This book addresses a broad array of pressing challenges of longitudinal surveys and provides innovative solutions to methodological problems based on the example of the NEPS. It covers longitudinal issues such as sampling, weighting, recruiting and fieldwork management, the design of longitudinal surveys and the implementation of constructs, conducting competence tests over the life course, effective methods to improve and to maintain the highest level of data quality, data management tools for large-scale longitudinal surveys, the dissemination of research data to heterogeneous scientific communities, as well as establishing a long-term public relations and communications unit integrating a study's stakeholder community over time.

The third edition of Patricia Cranton's Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning brings a wealth of new insight from the tremendous growth in the field during the decade since the previous edition. As in the previous editions, the book helps adult educators understand what transformative learning is, distinguish it from other forms of learning, and foster it in their practice. The first part of the book is dedicated to clarifying transformative learning theory and relating it to other theoretical frameworks. The author examines transformative learning from the learner's perspective, and discusses individual differences in how learners go through the process. In the second half of the book, the focus is squarely on strategies for promoting transformative learning in a wide variety of adult and higher education contexts. Practitioners will be able to take ideas from the text and apply them directly in their teaching. Since 1975, transformative learning has become a core theoretical perspective in adult and higher education, and research has proliferated. In the past decade, adult education and especially transformative learning grew into a noticeably larger field. The numbers of undergraduate and graduate programs in adult education have increased and continue to increase as more and more individuals are seeking the expertise, skills, and training necessary to work with adult learners in higher education, business, industry, government, health professions, non-profit organizations, and community development. In addition, the number of programs in higher education (both undergraduate and graduate) that include courses in transformative learning has grown dramatically. These academic audiences use the book to further their understanding of transformative learning theory and practice. Drawing on the latest research as well as the author's own teaching experience in both online and face-to-face courses, this new edition will be a vital resource for members of the transformative learning community, as well as those encountering the topic for the first time.

Drawing on the role of individuals, education and training providers and countries' social policy actions, and borrowing insights from psychology, sociology and economics, this book works towards an interdisciplinary theory of adult lifelong learning participation. It explores the fragmented evidence of why adults do or do not participate in adult lifelong learning activities and focuses on the relevance of policy, the social character and expected benefits of lifelong learning participation and discusses the potential implications for policy, practice and research.

Adult and Lifelong Education explores why politicians, researchers, and practitioners involved in educating post-school young people and adults have quietly abandoned the term 'education' in favour of 'learning'. Bringing together contributions from experienced as well as younger scholars, and from Europe, North America, and Australasia, it draws on global, national, and local perspectives to reveal key features of adult education's policy environment. At the book's heart are three main concerns. First, what is the spatial reach of these developments, and what processes of fluidity and fixity emerge? Second, does increased state and international recognition of civil society's role in adult education and learning help to voice grass-roots learning needs for individuals and communities? Or does it create new patterns of dependency and 'domestication'? Finally, given the growing culture of monitoring, and the investment - of money, time and attention - which international organizations, national governments, and research institutes around the world are making in gathering information on people's skills and knowledge, and how they use them, what is happening when literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving abilities are tested? How is this knowledge used - and abused - in various policy environments, and who benefits? The book is an outcome of the work of the European Society for the Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA) Research Network on Policy Studies in Adult Education's inaugural conference, held at the University of Nottingham in 2012. This book was originally published as a special issue of Globalisation, Societies and Education.

This book addresses the education and training of Members of Parliament (MPs). It examines existing training programs offered in various countries around the world, evaluates their strengths and weaknesses and makes recommendations for a new approach, which aligns the professional development of MPs to 21st century requirements. Contributors address the role of parliamentarians, how to prepare them for their multi-faceted functions, the importance of ethics in any program, the requirement for more sophisticated adult learning approaches, human resource implications and the need to reform existing education and training models. The book will appeal to scholars in the fields of political science, adult education and human resource management, as well as to parliamentarians interested in enhancing their skills so as to perform more efficiently and effectively.

