Purpose: In distinguishing the education of adults from the education of children, a gray area lies on where to classify gifted and honors students. The purpose of this study was to determine if the attitudes of students at an honors STEM summer camp paralleled the educational needs of adults, namely self-directed learning.…

The foundation and impetus for a sustained professional development program offering 44 graduate courses serving 641 FCS educators (approximately 50% returning participants) in Pennsylvania and the surrounding area were the six assumptions of Knowles related to the motivation of adult learners. Education researcher Malcolm Knowles asserts that…

To live and work in today's global community, adults need to develop an intercultural responsiveness and flexibility in order to interact sensitively in situations involving international cultural contexts, practices, beliefs, understandings, and communications. One way to support this development in adult and higher education is to offer…

This case study sought to understand why educators participate in museum summer institutes and how participation transferred to personal development and professional practice. The study found participation was affected by an interest in and need for learning about a particular time in history, ability to transfer institute content to curricula,…

A preservice teacher learning community at California Polytechnic University was created to guide adult learners in being able to effectively teach diverse learners. From the spring quarter of 2008 to 2009, these preservice teachers engaged in working with each other to write their own lesson plans and teach mathematics and literacy to English…

Leaders of lifelong learning programs convene at Harvard each June for two weeks of learning, reflection, self-renewal, networking, planning, and camaraderie. The Institute for the Management of Lifelong Education is described, along with its curriculum themes of adult as a developing and learning person, institutional management, and…

Elderhostels are examined in terms of the circumstances influencing their rise, class participation, kinds of students involved, and factors making the elderhostels an irreversible program. It is suggested that future elderhostels may join national adult education programs, national issues may surface around regional courses, and courses may have…

The Henrico County (Virginia) Public Schools have made a major financial and philosophical commitment to employee growth and development. A summer institute for teachers offers over 250 courses focusing on technology, classroom management, and methodology updates. Driven by personal accountability, the new system provides differentiated pathways…

Elderhostel is a summer series for older Americans featuring the freedom and informality of the European folk school with the life-style of the youth hostel. Hostelers take up to three noncredit courses a week, taught by regular faculty from the college campus. Expected growth will make the program self-sufficient. (MLW)