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Similar to the literary cafés there is the model of “philosophical cafés”. It first came into being in France in 1992 by M. Sautet. By now it is also recited by adult education. It is based on the statement “All people are philosophers“ and it animates a daily routine of philosophical discussions. With the example of the theme “joy“, the author sketches his experiences as a manager of such a café.
The "Green Series" introduces reliable knowledge, current topics and didactic methods, which were tested in other fields, to adult education specialists. All volumes are designed from the action perspective, convey application-oriented formulas, and set standards based on the state of research, They contribute to competence and quality development in practical adult education.
Diversity management is a popular management approach. It promises to allow diversity in organisations and thus to appreciate people for what they are. It undertakes to recognise different points of view, ideas, abilities and potentials; not to standardise cultural variety but to reinforce it. For adult education, this concept seems highly promising. After all, one claim of educational management is to promote personality development and personal progress in a business context. However, critica…
This article about European networks as support for lifelong learning starts with an attempt to define the differences between European projects and European networks. The European Association for the education of Adults (EAEA) is put forward as an example of a European network. It focuses on the association’s mission statement, its aims and activities and how it can support adult learning in Europe. In this way it also demonstrates how these networks can reinforce transnational cooperation and…
While belief research has become an integral part of the educational research agenda, it has been uneven. One neglected area is the beliefs of adult education teachers. Focusing on five such teachers working in adult basic education and teaching numeracy in Switzerland, this exploratory study uses different data to describe their beliefs about numeracy and its teaching. It is shown that this group holds clearly different views from other groups of adult teachers and it is argued that extending …
“Validpack” – new tool to validate the skills of adult educators The article describes how, as part of a European project, a validation tool has been developed to validate skills in adult education teaching. Validating adult educators' skills may be one step in the discussion concerning the professionalisation of adult education. There is a description of the aims of the tool, the competence framework it is based on, and the individual steps in the process. So that it can also be of advanta…
"Further education for all" as a theory problem On pedagogy and its partial areas The policy metaphor "further education for all" poses a challenge for further education processes in adult education and the special education. It puts aspects of disability and disadvantage from the edge into the centre of the theory problems. The question is how further education and special education (can) deal with the altered public problem horizon. It is analysed how the two pedagogical partial areas cho…
Education or competence – a pseudo alternative? It is a platitude that the structural change of society also leads to structural problems of further education. Therefore this is discusses intensively for some time past and the practical transpositions are gross. The impression of the authors is that it is argued, latently or explicitly, dichothomic even though that in fact is not necessary. In this contribution the authors want to expand on two such contradiction theorems with the intention …
This report provides an overview of the standards between professional and organisational logic for adult education – from the perspective of funding and continuing educational organisations, education policy and research. It also summarises various strategies for improving teaching and training, and identifies outstanding questions. It also points out the role of teaching as a construct, which largely depends on the viewer’s perspective.
Cultural patterns characterize the architecture in which we live and learn. The article by Urs Maurer helps to discover these unconsciously perceived patterns as an architectural language and adopt it for educational building. It is based on the concept of architectural language being marked by polarities, particularly the antagonism between »death crystal« and »tree of life« coined by Ernst Bloch.
