The "Hamburg Declaration on Adult Learning and Agenda for the Future" (UNESCO, 1997) is perhaps the most utopian statement about adult learning and education (ALE) in recent times. Grounded in the ideas of radical educators Paulo Freire and Ivan Illich, it built upon two earlier influential and inspiring reports that promoted general adherence to…

The 12-yearly International Conferences of Adult Education (CONFINTEA) organised by UNESCO are significant events in the ongoing global dialogues about adult learning and education (ALE) and its role within society. Thus, the latest conference held in Brazil in 2009 offered a major opportunity to consider and review developments about ALE policies…

Writing recently in this journal, two of Canada's veteran adult educators contemplated the "death" of the Canadian adult education movement. I disagree and argue that adult education in Canada is as vital an activity as ever and one that still fully justifies being called a movement. Specifically, Selman and Selman (2009) list five…

This study explored the teaching processes in mathematics education for adults and how they are shaped by certain social and institutional forces. The study addressed three broad questions: (1) What happens in adult mathematics classrooms? (2) What do these phenomena mean for those involved as teachers or learners? and (3) In what ways do "frame…

Discusses the importance of ongoing adult education, summarizing four books that provide a comprehensive guide to the themes and concerns of contemporary adult educators, considering various issues raised in the books (borders and boundaries of adult education, impact of economic restructuring, and emphasis on learning) and examining how the…

A richer understanding of teaching adults would be gained by linking micro aspects of teaching and classroom interaction with macro influences of educational and social systems. This is illustrated by a study of adult basic math classes, in which teachers focused on the syllabus, dominated classroom decision making, and limited opportunities for…

In this study, we examined the provision and development of lifelong learning within institutions of higher education in British Columbia and explored some of the institutional characteristics that enable or discourage it. The results suggest that most lifelong learning opportunities are directed toward enhancing employment and career…