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The article studies the image of adults behind the concept of lifelong learning. Educational policy documents are studied, which substantiate strategies of lifelong learning on a global, European and national level. Papers issued by the UNESCO, OECD, EU-Commission and Federal/State Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion (Bund-Länder-Kommission – BLK) rarely explicitly include adults. The adult is – if included at all – outlined as a working person, as a citizen and as a resp…
Didactical quality is a crucial precondition if all citizens of the European Union are to be able to develop multilingual skills. Here it is in particular adult education centres which have the task of training their teachers and offering them continuing education so as to make possible optimum didactical classroom instruction. This article shows that applied linguistics and research on teaching languages can provide an important impetus here. The author moreover issues a plea for specialised d…
Reshaping the Relationship between Natural Sciences and Society – The implicite Learning in Contemporary Society How much does an average citizen need to know in the field of natural sciences in order to cope with the challenges of contemporary society? This question is being asked from various points of view. We will reconstruct current debates related to this question along three different lines: on the European level, within academia, and by means of a concrete case study. By relating the…
This article examines the guidelines and objectives of political (societal) and citizenship education in Finland during the past 40 years approximately. During this relatively short period different programmes have arisen which aptly reflect changes which have taken place, in viewpoints, in the social atmosphere and in citizens’ political interests. The article is concerned with the reports of two committees, the Adult Education Committee and the Lifelong Learning Committee, since the beginning…
For the author, "globalization" and "lifelong learning" are the epitome of disengagement in the economic and/or the pedagogic field. Using the genre of meditation, he develops the concept of disengagement - a shedding of limitations - by the example of disasters, markets, exacting demands in the context of learning, the power of the economy, the responsibilities for education. Reflecting on Comenius and Ralf Dahrendorf, the author tries to “bring the amok-running economism back to its senses” a…
The historiography of adult education has painted an almost entirely optimistic picture of enlightenment until today. The actors are defined as people who are willing to learn and capable of being educated. Thanks to the advances in the enlightenment process they mature into responsible citizens. Sources based on individual history, like the ones presented in the “Magazin zur Erfahrungsseelenkunde” (1783-1793), are not taken into consideration. In his role as editor of the periodical magazine, …
Publically funded adult education has rarely contributed to the increase of educational equality. Often enough, it has been beneficial to those who had already enjoyed their share of education and employment. The author reflects on the German post-war history of continuing education and identifies several cycles of financial distribution. The initial focus of adult education was on educationally ambitious citizens. Based on a socio-political motivation, the learning of employees became increasi…
Gesundheit ist nicht nur dann ein Thema, wenn es an ihr mangelt. Erwachsene hegen und pflegen sich (und ihre Kinder) mehr denn je, um ihre Gesundheit zu erhalten. Auf der anderen Seite haben psychische Störungen und stressbedingte Belastungen in den letzten Jahren stark zugenommen. Welche Fähigkeiten und Kenntnisse erfordert eine Lebensweise, die Gesundheit fördert? Wer vermittelt die? Welche Leitkategorien eignen sich für eine theoretische Begründung von Gesundheitsbildung? Sondierungen vom au…
Die Frage nach der Lernfähigkeit und der Lernmotivation Älterer hat eine lange Geschichte. Trotz vieler gegenteiliger Belege hielt sich bis in die zweite Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts die Annahme, dass die Lernfähigkeit kontinuierlich, biologisch bedingt, abnimmt. In den 1980ern Jahren kam es zu einem Perspektivenwechsel. Schon damals zeichnete ich ein demographischer Wandel ab. Alter - bisher vor allem ein medizinisches Thema - wurde nun auch sozialwissenschaftlich und pädagogisch diskutiert. In…
Adult education centers (“Volkshochschulen”) realize their educational mission nationwide, in a wide range of educational topics and for all citizens. In order to foster equal participation opportunities for all population groups, they face the challenge of adapting their work to social developments. Organizational approaches such as diversity management and intercultural opening provide a framework that considers different levels of continuing education work and discusses their contribution to…
