This article provides an overview of adult learning theory, focusing on the theories covered in this issue of New Directions in Adult and Continuing Education. In offering a brief synopsis of each article and reflecting on the ways adult learning theories have evolved since the first update was published in 1993, this article explains several…

In the context of globalization changes in educational systems, it is important to modify approaches to the educational process and introduce learning technologies that allow for maximum involvement in learning. One such technology is the technology of active learning, which engages learners through participation in the cognitive process and…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to gain insight into and understand the authentic lived experience of the processes of collaborative inquiry in teamwork from the perspective of teachers. Design/methodology/approach: Data comprises stimulated recall interviews and semi-structured interviews. Seventeen teachers from four different teams in…

A central goal of science education reform is for students to participate in scientific sense making rather than to merely acquire science facts. However, even in classrooms utilizing reform-based pedagogies, students are typically allowed to construct knowledge only insofar as they construct expected knowledge. In this report and reflection, we…

COVID-19 saw a number of courses and programs in higher education transition to online platforms. While online learning environments provide novel opportunities for pedagogy and technological integration, it is essential that educators feel they are supported with teaching via a new medium. Introductory mathematics and statistics courses have also…

Education undergoes changes in globalization which makes it necessary to link people's lives towards development through teaching and learning. This paper explores the pedagogical issues of e-learning in education for development. With the growth of technologies and the fast pace at which Internet usage is spreading worldwide, there is a change in…

Experiential learning has been documented as an effective method for student learning, yet its use in large-enrollment classes remains limited. Kolb's experiential learning theory emphasizes that experiential learning requires a hospitable learning space (HLS) that is conducive to learning. In this article, we reframe the challenges to…

This paper develops the notion of learning as valuing to support reform in Chinese schools as they transition from teaching as transmission to teaching as fostering creative inquiry in efforts to move China to become an eco-civilization. The notion of learning as valuing here is developed from the concept of value in the work of Alfred North…

Classroom action research (CAR) represents a midpoint between teacher reflection at one end and traditional educational research at the other. CAR is a process in which a teacher identifies problems in the context of his or her own classroom and then engages in investigative methods to address the problems. Teachers sometimes shy away from CAR,…

The Change Laboratory methodology offers the potential to support expansive learning in preservice bilingual teacher education. This qualitative case study examines how ten preservice Chinese and Korean bilingual teachers, who participated in a Change Laboratory intervention, engaged one of the major Change Laboratory instruments, the four-field…

In this study, we seek to illuminate the effects of the global policy convergence in education through a close study of its enactment within an Australian Teacher Education course. Building on an examination of the changing priorities of a cohort of pre-service teachers over a short space of time, we argue that the enactment of New Public…

The field of education has been marked by change initiatives, especially since 2002 and the implementation of No Child Left Behind. Teacher evaluation is a major area of concern in many of these initiatives and the implementation of the Race to the Top in 2009 has place even greater emphasis on Teacher Evaluation. Thirty-seven states made…

With the pressure to improve student achievement, and the propensity to use PD to influence instruction, it is easy to overlook the complex process of teacher learning. The Vygotsky Space represents iterative learning within public and private dimensions, where teacher knowledge building is positioned as interactive cultural events situated within…

Swedish early childhood education (ECE) offers a curriculum-based preschool for children aged one to five, and a preschool class for children aged six years. Activities in these programs have traditionally been based on play and having fun, avoiding structured activities with formal learning objectives. Due to indications that Swedish ECE has…

In a world dominated by change and transformation, this article explores instructional technology connections to and applications of transformative learning. The author provides an overview of the theory of transformative learning, which embraces the hallmarks of 21st century learning. Rather than focusing solely on how to use technology,…