This book explores important questions about the relationship between professional practice and learning, and implications of this for how we understand professional expertise. Focusing on work accomplished through partnerships between practitioners and parents with young children, the book explores how connectedness in action is a fluid, evolving accomplishment, with four essential dimensions: times, spaces, bodies, and things. Within a broader sociomaterial perspective, the analysis draws on practice theory and philosophy, bringing different schools of thought into productive contact, including the work of Schatzki, Gherardi, and recent developments in cultural historical activity theory. The book takes a bold view, suggesting practices and learning are entwined but distinctive phenomena. A clear and novel framework is developed, based on this idea. The argument goes further by demonstrating how new, coproductive relationships between professionals and clients can intensify the pedagogic nature of professional work, and showing how professionals can support others' learning when the knowledge they are working with, and sense of what is to be learned, are uncertain, incomplete, and fragile.

Beijing Institute for the Learning Society (BILS) was inaugurated in October 2011 through the joint efforts of Beijing Leading Group Office for Construction of Learning City and Beijing Normal University. The main focus of BILS lies within the education discipline. The Institute is building a platform that integrates intellectual resources of universities in Beijing to serve the learning city's construction, to explore the constructing mode for Beijing learning city, to enrich and develop the theory of building a learning society with Chinese characteristics, to assist the government in public policies, and to guide the practice of learning city's construction. At present, two years since it was established, together with Beijing City and related research institutions, the Institute has participated in numerous research studies, including "An International Comparative Study on Modes of Learning City Construction in the World", "Research and study on Beijing Lifelong Learning Competence", and "Study on Legislation of Beijing Lifelong Learning". Oriented towards the practice of the construction of Beijing learning city, the Institute integrates universities in Beijing and related research organizations in China and abroad to keep pace with international developments, research practical problems, explore innovative approaches, promote exchanges and cooperation, train professionals, and lead the development of the practice. It is striving to build a high-end open research platform with international influence that integrates academic researches, policy advisories, talent training, and training services. This book summarizes the goals set by BILS, and what has been achieved thus far.

This book explores the gradual evolution of Adult literacy policy from the 1970s using philosophical, sociological and economic frames of reference from a range of perspectives to highlight how priorities have changed. It also offers an alternative curriculum; a transformative model that presents a more socially just different value position.

Offers practical career guidance to all engineers, covering everything from early education through to retirement Provides a big-picture view of the engineering profession, citing examples from both the author's life and the lives of his associates Guides engineers in a systematic way on how to make good career decisions Discusses the ethics of engineering, presenting concepts and tips that can be applied to engineers all over the world Written in the form of personal, conversation-style letters perfect for quick and easy comprehension

This book examines three sites of pedagogical innovation, all of which are explicitly activisms against the current political and pedagogical climate. Drawing on an interdisciplinary framework including autonomous Marxism, post-anarchism, social movement theories and theories of critical pedagogy, it examines social movements though a pedagogical lens and attempts to understand how connections can be made between social movement learning and other initiatives and forms of higher learning. With studies of the London Occupy! movement; The Social Science Centre, a co-operative higher learning provider that practises popular education in city venues; and a university politically opposing the 'student as consumer' ethos, Spaces of Political Pedagogy connects these various projects as a continuum of educational experimentation, offering insights into the ways in which these sites practice pedagogy and the manner in which these practices could be implemented more widely to inform and improve struggles for wider social justice. As such, it will appeal to scholars of education and sociology with interests in pedagogy, social movements and activism.

This book addresses the questions why citizenship education is an important subject for students in further and adult education and why we need democratic colleges to support the study of citizenship education. It investigates the historical roots of further and adult education and identifies how the adoption of citizenship education in the post-compulsory sector can enrich vocational studies in further education and programmes in adult education. It is argued that democratic colleges are vital to ensure that citizenship education informs the decision-making process throughout educational institutions (and as a means of establishing fair and equal representation for important stakeholders). The author has worked in both sectors for over a decade, and uses this experience to offer a blend of educational practice and philosophical investigation. The result is a work that appeals to both teachers in further and adult education as well as academics and students interested in philosophy of education.

