In this wide-ranging book, Elana Michelson invites us to revisit basic understandings of the `experiential learner’. How does experience come to be seen as the basis of knowledge? How do gender, class, and race enter into the ways in which knowledge is valued? What political and cultural belief systems underlie such practices as the assessment of prior learning and the writing of life narratives? Drawing on a range of disciplines, from feminist theory and the politics of knowledge to literary criticism, Michelson argues that particular understandings of `experiential learning’ have been central to modern Western cultures and the power relationships that underlie them. Presented in four parts, this challenging and lively book asks educators of adults to think in new ways about their assumptions, theories, and practices: Part I provides readers with a short history of the notion of experiential learning. Part II brings the insights and concerns of feminist theory to bear on mainstream theories of experiential learning. Part III examines the assessment of prior experiential learning for academic credit and/or professional credentials. Part IV addresses a second pedagogical practice that is ubiquitous in adult learning, namely, the assigning of life narratives. Gender, Experience, and Knowledge in Adult Learning will be of value to scholars and graduate students exploring adult and experiential learning, as well as academics wishing to introduce students to a broad range of feminist, critical-race, materialist and postmodernist thinking in the field.

Leren uit ervaring als methode gebruikt in het volwassenenonderwijs is het centrale thema in dit boek. Het boek start met citaten uit Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales waarin Alisoun, the wife ofBath, haar kennis verworven in het dagelijks leven evenwaardig vindt als klassieke teksten uit de kerkelijke canon. Ervaring versus autoriteit. Een stelling waarover toen en nu de meningen verdeeld zijn. Is het bevrijdend om te stellen dat vrouwen leren via het lichaam of is dit gewoon een herhaling van een stereotiepe denkwijze? Leidt aandacht voor intuïtieve kennis naar de toestemming voor het introduceren van irrationaliteit? Op deze en andere vragen probeert de auteur, steunend op onder meer feministische theorieën , een antwoord te formuleren.

Together, the authors examine and compare the importance of such factors as sense of identity, self-esteem, social world, and power in what and how women learn. Drawing from extensive research and scholarship, as well as from personal stories, they reveal the numerous ways in which women experience the learning process. They explain, for example, how women often become personally connected to the object and process of learning. They also analyze these different experiences to show education and training professionals how to better design and conduct programs for women. Women as Learners offers specific recommendations to improve all types of formal and informal adult educational programs, including literacy education, counseling and support groups, workplace training, and professional development activities.

Contents: Joanna Ostrouch/Edmée Ollagnier: Introduction: claiming space - making waves - Edmée Ollagnier: Gender, learning, recognition - Agnieszka Zembrzuska: Gender aspects of career counselling in Poland: a Foucauldian perspective - Elżbieta Wołodźko: Reflectivity and emancipation in feminist action research - Linden West: Gendered space: men, families and learning - Joanna Ostrouch: Researching with gender sensitiveness: two cases - Monika Grochalska: Qualitative methods in social mobility research - Tuula Heiskanen: Approaching gender issues with action research: collaboration and creation of learning spaces - Ingrid de Saint-Georges: «She will never be a mason»: interacting about gender and negotiating a woman's place in adult training and education - Agnieszka Bron: Biographical methodology in gender studies and adult learning - Edyta Łyszkowska: Polish women's mimetic behaviour under TV influence - Borislav Tchalovski: School context and stereotypes reproduction: the role of the teacher - Sheila Gaynard: Choices and transitions in lifelong learning and life course development: one woman's story - Anna Vidali: Women and knowledge: a study of teachers in early childhood education.

The new edition of the authoritative book in the field of adult education — fully revised to reflect the latest research and practice implications. For nearly three decades, Learning in Adulthood has been the definitive guide in the field of adult education. Now in its fourth edition, this comprehensive volume is fully revised to reflect the latest developments in theory, research, and practice. The authors integrate foundational research and current knowledge to present fresh, original perspectives on teaching and learning in adulthood. Written by internationally-recognized experts, this market-leading guide draws from work in sociology, philosophy, critical social theory, psychology, and education to provide an inclusive overview of adult learning. Designed primarily for educators of adults, this book is accessible for readers new to adult education, yet suitably rigorous for those more familiar with the subject. Content is organized into four practical parts, covering topics such as the social context of adult learning, self-directed and transformational learning, postmodern and feminist perspectives, cognitive development in adulthood, and more. Offering the most comprehensive single-volume treatment of adult learning available, this landmark text: Offers a wide-ranging perspective on adult learning Synthesizes the latest thinking and work in the field Includes coverage of the sociocultural perspectives of adult learning Explores the broader social implications of adult education Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide, 4th Edition is an indispensable resource for educators and administrators involved in teaching adults, as well as faculty and students in graduate programs in adult education.

Learning is an inseparable part of human experience. Understanding how adults learn and applying that expertise to practical everyday situations and relationships opens the window on a broader understanding of the capacity of the human mind. Dorothy MacKeracher's Making Sense of Adult Learning was first published in 1996, and was acclaimed for its readability and value as a reference tool. For the second edition of this essential work, MacKeracher has reorganized and revised many of the chapters to bring the text up-to-date for contemporary use. Concepts are presented from learning-centred and learner-centred perspectives, while related learning and teaching principles provide ideas about how one may enable others to learn more effectively. Written for people preparing to become adult educators, Making Sense of Adult Learning provides background information about the nature of adult learning and the characteristics that typify adult learners. This new edition will be quick to assert its place as the premier guide in the field.

The authors draw upon their earlier research examining how feminists have negotiated identity and learning in international contexts or multisector environments. Feminism in Community focuses on feminist challenges to lead, learn, and participate in nonprofit organizations, as well as their efforts to enact feminist pedagogy through arts processes, Internet fora, and critical community engagement. The authors bring a focused energy to the topic of women and adult learning, integrating insights of pedagogy and theory-informed practice in the fields of social movement learning, transformative learning, and community development. The social determinants of health, spirituality, research partnerships, and policy engagement are among the contexts in which such learning occurs. In drawing attention to the identity and practice of the adult educator teaching and learning with women in the community, the authors respond to gender mainstreaming processes that have obscured women as a discernible category in many areas of practice.