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Der Aufbau von einrichtungs- und bildungsbereichsübergreifenden kooperativ vernetzten Bildungsstrukturen ist ein zentraler strategischer Ansatzpunkt zur Förderung des Lebenslangen Lernens. So sind in Deutschland in den vergangenen Jahren zahlreiche Maßnahmen zur Entwicklung von lokalen Bildungsnetzen, Lern- und Bildungszentren, Weiterbildungsverbünden bis hin zu Lernenden Regionen initiiert und umgesetzt worden. Insbesondere öffentliche Weiterbildungseinrichtungen sind dauerhaft vor die Aufgabe…
This report reflects potentials and dangers for adult education resulting from the process of Europeanizing educational politics. The report indicates the associated structural mechanisms of action in the area of tension of cooperation and competition with the example of the European Qualification Frame (EQF). While intending to achieve a better comparability of educational systems and educational programmes the EQF in fact injects fresh impetus for more national and international competition. …
In the field of economic innovation research, “clusters” (geographical concentrations of related companies) are of great importance due to their extreme productivity and innovation. Seen from the perspective of this type of innovation research, this article presents possible mechanisms which could stand in the path of regional cooperation. Geographical proximity is not enough to spark successful cooperation. The article identifies indifference as a central hurdle on the path to regional coopera…
From 1992 to 2007 a considerable amount of German and EU funding was put into development projects described as “Qualification Development Management” (German acronym: QUEM) and aimed to support the quality of vocational qualification structures in the former GDR. QUEM was sponsored by the ABWF (Study Group for Corporate Continuing Education Research). In this article the author, a scientist working on QUEM, sums up the activities in the programmes and projects which were funded. He identifies …
Recognition of informal professional competencies Learning in informal and non-formal contexts has not yet gained wide-spread political and social acceptance, documentation and certification. Due to its individual and contextual situation, informal learning can be recognized via learning results only. Professional competence, including both formal and informal learning strategies, will constitute the foundation for a comparative evaluation and certification of such competencies and abilities.
Foreign languages à la mode. Trends in adult language acquisition based on the example of the VHS programme Learning foreign languages is a high-status activity in organised adult learning. Based on VHS (adult education centre) statistics, the author shows that foreign languages are an indispensable element of the VHS programme range; hardly any other area is in such constantly high demand, a demand which can also be seen in relation to income status. Now making up 30 percent of all courses,…
Exploring the inner aspect of learning. Methodological considerations for investigating life-long learning This article sets out research methods required for qualitative research aimed at understanding the inner aspect of learning. The aim is to make qualitative single case studies more relevant with regard to issues of education policy and social analysis. For this purpose, the following measures are proposed. (1) Close reading and reflexivity: Precisely studying the source texts sheds lig…
Professionelles Handeln ist auch in der Bildungsberatung wichtiger denn je. Voraussetzung dafür ist neben der Aneignung notwendiger Kompetenzen die Ausbildung eines individuellen wie öffentlichen Bewusstseins für die Spezifik der Beratungstätigkeit. Schließlich kommt es in der Beratungssituation vor allem auf die Fähigkeit zu wechselseitiger Wahrnehmung und angemessener Reaktion an. Basierend auf Modellen aus der Psychoanalyse und anhand von Fallbeispielen aus der Praxis stellt Jörg Knoll Metho…
Literacy as a social practice in a district. An ethnographic theory for basic education practice In German-speaking countries, the theoretical discussion on literacy work is characterised far more by a focus on deficits than is the Anglo-Saxon debate. This article narrows this theoretical gap by adopting Barton & Hamilton’s ethnographic research approach to local literacies for an empirical investigation into literacy practices. The project presented here studies how and why reading and wri…
Competence profiles for adult educators - European perspectives on the occasion of the EQF discussion One important piece of groundwork for the EQF debate in the adult education profession is to explore relevant competence profiles. In the run-up to a European conference, as part of an EU-funded project, profiles of this type in the countries of Europe were studied, compared and checked to discover whether they could be linked in to the Qualifications Framework. The article, originally publi…
