Libraries are useful resources for adult learners.

Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. This is often done in the workplace or through 'extension' or 'continuing education' courses at secondary schools, or at a college or university. Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers. The practice is also often referred to as 'Training and Development'. It has also been referred to as andragogy (to distinguish it from pedagogy). A difference is made between vocational education, mostly done in workplaces and mostly related to upskilling, and non-formal adult education, that can include learning skills or learning for personal development. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (879x585, 106 KB) Description = Centro Fotografico Benito Juarez, Oaxaca. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (879x585, 106 KB) Description = Centro Fotografico Benito Juarez, Oaxaca. ... Continuing education may refer to one of two types of education. ... The term, secondary school, refers to an institution where the third stage of schooling, known as secondary education, takes place. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... Representation of a university class, 1350s. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Popular education. ... Andragogy is a theory of education proposed by the American educator Malcolm Knowles (April 24, 1913 -- November 27, 1997). ... Pedagogy, the art or science of being a teacher, generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction[1]. The word comes from the Ancient Greek παιδαγωγέω (paidagōgeō; from παῖς (child) and ἄγω (lead)): literally, to lead the child”. In Ancient Greece, παιδαγωγός was (usually) a slave who supervised the education...

Educating adults differs from educating children in several ways. One of the most important differences is that adults have accumulated knowledge and experience that can either add value to a learning experience or hinder it.

Another important difference is that adults frequently must apply their knowledge in some practical fashion to learn effectively; there must be a goal and a reasonable expectation that the new knowledge will help them further that goal. One example, common in the 1990s, was the proliferation of computer training courses in which adults (not children or adolescents), most of whom were office workers, could enroll. These courses would teach basic use of the operating system or specific application software. Because the abstractions governing the user's interactions with a PC were so new, many people who had been working white-collar jobs for 10 years or more eventually took such training courses, either at their own whim (to gain computer skills and thus earn higher pay) or at the behest of their managers. For the band, see 1990s (band). ... The Altair 8800 was among the first microcomputers to be affordable by an individual, although it initially lacked peripherals and memory. ...

In the United States, a more general example is that of the high-school dropout who returns to school to complete general education requirements. Most upwardly-mobile positions require at the very least a high school diploma or equivalent. A working adult is unlikely to have the freedom to simply quit their job and go "back to school" full time. Public school systems and community colleges usually offer evening or weekend classes for this reason. Main article: Secondary education High school is a name used in some parts of the world, and particularly in North America, to describe the last segment of compulsory education. ...

Those adults who read at the very lowest level get help from volunteer literacy programs. These programs provide one to one tutoring and small group sessions for adults at the 6th grade level or below. Public libraries, nonprofit organizations and school systems administer these programs across the country. ProLiteracy Worldwide is the national organization which provides training, tutor certification and accreditation for local volunteer programs. States often have state organizations such as Literacy Florida!Inc.which provide field services for volunteer literacy programs. ProLiteracy Worldwide, a nonprofit organization based in Syracuse, N.Y., is an international organization that supports the people and programs that help adults learn to read and write. ...

In the U.S.A., the equivalent of the high school diploma earned by an adult through these programs is to pass the General Education Development (GED) test. The GED, General Educational Development, or General Equivalence Degree Test, is a test that certifies the taker has attained American or Canadian high school-level academic skills. ...

Another fast-growing sector of adult education is English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), also referred to as English as a Second Language (ESL)or English Language Learners (ELL). These courses are key in assisting immigrants with not only the acquisition of the English language, but the acclimation process to the culture of the United States.

See also

 Stages of formal education   (Portal)  

Preschool →	Kindergarten →	Primary →	Middle →	Secondary →	————— Post-secondary —————
					Vocational education	—— Higher education ——
						Undergraduate →	Postgraduate
Also: Early childhood education, Alternative education (Homeschooling), Adult education

• Adult high school
• Folk high school in Scandinavia and Germany
• Community college in Canada and the United States
• Community Education in Scotland
• Continuing education
• Distance learning
• E-learning
• Lifelong learning

Image File history File links Nuvola_apps_bookcase. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Image File history File links Nuvola_apps_bookcase. ... Preschool is of, relating to, or for a child past infancy but younger than school age, usually between the ages of two and five (or six). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Middle school (also known as intermediate school or junior high school) covers a period of education that straddles primary education and secondary education, serving as a bridge between the two. ... Secondary education - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... ... A blacksmith is a traditional trade. ... The University of Cambridge is an institute of higher learning. ... In some educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a Bachelors degree. ... Degree ceremony at Cambridge. ... Infant playing with a book. ... Great Neck Village School, an alternative high school in Great Neck, New York, USA Alternative education, also known as non-traditional education or educational alternative, describes an education that is modified or particularized for those having singular needs, such as maladjusted people and gifted children. ... Homeschooling – also called home education or home school – is the education of children at home, typically by parents or guardians, rather than in a public or private school. ... An adult high school is a high school facility for adult education. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Popular education. ... In Canada and the United States, a community college, sometimes called a technical college, county college, junior college or a city college, is an educational institution providing higher education and lower-level tertiary education, granting certificates, diplomas, and Associates degrees. ... Community Education refers to adult education and other lifelong learning projects undertaken within the community. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic)1 Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II... Continuing education may refer to one of two types of education. ... Distance Learning is learning carried out apart from the usual classroom setting; in an asynchronous setting. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Lifelong learning is the concept that Its never too soon or too late for learning, a philosophy that has taken root in organisations such as the UK Governments Department for Education and Skills. ...

External links

• Adult and Continuing Education Programs - A directory of programs for those planning to attend college for the first time, or looking to complete a degree.
• International Council for Adult Education (ICAE)
• European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA)
• Lifelong Learning Laboratory
• Nightcourses.com Ireland's leading resource for information about adult education, further learning, and evening classes
• The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE, UK)
• The National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (NRDC, UK)
• The American School of Classical Feng Shui
• Working with Adult Learners in the Library Classroom: A Personal Reflection