Describes how to use knowledge about adult learners and about different learning styles (environmentally, emotionally, sociologically, and physiologically) when planning and implementing staff development. (SR)

Examines the perceptions of adults related to piano study, their musical and nonmusical interests, and home influences on music. Presents the results in detail. Explains that the results of this study have implications for encouraging lifelong enjoyment of piano study. Includes references. (CMK)

Attempts to attain academic respectability for continuing higher education hinged on two arguments. The campus equivalence approach asserted that extension programs had equivalent rigor to campus programs. The adult learning approach argued that different qualities of adult students necessitated different criteria and goals reflecting adult…

Learning in cyberspace requires participation, motivation, and self-direction; it can be a transformative experience. The context of online learning has an interactive dimension (situated cognition, reflective practice) and a structural dimension (the impact of sociocultural factors on learning). (Contains 16 references.) (SK)

Presents a framework for designing a web-based nursing course based on adult learning principles. Discusses the following issues: changing role of faculty, the development of an online community, and the need to keep the technology simple. (JOW)

Discussion of the field of adult education and its implications for practice and research in distance education focuses on general characteristics of adult learners. Highlights include individual change and development in adulthood; the impact of life experiences; the significance of the social context; and effective instructional practices for…

Stressing the value of mature learning and its distinction from learning in early adulthood, the author explores elements of "third quarter" education and expresses the need for institutions that focus on the issues and potentials of those past midlife. (SK)

Investigated interaction styles and success at problem solving by students of English as a Second Language. The most interesting outcome of this study was the finding that when passive learners were paired with active ones, these pairs were as effective as dyads made up of only active ones. (26 references) (Author/VWL)

Presents a dialog in five articles that address the issue of whether distance education is a discipline in its own right, primarily based on a 1986 article by Holmberg. Topics discussed include adult education; adult learning; conceptual models; and the roles of theory and research. (LRW)

Discusses a study on how 20 adults in an undergraduate U.S. labor history class transferred writing skills and knowledge they gained from the workplace to the classroom. Determined that it is important for researchers and administrators to recognize and acknowledge the significance of this interplay to serve the interests of students more…

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…