This chapter examines legislative actions throughout the past century that have influenced education and employment for individuals with disabilities while discussing ways that these actions reflect the broader social, political and economic goals of the American education system, and implications for individuals with disabilities who participate…

To someone who has been intrigued by the role of ethics in adult education for many years, it has been heartening to see how the field has responded to calls to address the ethical dimensions of practice. Although adult education may have been a little later than some in coming to terms with ethics, these developments occurred during a time when…

Group learning has a long history in adult education as a means of achieving multiple goals. However, proponents still have not addressed whether it is an ideological position, a method of learning, or a tool for affective change. (SK)

Presents guidelines for constructing group learning activities, describes group learning methods (discussion, gaming, role play, simulation, projects), and provides tips for facilitating group activities. (SK)

A contemporary method of group learning in the workplace is the concept of the learning organization. Learning organizations feature dialogue as a process for generative, creative, collective, and transformative learning. (Author/SK)

Two examples of group learning with technology are described: a seminar taught primarily through the World Wide Web, and an electronic mailing list. New ways of group learning through these online learning communities are highlighted. (SK)

Adult participation in book discussion groups satisfies lifelong learning needs. The informal learning that takes place helps adults acquire self-knowledge and construct new meanings by connecting texts and life. (SK)

Among the ecological implications of globalization are war and social instability, production and consumption, corporatization and marketing, and environmental racism and sexism. Environmental adult education provides a space to examine negative impacts from multiple perspectives and reassert a focus on democracy. (Contains 37 references.) (SK)

Language and metaphors can structure behavior and reveal beliefs about humanity's relationship to nature. Adult educators are urged to create a teaching practice that reflects awareness of the use of language and enables learners to explore environmental and spiritual issues. (Contains 41 references.) (SK)

Environmental justice--equitable protection from environmental hazards for all people--may be fostered through environmental adult education. Practices from popular education, social movement learning, and activism point the way to solutions to environmental justice problems. (Contains 47 references.) (SK)

Environmental popular education helps shape indigenous social movements in India through a continual process of reflection and action that connects concerns about ecological degradation, subsistence, and marginalization. (Contains 56 references.) (SK)

By applying the metaphor of literacy to environmental issues, the argument is made that critical literacy is a set of social practices involving thinking and acting upon environmental concerns. Examples of critical environmental education for adults illustrate the argument. (Contains 21 references.) (SK)

An ecological perspective on environmental lifelong learning suggests principles for educational change: environmental learning must proceed through and with the environment; focus on local problems and issues is more effective; life-rooted environmental education is inevitably lifelong and lifewide; and environmental education requires an…

Discusses historiographic issues involved in researching learning in community and gives a brief history. Describes three types: autonomous learning groups, community development groups, and community action groups. Poses critical questions for understanding the relationship between learning and community. (Contains 54 references.) (SK)

Individual/cognitive theories of learning disregard learners' sociocultural contexts. Adult educators should adopt broader sociocultural theories that incorporate individual, social, and cultural perspectives and recognize diverse discourse communities as contexts for learning. (Contains 33 references.) (SK)