Originally published in 1988 this book examines the work of the first generation adult education theorists and the traditions that their work helped establish. They debated the issues, aims and content of adult education programmes and began to explore the often difficult relationship between social expectations and the potential of education. As well as providing an authoritative history during a period of rapid social change in America, the book confirms that many of the preoccupations of the early thinkers have continued relevance today.

From the earliest contributions of Native Americans in the colonial period to the workforce preparation crisis in the 1980s, this book explores the patterns, themes, and changing ideologies of learning and education in adulthood.Harold W. Stubblefield and Patrick Keane detail the broad context of adult learning and its relationship to social, economic, and political movements throughout American history. Giving special attention to issues of race, ethnicity, class, religion, and gAnder, the authors examine the institutions, agencies, and programs that have disseminated knowledge and culture to adults. They describe the ideology of self-improvement and the role of adult education in the struggle against social injustice, economic powerlessness, and segregation. And they show the alternative educational systems--including women's organizations, self-help efforts of African Americans, and education programs created by industrial workers and farmers--created to address interests ignored by the larger society.From the earliest contributions of Native Americans in the colonial period to the workforce preparation crisis in the 1980s, Adult Education in the American Experience explores the patterns, themes, and changing ideologies of learning and education in adulthood.

This first history of nontraditional education in America covers the span from Benjamin Franklin's Junto to community colleges. It aims to unravel the knotted connections between education and society by focusing on the voluntary pursuit of knowledge by those who were both older and more likely to be gainfully employed than the school-age population.

This history of the adult education movement is liberally seasoned with footnotes and bibliographical references which can lead to other sources for further study, if desired. The book gives an insight into the role of adult education in shaping our national culture.

How do you tailor education to the learning needs of adults? Do they learn differently from children? How does their life experience inform their learning processes? These were the questions at the heart of Malcolm Knowles’ pioneering theory of andragogy which transformed education theory in the 1970s. The resulting principles of a self-directed, experiential, problem-centred approach to learning have been hugely influential and are still the basis of the learning practices we use today. Understanding these principles is the cornerstone of increasing motivation and enabling adult learners to achieve. The 9th edition of The Adult Learner has been revised to include: Updates to the book to reflect the very latest advancements in the field. The addition of two new chapters on diversity and inclusion in adult learning, and andragogy and the online adult learner. An updated supporting website. This website for the 9th edition of The Adult Learner will provide basic instructor aids including a PowerPoint presentation for each chapter. Revisions throughout to make it more readable and relevant to your practices. If you are a researcher, practitioner, or student in education, an adult learning practitioner, training manager, or involved in human resource development, this is the definitive book in adult learning you should not be without.

The essays in this collection highlight some of the efforts made by both blacks and whites to promote adult education for the African American community from 1619 to the present. Part I highlights adult education efforts in antebellum society. The flurry of educational activities within the African American community during the periods of the Civil War and Reconstruction are the focus of Part II. Part III examines institutional, governmental, and voluntary association efforts in black adult education since the 1890s.

Drawing on the contributions of 75 leading authors in the field, this 2010 Edition of the respected Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education provides adult education scholars, programme administrators, and teachers with a solid foundation for understanding the current guiding beliefs, practices, and tensions faced in the field, as well as a basis for developing and refining their own approaches to their work and scholarship. Offering expanded discussions in the areas of social justice, technology, and the global dimensions of adult and continuing education, the Handbook continues the tradition of previous volumes with discussions of contemporary theories, current forms and contexts of practice, and core processes and functions. Insightful chapters examine adult and continuing education as it relates to gender and sexuality, race, our aging society, class and place, and disability.