This paper reports on the findings of a small qualitative research project that examined the experiences of a group of adult learners attending a basic skills programme in the English Midlands during the late 1990s. It explores patterns of participation on such programmes and illustrates that early life course experiences can shape changing…

This paper is based on the project "Recognition of Tacit Skills and Knowledge in Work Re-entry" carried out as a part of the ESRC-funded Research Network "Improving Incentives to Learning in the Workplace". The network aims to contribute to improved practice among a wide range of practitioners. The study has investigated the part played by tacit…

Adult learning practitioners are being challenged to prepare for a revolution in the way workplace learning outcomes will be delivered. Recent thinking on the future of work by a number of leading business authorities from around the world reports that changes in the way students are being educated for work and the demands on workers in the…

Cooperative learning is a teaching technique that many teachers of all levels use in their classrooms. Putting students in structured groups so that they may work together has become a popular teaching strategy. Cooperative learning is student-centered teaching that requires the teacher to be facilitator and where students learn from each other.…

This study explored an instructor's and graduate students' reactions to their first on-line course. They initially felt high levels of stress. With increasing confidence, graduate students expressed their satisfaction. Most appreciated the reflection time that asynchronous dialogue provided, and learning relevant to real life that built on their…

"A Look at Transfer" examines the six levels of transfer and the adult learner. The book explores the seven bridging strategies to use with adult learners as they learn how the professional development content they are learning does, indeed, transfer into their classrooms and into their life situations. Following a preface, this book is divided…

This occasional paper is a summary of what the staff of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) Dissemination Initiative learned about how to connect research, policy and practice in ways that promote evidence-based practice in the field of adult learning and literacy. NCSALL Tools for connecting practice, policy,…

This paper is about a study carried out at a chemical production facility in Izmir, Turkey during 2005/6 using CNC Learning environment and Kolb cycle. The system has been tested with 12 chemists working in this factory. The training course was carried on in a web-based environment and also routine meetings with the instructors were held. The…

In this article, the author reports from the World Social Forum, the annual gathering of campaigning groups and activists who believe that "another world is possible." The theme of the seventh forum, "People's struggles, people's alternatives," united 50,000 people from diverse cultures and backgrounds who gathered in Nairobi…

This case study examined a professional development experience that was facilitated for career and technical education teachers to help foster the integration of academics and career and technical education. Unlike most professional development experiences that treat teachers as passive learners, this professional development experience was…

Prison education in Europe is based on an adult education model. This is clearly stated in the Council of Europe Recommendations on Education in Prison (1990). It states that "the education of prisoners must, in its philosophy, methods and content, be brought as close as possible to the best adult education in the society outside (COE, 1990:…

A critical discourse analysis of the Adult Numeracy Core Curriculum is used to expose and challenge the underlying assumptions of the Skills for Life strategy, and to examine the way in which the text constructs subject positions for adult numeracy teachers and learners. The analysis finds that presuppositions include the unproblematic transfer of…

"Focus on Basics" is a publication of the U.S. Division of World Education, Inc. It presents best practices, current research on adult learning and literacy, and how research is used by adult basic education teachers, counselors, program administrators, and policymakers. "Focus on Basics" is dedicated to connecting research…

Beyond the obvious acquisition of the three "R's"--reading, writing and arithmetic--many other benefits derive from learning. Increases in self-esteem and confidence have often been cited as consistent, if unanticipated, outcomes of learning and have been achieved even when there has been limited gain in the competency being learned.…

This study explores the relationship between regional people's identities, their experiences of learning, and engagement with learning. Fifteen adult learners describe those experiences of education and the significant impact of their learning identity on their engagement with learning in the long term. The study was based in a regional area of…