Validation of prior learning (VPL), also referred to as recognition, validation and accreditation of prior learning (RVA), is becoming an increasingly important political issue at both European and international levels. In 2012, the European Council, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation…

Which competences do professional adult educators need? This research note discusses the topic from a comparative perspective, finding that adult educators' required competences are wide-ranging, heterogeneous and complex. They are subject to context in terms of national and cultural environment as well as the kind of adult education concerned…

For at least 50 years, prominent adult learning theorists have recommended that adult educators commit to a learner-centered teaching approach. Extensive teaching styles research has been conducted on face-to-face and online adult educators, albeit separately, to examine their commitment levels to the learner-centered style. In addition, there has…

Play and playfulness and their role in learning are researched extensively in early childhood education. However, as the child matures into an adult, play and playfulness are given less attention in the teaching and learning process. In adult education, there is very little research about play/playfulness and its significance for learning. Despite…

The purpose of this study was to investigate Pakistani Workplace Learning and Performance (WLP) practitioners' perceptions of the importance of WLP competencies at the present time and in the next five years. The goals were to: (1) identify and characterize a profile of Pakistani WLP practitioners; (2) analyze perceptions of the current and future…

Since 2000, the European Union has given greater attention to lifelong learning, as expressed in the Lisbon presidency conclusions and the general objectives of the Education and Training 2010 work programme. In September 2007, these policy proposals were further strengthened with the announcement of the "Action Plan on Adult Learning"…

A study examined the effectiveness of preservice and inservice training in selected interpersonal communication techniques as a way of improving adult educators' ability to communicate with students with a variety of learning styles. The literature on adult learner characteristics and practice, learning style, and concepts and components of…

The concept of andragogy is posited on four key assumptions about adult learners that distinguish them from child learners and that thus abrogate the premises upon which traditional pedagogy is based. In traditional pedagogy, the role of the learner is one of dependency. Andragogy, on the other hand, recognizes the deep psychological need of…

In this chapter the authors' primary aim is to describe the general workings of the system of adult literacy and learning as it exists in the United Kingdom today. To better illuminate that system, they take a little time delving into its past--that is, showing how it arrived at its current state of operation. A secondary aim is to compare and…

Although it is clear that adult education has existed much longer as a field of practice than as a field of study, little research exists to identify the contribution that an understanding of the field of adult education, particularly adult learning and techniques for teaching adult students, makes to the effectiveness of an adult educator. To…

The relationship between adult educators' disciplinary and pedagogic identities was explored through case studies of two adult educators. Both were males. One became an adult educator after spending 15 years as a social worker and social work trainer, and the other became a part-time adult educator after being a chartered surveyor. The former…

Five projects are reported that examined factors related to adult learning in nontraditional environments. "Conrad, Montana: A Community of Memories" (Janice Counter, Lynn Paul, and Gary Conti) reports on a group of adults who for over 40 years have been active in building a better community for friends, relatives, and themselves. A…

This book synthesizes both the theoretical and practical perspectives of experienced practitioners of the craft of adult education. The book contains 14 chapters. "The New World of Continuing Education" (Alan Thomas) clarifies common terms in historical context. "We Have with Us Yesterday: Teaching Lessons from the Past" (Michael Welton) presents…

These proceedings of a conference on research in the field of adult education contain the texts of 40 conference papers and 4 symposia. Included among the areas examined in the individual reports are the following: education participation scale factor structure and correlates for 12,000 learners, a comparative analysis of adult education research…

This document is designed to help adult educators implement the Teach with Style model of teaching adults. The introduction discusses how adults learn and the best way to teach them. Chapter 1 explains the tenets of the Teach with Style model, which is based on four distinct instructor styles. Chapters 2-5 detail the strategies and activities…