Learning to be literate involves understanding unequal power relations that privilege some literacy practices over others. A deficit model associates literacy with skills and motivation, emphasizes standardized literacy accomplishments, and prescribes outcomes. These practices discount the validity of individuals' definitions of and uses for…

This dialog between Alan Rogers and Knud Illeris debates arguments Rogers made in a previous article about the differences between adult and child learning. Rogers emphasizes differences in teacher-learner relationships. Illeris believes the differences result from different motivations for learning. (SK)

Communications technologies do more than solve practical problems such as overcoming learner distance. They can add new dimensions to courses. Although effective adult learning should not be technology driven, adult educators can take a proactive role in ensuring the appropriate use of technologies. (SK)

A survivor of a disaster discusses stages of trauma and processes of recovery and addresses the role of education in offering opportunities for information, discussion, and understanding. (SK)

Discusses the essential characteristics of learning in the four main life stages: childhood, youth, adulthood, and mature adulthood. Itemizes the characteristics of adult learning and stresses the importance of life projects as a motivation for learning. (JOW)

The case of a prisoner in Alcatraz illustrates the importance of motivation, social support, and education that enables reflection and self-respect to the long-term success of rehabilitation. (SK)

Seeks to clarify the rhetoric about learning organizations; suggests that the term has two senses: an organization that learns and an organization that promotes learning. Asserts that an educational institution's priority is the learning needs of students, who are not analogous to other organization's human resources. (SK)

This response to an article by Hyland refutes reservations about educational credit accumulation and transfer schemes and suggests the need for tangible rewards and the personalized ownership of knowledge, skills, and values that credits represent. (SK)

Raises issues about self-directed learning: its relatively unquestioned status, emphasis on individuals, and practices that are not necessarily emancipatory. Reflects on the way language shapes what is known. (SK)

Examples of marginalized nonformal learning in Britain that is driven by a search for alternative value systems include initiatives among Kurdish refugees, Blacks seeking identity through black studies, women sharing their stories, the resurgence of Irish culture, and the green movement. (SK)

A 2003 survey shows that adult participation in learning, which steadily increased in Britain since 1996, declined to 39% from a peak of 46% in 2001, although future intentions to participate remain high. Results indicate that 87% of adults over 65 and 75% in the lowest socioeconomic levels have not participated in the last 3 years. (SK)

Conferences are a major form of professional development. The educational outcomes of conference attendance would be improved by adherence to such principles as empowerment of the adult learner, mutual responsibility for learning, attention to the learning climate, awareness and use of participants' experience, diagnosis of needs, and evaluation…

Looks at the current fashion in language used to describe and promote adult education. Suggests that "professionalism" supports high-cost training for those who can afford it and wholesale destruction of adult education services for those with the least experience, but great need, of successful education and training. (SK)

The metaphor of the learning society is in danger of being reduced to recurrent education and training for vocational skills, focused on the learning of individuals. What is lost is a focus on how societies learn and adapt or fail. (SK)

Attendance at conferences provides opportunities for developing listening, notetaking, and questioning skills as well as confidence and self-esteem. Planning conferences provides other experiential learning through such roles as entrepreneur, administrator, troubleshooter, and organizer. (SK)