Describes the variety of formal and informal educational programs being developed by zoos and aquariums in the United States and suggests methods of increasing the educational utility of these facilities. (AL)

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)

A community project in England teaches gardening to low-income people interested in growing their own food. The workshops also provide informal basic skills training. (SK)

Identifies definitions and types of informal learning. Examines issues such as the utility of informal learning, the processes involved, and the lack of methods to assess the quality of learning acquired informally. (SK)

An exploratory study of adult learning resulting from locally initiated community group programs illustrates approaches to qualitative and, more particularly, naturalistic evaluation. The use of a proxy list and the blending of independently derived abstract and concrete initial category labels proved particularly useful in the categorization…

Informal and incidental learning are based on learning from experience, embedded in organizational context, focused on action, governed by nonroutine conditions, concerned with tacit dimensions, delimited by the nature of the task, and enhanced by proactivity, critical reflection, and creativity. (SK)

Informal adult educators in an Australian rural community (n=31) viewed their characteristics and commitment to teaching as varying according to purpose and context. The study suggested that differences in informal teaching are influenced by the lack of externally imposed criteria and other institutional constraints. (SK)

Three books, published 1999-2000, map out a vision of education as a vehicle for human emancipation and global transformation. Their approaches to presenting the "big picture" differ, focusing on case studies of learning through local social action; the impact of Che Guevara and Paulo Freire on liberation discourse worldwide; and comprehensive…

Describes in detail three informal learning strategies used to facilitate spiritual development: mentoring, self-directed learning, and dialogue. Suggests that these strategies are interrelated and incorporate segments of each other. (SK)

Describes distinctions between learning, training, development, and education and illustrates how different models of human resource management/development influence their meaning. Concludes that training, development, and education are an integrated whole linked by the concept of learning. (SK)

Parallel to the primary, secondary, postsecondary, and adult/community education sectors is education not associated with formal programs--learning in arts and cultural sites. The emergence of cultural and educational tourism is an opportunity for adult/community education to define itself by extending lifelong learning opportunities into parallel…

Interviews with 36 members of 4 rural community betterment groups found that citizens typically learn through direct experience, vicarious experience, and guided experience. They also change their feelings and ways of thinking about groups and develop new awareness of themselves and others. (Author/SK)

Professional associations are providers of updated and extended professional knowledge, builders of frameworks for enacting knowledge in practice, and change catalysts. Their roles are influenced by their content area, association structure, external linkages, and members' work organizations. (SK)

A Spanish nutrition education program was taught to low-income Hispanic men and women in an informal program of English as a second language. Barriers were related to the dynamics of working with volunteer organizations, participant characteristics, and the pilot program's goals. Fitting nutrition instruction into program goals, dealing with low…

As our understanding of learning focuses on the whole person rather than individual aspects of learning, so the process of learning is beginning to be studied from a wide variety of perspectives and disciplines. This handbook presents a comprehensive overview of the contemporary research into learning: it brings together a diverse range of…