New ideas for supporting the human working memory are required to take advantage of the options of teaching/learning processes provided by digitalisation. A new "cognitive interface" is necessary for connecting human knowledge with the knowledge of digital resources.
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…
Recent empirical data show that 7.5 million adults in Germany do not reach a minimum level of reading and writing skills and, therefore, are classified as functional illiterates. However, the social and educational background of this part of the population differs considerably from wide-spread perceptions of the target group as it is represented in courses for illiterates in adult education. While the latter normally showed heavy learning problems at school, the wider group normally passed scho…
Interdependence of context, selection criteria and usability of assessment methods Competence assessment is a broad field increasingly difficult to structure. The article distinguishes different assessment methods regarding their relation to different definitions of competence (competence as a collective term vs. competence as an organizing function), purpose of assessment (summative - formative) and objects of assessment (action - resources - reflection). There are contingencies shown which s…
The German Institute for Adult Education (DIE) works as a provider of scientific ser vices for both research and practical work in adult and fur ther education, supplying institutions and researchers with statistical data, documents and support. Its strategic position at the interface between theory and practice corresponds with the institutes specific understanding of its own supportive function and distinctive corporate identity: transmitting scientific knowledge to practice and vice versa, p…
Using the crisis-ridden Afghanistan as an example the authors show the importance of adult und continuing education for the positive development of a conflict region. By strengthening the employability of young people in transition from school to university or professional life it helps preventing frustration, aggression and violence – and thus also the emergence of new conflicts.
Both, the women's movement around 1900 as well as the feminist awakening since the late 1960s were closely connected to educational issues. This article highlights the similarities and differences of both movements with regard to education. According to the author, education is a political issue for both movements. She identifies educational processes in feminist contexts as »specific borderline experiences« with still ongoing disputes.
Communication competences of adult educators are challenged intensively. Successful learning largely depends on the subject matter’s mediative aspects: rhetoric and vocal processes prove to be significant for the learning atmosphere, group dynamics, understandable knowledge communication and setting group and feedback processes in motion. As a result, a sound and comprehensive repertoire of communicative competences is essential, which can be acquired in close relation to linguistics and speech…
This contribution focuses on the significance of analyzing learning processes in case-based learning in continuing education. These analyses play a crucial role in finding explanations for the lack of effective instructional interventions. Furthermore, they allow for the immediate review of assumptions on learning mechanisms. After a brief overview of data collection techniques and of the typical data structure underlying such analyses, the procedure for conducting the analysis is described. Af…
The DIE (German Centre for Adult Education) programme “Learning in Social Spaces”, the social quarter approach is a key element of the inclusion matter. Focused on the social environment, continuing education can include the local community and the resulting participation and networking potentials. The article discusses extracts of interviews conducted with representatives of adult education centres in Berlin and Hamburg, revealing the extent of social space orientation work in the context of i…
