mezirow, an adult educator and social activist, maintained that a disorienting dilemma occurs when an individual encounters a life challenge that cannot be resolved…

The paper examines Engestrom's version of activity theory. It seeks to locate this within the socio-economic and theoretical context in which notions of co-configuration and knotworking are set. Although this theoretical approach offers radical possibilities it is limited by its neglect of the wider social context in which activity systems are…

Student engagement drives students toward success or, if absent, a lack of engagement leaves students idling or even going in reverse. All good teachers know that more learning takes place when students are actually engaged in the curriculum. Yet, teachers often get so caught up in preparing students to pass the state's standardized tests that…

Environmental education has become trapped in the curriculum box. At a time when our students' generation is becoming trapped in a global warming box, their education needs to be rapidly adaptable to the changing state of their planet. Venturing outside the curriculum box takes courage, creativity, and a willingness to let nature serve as the…

The past year of a five-year campus-community research project marked the release of a substantive report that details broad and deep racial disparities stretching across institutional practices and outcomes, service access, and economic and social conditions. The report has catalyzed an abundance of advocacy opportunities, as the release has…

This theoretical study uses the context of the writer's personal encounters in Malawi, Africa, to propose a conceptual model for creating diverse field experiences based on best practices in critical pedagogy, service learning, and the underpinnings of transformational learning theory, for the purpose of increasing the probability of meaningful…

To create professionals for the future, who will be innovative and internationally competitive, we need to change the learning environment. The current traditional delivery systems of education do not develop the necessary interpersonal, analytical and creative skills to deal with the new knowledge economy. Baer (2005), in calling for a new model…

Yes, it's true that today's students have tons of distractions that take their attention away from the hard work of learning. That's why it's more important than ever to establish a teaching relationship with students that makes academic learning relevant to their lives. Here's a book that explains how to do that by changing teaching practices…

Effective professional development training is essential to ensuring full technology integration in all classrooms by all teachers on a regular basis. Technology integration can greatly enhance the learning of all students. In particular students with disabilities and special needs benefit a great deal from the use of technology during…

This study aimed at investigating the role of electronic portfolios in fostering pre-service teachers' reflective thinking. The research was conducted with pre-service English language teachers enrolled in a practicum course in an undergraduate teacher education programme in Turkey. The data were collected through e-portfolios and interviews. The…

This paper is based on two studies of mandatory online learning which although unrelated and conducted eight years apart nevertheless provide an illuminating comparison of mandatory training delivered online. The first study was carried out in 2002 in a state government department and the second in 2010 with the commercial construction industry,…

Consistent with the impact of globalisation and international social movements in general, the rather conservative and stable educational system in Ireland has been buffeted severely over the past two decades by a major acceleration in the pace of change and the extent of policy churn. Now that the Celtic Tiger has died, it is a time for…