The worldwide appearance and expression of adult education and lifelong learning have changed significantly during the past 20 years. This book explores recent changes in their related national and international policies, how they intersect with developments in higher education and how they may contribute to debates on citizenship and democracy.

An introduction to the principles of climate change science with an emphasis on the empirical evidence for climate change and a warming world. Additional readings are given at the end of each chapter. A list of "Things to Know" opens each chapter. Chapters are arranged so that the student is first introduced to the scientific method(s), examples of the use of the scientific method from other sciences drawn from the history of science with an emphasis on climate science. Climate science is treated in each chapter based on the premise of global warming. Chapter treatments on the atmosphere. biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and anthroposphere and their inter-relationships are given.

This book allows readers to explore the inner workings of a hybrid class from the perspectives of two instructors with different pedagogical orientations, from the students' perspectives, including learning outcomes and immediately practical teaching tools. The authors meet the challenge of how to preserve pedagogy and content while making good use of digital tools and online opportunities. Language teachers at the secondary and postsecondary level will enjoy the authors' first person narrative of the creation of a pedagogically-sound hybrid course, practical examples from their courses, as well as student learning outcomes and feedback on the various technological activities. During a year-long study of the authors' hybrid courses they used a mixed methods design to answers these questions: How does a hybrid course change our teaching? How does the hybrid course affect student learning experiences? What technology-based activities are most effective in our hybrid course?.

This book serves as an introduction to using online teaching technologies and hybrid forms of teaching for experiential learning and civic engagement. Service-learning has kept pace neither with the rapid growth in e-learning in all its forms nor with the reality that an increasing number of students are learning online without exposure to the benefits of this powerful pedagogy. Eservice-learning (electronic service-learning) combines service-learning and on-line learning and enables the delivery of the instruction and/or the service to occur partially or fully online. Eservice-learning allows students anywhere, regardless of geography, physical constraints, work schedule, or other access limitations, to experience service-learning. It reciprocally also equips online learning with a powerful tool for engaging students. In eservice-learning, the core components of service, learning, and reflection may take a different form due to the online medium-for example, reflection often occurs through discussion board interactions, journals, wikis, or blogs in an eservice-learning course. Moreover, the service, though still community-based, creates a world of opportunities to connect students with communities across the globe-as well as at their very own doorstep. This book introduces the reader to the four emerging types of eservice-learning, from Extreme EService-Learning (XE-SL) classes where 100% of the instruction and 100% of the service occur online, to three distinct forms of hybrid where either the service or the instruction are delivered wholly on-line - with students, for instance, providing online products for far-away community partners - or in which both are delivered on-site and online. It considers the instructional potential of common mobile technologies - phones, tablets and mobile reading devices. The authors also address potential limitations, such as technology challenges, difficulties sustaining three-way communication among the instructor, community partner, and students, and added workload. The book includes research studies on effectiveness as well as examples of practice such drafting grants for a community partner, an informational technology class building online communities for an autism group, and an online education class providing virtual mentoring to at-risk students in New Orleans from across the country.

This book illustrates the meaning and scope of lifelong learning and different types of poverty reduction programs prevalent generally in the African context and particularly in selected communities in Botswana. Lifelong learning is important for all stakeholders in poverty reduction to develop a better understanding of the scope and extent of poverty so that they can make informed decisions on best ways of tackling poverty. The book succinctly showcases community development and engagement initiatives and experiences from selected African universities and how the interaction of the universities and their respective communities resulted in a major transformation in the lives of poor families through exposure to some engagement strategies that effectively gave them a better future in their fight against poverty. This book develops in the reader a better understanding of the dynamics and dilemma of poverty and its negative effects on individuals and communities. But it answers the plight of the poor by equipping them with effective and practical tools to transform their lives and take full control of their destiny. * Provides a conceptual understanding of lifelong learning * Describes practical aspects and indicators of poverty and how it requires tackling through a multi-sectoral approach * Focuses on poverty reduction in all fronts, including development of an entrepreneurship mind-set

