The Observation of the Observer Constructive adult education The entry of constructive perception into adult education is closely linked to the name of Horst Siebert. Together, and in the debate with Rolf Arnold he began, at the beginning of 1990, to “perturb” or rather refresh thinking on adult education. How this “fresh thinking” developed in the shaping of scientific thinking is the question which, based on three texts from Horst Siebert from 1991, 1993 and 1999, will be analysed in this…
Theories of Adult Education On the basis of three selected contributions, the adult pedagogical theory discussion which began in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s will be explored. The issues handled here concern the subject-matter relatedness and conceptuality used, the empirical binding and historical localisation, as well as the influence through the so called sister disciplines. The stages of the theory discussion which are addressed convey an ambivalent picture which moves between confidence, …
Mediating considered from a learning theoretical angle Mediating and the theory or science of mediating are current topics of theory building and practice in the field of didactics. This was the reason to investigate whether and how research results combining learning and teaching may support the construction of such a concept. A general framework of acting and teaching is introduced from the perspective of the learning subject. The focus is on the concept of a complex and more dimensional a…
Die Zukunftsfähigkeit von Bildungssystemen hängt davon ab, wie gut die Übergänge zwischen Sektoren bewältigt werden können. Für die Weiterbildung stellen sich an Übergängen vielfältige Herausforderungen. Sie kann durch Überbrückungsangebote den Transfer für Benachteiligte erleichtern, an Übergängen beratend tätig werden oder Fortbildungen für Professionelle an Übergängen konzipieren. Das Heft will klären, wie sehr das Konzept des „lebenslangen Lernens“ Durchlässigkeit hierzulande befördert und …
The relation between sustainability and widening access to adult learners in higher education is both well comprehensible and highly vague. Accordingly, and following the arguments of Seghezzo (2009) and Foster (2001), the paper aims to complement academic discourse on widening access of higher education by showing the benefit of using the concept of sustainability not merely as an operational measurement index or a learning topic content-wise. Rather, a different understanding of sustainabilit…
This paper shows which quality standards are relevant for higher education and business perspective in the development and establishment of successful occupational studying programs. The aim is to record the expectations of universities and companies of quality in the context of continuing higher education. The level of the students is deliberately not placed in the center to allow the institutional view on cooperation. The methods used in connection with these studies are guideline-based int…
Continuing Education for the teaching Staff in adult Education in Europe – Situation, Strategies, Systems This article reviews the results of the efforts for establishing a frame for the measuring of competencies and skills for the teaching staff in adult education which has been implemented on the European level (EQF). It is shown that, due to the situation in various European countries, a rather open understanding of the term “adult education” is in use, including vocational training and n…
System reflexive evaluation of networks and network programmes A methodological perspective To contextualise and substantiate evaluation is a claim which the evaluation of the programme „Learning Regions – Providing Support for Networks” of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) formulates. But which basic approaches and proceedings are suitable to consolidate the item `networks` with suitable theoretical complexity and methodologically reflective evaluation? In this contr…
The didactical gap in the “didactical self choice” In adult education didactics are closely conglomerated with learn theoretical concepts without clearly naming its own questions in content. This becomes especially obvious in the newly research on e-learning. After the failure of the technically possible, the call for didactics has become loud. When one regards the pertinent publications, one finds remarkably many which take their didactical foundation from the learn theory and therewith ha…
Case-based Learning as a Means of Professionalization of Teaching Staff In adult and teacher education, case-based learning seems a promising way to foster analytical competencies which play a crucial role when identifying and solving practical problems in teaching situations. Thus, the article offers an insight into established concepts of case-based learning within different contexts for the professionalization (of teachers). Therefore, two discourses will be related to one another: one o…
