The growing presence of technology in Adult Foundational Education (AFE) represents affordances as well as challenges for marginalized student populations. Utilizing technologies in ways that foster and support AFE students' agency requires opportunities for practitioners to reflect on problems of practice in their classrooms and make connections…

Teaching and learning are social and cultural activities. Across cultures, people have different ways of communicating, interacting, and learning. Consequently, learning may not occur without understanding the role national cultures play on organizing and facilitating training events. This study is part of a larger study that took place over a…

The atmosphere at many colleges and universities in the United States presents unique challenges for Black faculty including racism. It is well established that Black faculty, especially those at predominantly White institutions (PWIs), work in potentially hostile, unfriendly, and negative environments. Other concerns for Black faculty at PWIs…

Using a personal narrative approach, I examine my experiences with teaching English to adults from a Balkan country. As I focus on understanding my teaching experiences, I frame my analysis through adult education theory to understand my role as an adult educator. The significance of this narrative comes from its focus on practice as I highlight…

Dropout is a serious problem within education. This article reports on an intervention project, titled "New Roles for the Teacher--Increased Completion Rates Through Social Responsibility," which sought to reduce nonattendance and drop-out rates in the Danish adult educational system by improving teachers' competences. This goal was…

Quality out-of-school time (OST) programs for youth are limited by a lack of professional learning opportunities for staff and volunteers that are based upon solid learning theory, affordable, and scalable for a diverse field. The Click2Science project is an innovative model for professional learning experiences that support staff and volunteers…

Alan B. Knox writes in this article that the systemic lens for his practice perspective is focused on five related issues that have animated his previous engagement as a practitioner and scholar, and that shape his views of alternative futures for educators of adults. They are: (1) creative connections: intentions, diversity; (2) sustained…

This literature review explored areas that are often manifest in adult classrooms but insufficiently addressed or overlooked in preservice training and in-service professional development for educators of adults. Three overarching themes emerged: (a) educational background considerations (e.g., significant interruptions in formal education), (b)…

This article describes an inclusive faculty development initiative created to bring full-time and adjunct faculty together. The goals of the program include informing the adjunct faculty on departmental issues as well as connecting them to the department and the institution in a meaningful way. The authors discuss the annual faculty development…

This research investigates the transformational teaching experiences of a novice award-winning teacher. Data collection consisted primarily of interviews and observations. To support these methods, we utilized field notes and reflection journals to triangulate the data. To become a successful teacher, "the teacher" passed through transformational…

Within the last decade, the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000) has received increased attention in the field of online learning, yet little is known about applying key tenets of Community of Inquiry while leading a hybrid professional development initiative. This study describes how I established teaching and…

The appearance of the adult learner in the milieu of higher education on such an unprecedented scale necessitates that educational administrators develop strategies that enhance the success of these students. In more than a few instances, this will entail a shifting of accepted paradigms and assumptions when it comes to the administration and…

The purpose of the Nebraska University Program for Renewal of Faculty is to foster systematic, planned change benefiting the individual and the institution. Penn State and Harvard Universities initiated the Leadership Institute for Continuing Professional Education to enable participants to discuss issues common to professional continuing…

Six elements of San Francisco State University's Teaching Improvement Process for adult basic education instructors are organization of learning activities, life skill competency application, monitoring student performance, addressing student learning styles, appropriateness of materials, and grouping strategies. Three training processes are…

The following are features of effective teacher development: (1) a positive climate for change; (2) carefully planned activities related to explicit program goals; (3) relevant theory and research; (4) active participation; and (5) practice, feedback, and support for transfer of learning. (SK)