Lifelong learning is a key government strategy - both in the UK and internationally - to promote economic growth and combat social exclusion. This book presents a highly innovative study of participation in lifelong learning and the problems which need to be overcome if lifelong learning policies are to be successful. It: provides a systematic analysis, based on innovative empirical research, of the social and economic realities which actually determine patterns of participation in lifelong learning; shows what the factors are that shape people's participation, or their decision not to participate; offers new insights into the processes of lifelong learning, which have important implications for the development of more effective policies "Creating a learning society?" is a stimulating read for lifelong learning practitioners, as well as policy makers and researchers in this field.

This book serves as an introduction to using online teaching technologies and hybrid forms of teaching for experiential learning and civic engagement. Service-learning has kept pace neither with the rapid growth in e-learning in all its forms nor with the reality that an increasing number of students are learning online without exposure to the benefits of this powerful pedagogy. Eservice-learning (electronic service-learning) combines service-learning and on-line learning and enables the delivery of the instruction and/or the service to occur partially or fully online. Eservice-learning allows students anywhere, regardless of geography, physical constraints, work schedule, or other access limitations, to experience service-learning. It reciprocally also equips online learning with a powerful tool for engaging students. In eservice-learning, the core components of service, learning, and reflection may take a different form due to the online medium-for example, reflection often occurs through discussion board interactions, journals, wikis, or blogs in an eservice-learning course. Moreover, the service, though still community-based, creates a world of opportunities to connect students with communities across the globe-as well as at their very own doorstep. This book introduces the reader to the four emerging types of eservice-learning, from Extreme EService-Learning (XE-SL) classes where 100% of the instruction and 100% of the service occur online, to three distinct forms of hybrid where either the service or the instruction are delivered wholly on-line - with students, for instance, providing online products for far-away community partners - or in which both are delivered on-site and online. It considers the instructional potential of common mobile technologies - phones, tablets and mobile reading devices. The authors also address potential limitations, such as technology challenges, difficulties sustaining three-way communication among the instructor, community partner, and students, and added workload. The book includes research studies on effectiveness as well as examples of practice such drafting grants for a community partner, an informational technology class building online communities for an autism group, and an online education class providing virtual mentoring to at-risk students in New Orleans from across the country.

This book examines Gilles Deleuze's ideas about creativity in the context of lifelong learning, offering an original take on this important contemporary topic using cinematic parallels. Discussing Deleuze's difficult notion of 'counter-actualization' as a form of creative practice, it draws practical consequences for those across a diverse sector.

This book presents thinking about and through transdisciplinary and professional development as an educative process. Rather than focusing on the delineation of the approaches offered, an analysis of these contributions points to commonality in those problems that benefit from a transdisciplinary perspective. The core elements of transdisciplinarity can lead to what might be called metanoia - another way of knowing; a knowing which is 'beyond that which is creative and transformative. This poses challenges for the practice of all professionals and is the core issue that this book addresses. The book brings together the constituting views of transdisciplinarity, or metanoia, and focus them on current professional practice. The book is structured in two parts and five sections. The first part deals with key issues in Transdisciplinarity; its actuality and how it creates knowledge. Section 1 has three original papers which look at Transdisciplinarity from a different lens. Especially, the Islamic voice has not been heard in this context before. Section 2 considers the knowledge aspect of Transdisciplinarity and how this might be confronted with existing disciplinary knowledge. Part 2 of the book is directly focused on professionals and their education. The third section considers research pedagogy and graduate education for the professional. This is followed in section 4 which offers a discussion on team work. In the final section six chapters present the transdisciplinary practitioner in different contexts.

This book examines Gilles Deleuze's ideas about creativity in the context of lifelong learning, offering an original take on this important contemporary topic using cinematic parallels. Discussing Deleuze's difficult notion of 'counter-actualization' as a form of creative practice, it draws practical consequences for those across a diverse sector.

