A project was conducted to help adult educators in graduate education courses to examine their notions of adult learning, to be lifelong learners, and to engage in self-directed learning. The course was conducted in small self-formed learning groups, and 19 adult learners were observed from various perspectives: through a survey measuring the adult students' awareness of adult learning characteristics, through open-ended surveys, and through observations of the students' interactions with each other and their reflections on their own learning. The study found that the adult students had little knowledge of any of the four dimensions of adult learning. Many students were apprehensive about group work but actually found it helpful and meaningful. At the end of the class, all students produced a school personnel manual (the object of the course). The most successful students had fully integrated their learning and produced a manual that was useful to them and that reflected their beliefs. They also asserted that they had learned a surprisingly large amount from their classmates and the group work--and that experience would be reflected in their future work. (The open-ended survey and a follow-up interview are included in the report. Contains 42 references.) (KC)