Review
"This monumental work is a testimony to the science of adult education and the skills of Wilson and Hayes. It is a veritable feast for nourishing our understanding of the current field of adult education. The editors and their well-chosen colleagues consistently question how we know and upon what grounds we act. They invite us to consider not only how we can design effective adult education, but also why we practice in a particular socioeconomic context. My dear departed friends, Paulo Freire and Malcolm Knowles, would be delighted at the politics and science of this encyclopedic handbook." (Jane Vella, author of Taking Learning to Task and Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach)

"This new handbook captures the exciting intellectual and professional development of our field in the last decade. Its recognition of the central role of critical reflection, self-reflection, and reflective discourse in the construction of more depAndable knowledge and in adult learning constitutes a major advance. Implications of this challenging paradigm are reshaping the practice of adult education in all of its fields of application. An indispensable resource for faculty, students, and professionals." (Jack Mezirow, emeritus professor, Adult and Continuing Education, Teachers College, Columbia University)

"A rich and diverse array of writers critically reflect on current theory and practice in the field of adult and continuing education. This engaging and refreshing handbook is a treasure chest for anyone wishing to know more about the profession and gain multiple new perspectives, including one on experiential learning. A must read for practitioners, professors, researchers, and newcomers alike. It will influence, shape, and guide how we will serve our constituencies in the next decade." (John A. Henschke, associate professor, Adult Education, University of Missouri, St. Louis)


Book Description
Sponsored by the American Association of Adult & Continuing Education "This monumental work is a testimony to the science of adult education and the skills of Wilson and Hayes. It is a veritable feast for nourishing our understanding of the current field of adult education. The editors and their well-chosen colleagues consistently question how we know and upon what grounds we act. They invite us to consider not only how we can design effective adult education, but also why we practice in a particular socio-economic context."--Jane Vella, author of Taking Learning to Task and Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach"This new handbook captures the exciting intellectual and professional development of our field in the last decade. It is an indispensable resource for faculty, students, and professionals."--Jack Mezirow, emeritus professor, Adult and Continuing Education, Teachers College, Columbia University For nearly seventy years, the handbooks of adult and continuing education have been definitive references on the best practices, programs, and institutions in the field. In this new edition, over sixty leading authorities share their diverse perspectives in a single volume--exploring a wealth of topics, including: learning from experience, adult learning for self-development, race and culture in adult learning, technology and distance learning, learning in the workplace, adult education for community action and development, and much more. Much more than a catalogue of theory and historical facts, this handbook strongly reflects the values of adult educators and instructors who are dedicated to promoting social and educational opportunity for learners and to sustaining fair and ethical practices.


From the Inside Flap
For nearly seventy years, the handbooks of adult and continuing education have been definitive references on the best practices, programs, and institutions in the field. Adult education scholars, program administrators, and teachers have depAnded on these rich handbooks to develop or refine their own understanding and approaches to everyday practice. In this new edition, over sixty leading authorities share their diverse perspectives in a single volume--exploring significant issues that affect the study and practice of adult and continuing education today.Using a critically reflective approach, this edition differs from its predecessors by combining the results of formal investigation with the wisdom of practical experience. The authors present multiple insights and observations to help adult educators make informed choices in a profession that has become enormously challenging and complex. The chapters cover a wealth of topics, including:- The role of critical reflection in professional practice- Linking adult learning to context- Learning from experience- Adult learning for self-development- Race and culture in adult learning- Perspectives on teaching adults- Planning and administering adult educational programs- Technology and distance learning- Adult literacy and English-as-a-second-language- Adult education and human resource development- Learning in the workplace- Continuing professional education- Adult education for community action and development- Adult education in corrections, the military, cooperative extension, higher education, community colleges, religious settings, and other contexts- Adult education for older adults, adults in urban contexts, formal mentoring programs, prior learning assessment for experienced adults, and other audiences- Policies, politics, and philosophies in adult education- Constructing knowledge for and about adult education- The professionalization of adult education and its role in


From the Back Cover
For nearly seventy years, the handbooks of adult and continuing education have been definitive references on the best practices, programs, and institutions in the field. Adult education scholars, program administrators, and teachers have depended on these rich handbooks to develop or refine their own understanding and approaches to everyday practice. In this new edition, over sixty leading authorities share their diverse perspectives in a single volume—exploring significant issues that affect the study and practice of adult and continuing education today.

Using a critically reflective approach, this edition differs from its predecessors by combining the results of formal investigation with the wisdom of practical experience. The authors present multiple insights and observations to help adult educators make informed choices in a profession that has become enormously challenging and complex. The chapters cover a wealth of topics, including:

The role of critical reflection in professional practice
Linking adult learning to context
Learning from experience
Adult learning for self-development
Race and culture in adult learning
Perspectives on teaching adults
Planning and administering adult educational programs
Technology and distance learning
Adult literacy and English-as-a-second-language
Adult education and human resource development
Learning in the workplace
Continuing professional education
Adult education for community action and development
Adult education in corrections, the military, cooperative extension, higher education, community colleges, religious settings, and other contexts
Adult education for older adults, adults in urban contexts, formal mentoring programs, prior learning assessment for experienced adults, and other audiences
Policies, politics, and philosophies in adult education
Constructing knowledge for and about adult education
The professionalization of adult education and its role in "learning societies"

It has been over ten years since the last Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education investigated the practical and academic dimensions of the field. Much more than a catalogue of theory and historical facts, this new edition strongly reflects the values of a field dedicated to promoting social and educational opportunity for learners and to sustaining fair and ethical practices. It is a long-awaited resource that brings fresh advice and strategies to thoughtful adult educators, administrators, and scholars.


About the Author
ARTHUR L. WILSON is associate professor of adult education in the Department of Education at Cornell University. He is coeditor of Adult Education Quarterly and coauthor of Planning Responsibly for Adult Education (1994), What Really Matters in Adult Education Program Planning (1996), and Power in Practice (2000), all from Jossey-Bass. ELISABETH R. HAYES is professor of curriculum and instruction and a faculty member in the Graduate Program in Continuing and Vocational Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is coeditor of Adult Education Quarterly and coauthor of Women as Learners (Jossey-Bass, 2000). Her other publications include Effective Teaching Styles (1989) and Confronting Racism and Sexism (1994), both from Jossey-Bass.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

This long-awaited update to the 1989 handbook provides educators and administrators in adult and continuing education with insights on practical, academic, and cutting-edge topics from the best minds in the field.

FROM THE CRITICS

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