Ecologies for Learning and Practice provides the first systematic account of the ideas of learning ecologies and ecologies of practice and locates the two concepts within the context of our contemporary world. It focuses on how individuals and society are being presented with all manner of learning challenges arising from fluidities and disruptions, which extend across all domains of life. This book examines emerging ways of understanding and living purposively in these new fluidities and provides fresh perspectives on the way we learn and achieve in such dynamic contexts. Providing an insight into the research of a range of internationally renowned contributors, this book explores diverse topics from the higher education and adult learning worlds. These include: The challenges faced by education systems today The concept of ecologies for learning and practice The role and responsibility of higher education institutions in advancing ecological approaches to learning The different eco-social systems of the world-local and global, economic, cultural, practical, technological, and ethical How adult learners might create and manage their own ecologies for learning and practice in order to sustain themselves and flourish With its proposals for individual and institutional learning in the 21st century and concerns for our sustainability in a fragile world, Ecologies for Learning and Practice is an essential guide for all who seek to encourage and facilitate learning in a world that is fundamentally ecological in nature.

There is a growing concern about the social exclusion of a range of minority groups, including people with learning difficulties. Lifelong learning is seen as one of the central means of challenging the exclusion of this group, but also of enhancing their economic status. This book demonstrates that policy based on human capital premises has produced forms of lifelong learning which exacerbate the marginalisation of people with learning difficulties. The Learning Society and people with learning difficulties: reviews the range of policy fields which increasingly intervene in the lifelong learning arena; maps the agencies involved in service delivery and describes their (sometimes conflicting) ethos; provides in-depth accounts of the lived experiences of individuals with learning difficulties as they navigate lifelong learning options. Its exploration of the links between community care, education, training, employment, housing and benefits policies in the context of lifelong learning is unique. This book makes a significant contribution to debates about how people with learning difficulties may achieve social inclusion, and the part which lifelong learning may play in this. It is therefore invaluable reading for policy makers, practitioners and academics interested in these issues.

Action leadership is a creative, innovative, collaborative and self-developed way to lead. It eschews the hierarchical structure usually associated with leadership and is based instead on the democratic values of freedom, equality, inclusion and self-realization. It take responsibility for, not control over, people through networking and orchestrating human energy towards a holistic outcome that benefits the common interest. Action leaders are passionate people who abide by the motto that "Learning does not mean to fill a barrel but rather to ignite a flame" in others. And in this time of rapid economic, political, technological, social and ecological changes, action leadership and action leaders are precisely what's needed to improve how people and organizations engage constructively to address the myriad complex issues challenging society at all levels. Action Leadership: Towards a Participatory Paradigm explains and illustrates how action leadership can be developed through participatory action learning and action research (PALAR). It addresses real-life issues by people who choose to work collaboratively towards shared goals while developing their learning, insights, knowledge, people skills and personal relationships through involvement in a PALAR project. The book provides a conceptual framework for action leadership and for the integrative, practical theory of PALAR; and examples of applications in higher education, management education for organization development, and community development. Readers are encouraged to adopt, adapt and further develop the evolving concepts of action leadership and PALAR in a participatory paradigm of learning, research and development.

Anke Hanft and Michaela Knust The present study examines and compares the structure and organisation of c- tinuing higher education in six countries: Austria, Finland, France, Germany, the UK and the USA. The focus is not just on current continuing education provisions at higher education institutions but also on the institutions themselves and their surrounding milieu. The study also attempts to move away from a purely national angle and to approach the topic from an international perspective. The conclusion is reached that when it comes to the development, establishment and professional implementation of continuing education provisions, German higher education ins- tutions lag behind the other countries in the comparison in almost all areas. The main ndings in terms of the three levels 'system', 'institution', and 'programme' are summarised below. 1 Continuing Education in the Higher Education System There are considerable divergences, both nationally and internationally, in the d- inition of the German term "wissenschaftliche Weiterbildung" ("academic c- tinuing education"). In the English-speaking world, a variety of terms such as "lifelong learning", "adult education", "continuing education", "continuing higher education", "university-level continuing education" or "continuing professional development" are often used as synonyms without any precise differentiation - and this is not perceived as a problem.