What is Malcolm Knowles?
'''Malcolm Shepard Knowles''' (August 24, 1913 – November 27, 1997) was an American educator. He was active in developing theories of adult education.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Malcolm Knowles, Informal Adult Education, Self-direction and Andragogy |last=Smith |first= Mark K. |encyclopedia= Encyclopedia of Informal Education |accessdate= August 13, 2011 |url= http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-knowl.htm}}</ref> His ideas about [[self-directed learning]] have gained international recognition.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://sdlglobal.com/IJSDL/IJSDL1.1-2004.pdf#page=5 |title=Self-Direction in learning in the United States |accessdate= December 18, 2014 |last=Guglielmino |first= L. |author2= Long, H. and Hiemstra, R. |date= Spring 2004 |work= International Journal of Self-directed Learning |id= Volume 1, Number 1 }}</ref> ==Biographical information== Malcolm Shepard Knowles was born on August 24, 1913 in [[Montana]]. His family moved to [[West Palm Beach, Florida]], when he was a young boy. He graduated from Palm Beach High School in 1930. In 1934, he graduated from [[Harvard University]] with a [[Bachelor of Arts]]. Soon after graduation he married Hulda Fornell. From 1940 to 1943, he worked as Director of Adult Education at the Boston Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). He was [[conscription|drafted]] into the [[United States Navy]] in 1943. In 1946, he moved to Chicago to work as the Director of Adult Education at that [[YMCA]]. During that time, he also worked on a [[Master of Arts (postgraduate)|Master of Arts]] at the [[University of Chicago]]. He earned the masters degree in 1949. He continued his studies at the University of Chicago, earning his [[PhD]]. He then spent 14 years at [[Boston University]] as an [[associate professor]] of adult education with tenure. He became a member of the faculty of [[North Carolina State University]] School of Education in 1974.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title= Malcolm Knowles, Informal Adult Education, Self-direction and Andragogy |last=Smith |first=Mark K. |encyclo