The University of Wisconsin Press

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Education

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Learning at the Back Door Reflections on Non-Traditional Learning in the Lifespan Charles A. Wedemeyer "Perhaps Wedemeyer's easily readable book may provide the spark to rekindle discussion throughout the world on this whole area of life-span education." —Rupert Goodman, Distance Education Education in the United States, says Charles A. Wedemeyer, has reached a watershed in its development. The traditional institutions of learning do not adequately meet the urgent need for continual life-span learning, and have gradually become cultural artifacts that sometimes merely symbolize learning. In this challenging and highly original book, Wedemeyer, a pioneer in the field of independent, distance, and open education, analyzes the characteristics of non-traditional learning and suggests ways in which such learning can be strengthened and used for the general improvement of all education. Wedemeyer stresses that learning is a natural, idiosyncratic, and continually renewable human trait and survival resource. It is not dependent upon teaching, schooling, or special environments, although—properly used—these resources enhance learning. Yet, educational institutions are such powerful cultural artifacts that they tend to create and continue learning dependencies. Non-traditional learning, despite its growth and importance, has long been ignored by traditional educational authorities. Numerous studies have validated the effectiveness of non-traditional methods. Now this book provides the analyses and generalizations—the whats and whys—that contribute to a theoretical understanding of those methods. When this book was first published, Charles A. Wedemeyer was William H. Lighty Professor of Education Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Wisconsin–Extension with more than thirty years in the study of non-traditional learning. He has published widely in the field, has received numerous honors and awards, including an Honorary Doctorate from Oxford University in 1975, and has served as consultant and lecturer for international organizations and institutions.

Back in print as e-book July 2009 LC: 80-502301 LC 286 pp. ISBN 978-0-299-08563-6 e-book $9.99 s The 1981 cloth edition of this book is out of print. ISBN-10: 0-299-08560-0 To purchase, add print or e-book titles to your shopping cart by clicking on the "Add this book to cart" link above. You will then be able to be pay with your credit card and send your order to our distribution center in Chicago. Click here for a further explanation of the shopping cart feature.   Learning at the Back Door will soon be available through Amazon.com on the Kindle wireless reading device. Institutional Vendors: e-book editions of Learning at the Back Door,  are also available from Ebrary, Follett Digital, MyiLibrary, and NetLibrary. Click here for an explanation of these e-book formats.

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