Discussion of the introduction of technological improvements into an existing working environment highlights the acceptance of technological advances in administrative and academic computing. Teaching objectives are explained, and a series of workshops for training in computer awareness that gradually increase in difficulty (from Whitestick to…

Interviews with parents of 11th graders enrolled in a required, untracked American studies course reveal that parents' perspectives are not easily understood. Principals should beware of survey data and superficial feedback, resist focusing only on outcomes, and conceive of parents as learners. Principals can transform traditional meetings with…

Summarizes a 1993 year-long study of six beginning school administrators's career-transition experiences. Based on data gathered through interviews with these administrators and the author's own experience, this article offers recommendations for new principals and assistant principals covering three professional-development areas: academic…

Learning style preferences and brain hemispheric dominance were determined for 82 low achieving female inmates. They were counseled to use their modality strengths and take responsibility for learning. Higher test scores, reduced absenteeism, and greater achievement motivation resulted. (SK)

Three strands of practice and theory--adult learning, women's development, and feminist pedagogy--contribute to development of a learning environment attuned to women's needs. Instead of concentrating on information storage/retrieval, alternative education should focus on requiring fourth-level consciousness: ability to choose how, whether, and…

The author of "The Fifth Discipline" says most schools are not learning organizations. Educators are too isolated and rule-bound to experience collective learning and engage students. Deep learning is learner-driven. Learning communities enhance people's collective capacity to create and pursue overall visions. Schools must exchange…

As a result of the "risk society" (in which career and adult transitions are less orderly and predictable), young people have adopted various transition behaviors--strategic, step-by-step, taking chances, and wait-and-see--as they follow different paths: higher education, training for skilled or semiskilled occupations, unskilled…

Discusses conceptual constructs that may be useful for inservice teacher education programs evaluating the nature and educational use of instructional software for adult learners. Topics discussed include the increasing use and importance of computers in industry and in education; intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs); and the concept of an ideal…

Charles Sanders Peirce's phenomenological investigations throughout his lifetime led to discovery of his theory of semiotics and created both his earlier pragmatism and his later pragmaticism. After briefly discussing postmodernists' themes, description, and critiques of Western culture, this article shows how Peirce's theory of signs and…

A survey based on Knowles' andragogical principles received 294 responses (45 percent) indicating that Canada's Open College students enrolled for very pragmatic reasons, were intrinsically motivated, used life experiences in assignments but could not do so in examinations, and were not interested in self-directed learning, perhaps because of time…

Relates studies in the current issue to three research concerns: (1) specific nature of the changes that result in training improvement; (2) relationship between experimental conditions and training improvement; and (3) individual difference variables affecting training improvement. Compares research on cognitive training of children and of older…

Notes environmental factors affecting adult learning situations: territoriality, seating arrangements, sightlines, and equipment. A checklist for conducting a space audit includes features inside and outside the classroom. (SK)

Describes programs at the Toronto Public Library that teach Internet skills to adult learners, including English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes and undereducated adults. Highlights include a sample lesson plan; experiences with adult-literacy classes; expanding Internet training; and Web sites for ESL and adult-literacy classes. (LRW)

A study of 13 returning undergraduates over 26 showed that their definition of college success used primarily external standards, but internal criteria defined successful learning. Factors supporting/hindering success included life experience, maturity, motivation, self-monitoring, reinforcement, and the nature and quality of classroom…

The new teacher education programs envision professional teachers as continuous learners rather than "finished" products. Teachers must understand subject matter deeply and flexibly so they can help students create useful cognitive maps, relate ideas, and address misconceptions. Teachers need opportunities for year-long apprenticeships,…