Learning Trajectories, Violence and Empowerment amongst Adult Basic Skills Learners offers deep insights into the lives of marginalised communities and the link between learning, literacy and violence, not previously carried out in-depth in a small scale study. It breaks the negative stereo-types of adults who struggle to read and write, who are often labelled and stigmatised by dominant discourses, and in doing so exposes why and how Basic Skills Learners often find themselves in marginal positions. The structural inequalities many face from childhood to adulthood across the private and public domains of their lives are revealed and probed, thus challenging neo-liberalism claims of an apparently egalitarian social field. The learners’ narratives expose the contradiction, complexities and ambivalences they experience in their daily lives, and how they try to make sense of them from their structural positioning as basic skills learners in a society based on inequality of opportunity and choice. Applying a feminist, qualitative, longitudinal, ethnographic and participatory approach, the book offers a critical perspective, drawing on Bourdieu’s work as the theoretical framework, as well as using a range of feminist, sociologists of education, literature on the ethics of care and critical literacy pedagogy, including the New Literacy Studies. The author’s personal position as an ’insider’ with ‘insider knowledge’ of marginalised communities is also woven throughout the chapters and offers insights into the struggles, conformity and resistance faced by the participants in the study. The book contributes to the debate on the impact of violence on learning and its link to class, gender and basic skills as well opening up a discussion on the power of a critical curriculum to empower people across the domains of their lives. It will be valuable reading for trainee teachers, teachers, education and sociology students, postgraduate students, as well as literacy specialists, researchers, academics, policy makers and managers of public services.

Readings for Reflective Teaching in Further, Adult and Vocational Education is a unique portable library of exceptional readings drawing together seminal extracts and contemporary literature from international sources from books and journals to support both initial study and extended career-long professionalism for further, adult and vocational education practitioners. Introductions to each reading highlight the key issues explored and explain the status of classic works. This book, along with the core text and associated website, draw upon the work of Andrew Pollard, former Director of the TLRP, and the work of many years of accumulated understanding of generations of further, adult and vocational professionals. Readings for Reflective Teaching in Further, Adult and Vocational Education, the core text, Reflective Teaching in Further, Adult and Vocational Education, and the website, provide a fully integrated set of resources promoting the expertise of further, adult and vocational professionals. The associated website, www.reflectiveteaching.co.uk offers supplementary resources including reflective activities, research briefings and advice on further readings. It also features a glossary of educational terms, links to useful websites and showcases examples of excellent research and practice. This book forms part of the Reflective Teaching series, edited by Andrew Pollard and Amy Pollard, offering support for reflective practice in early, primary, secondary, further, vocational, university and adult sectors of education.

This volume makes a timely contribution to our understanding of literacy as a multi-faceted, complexly situated activity. Each chapter provides the reader with a fresh perspective into a different site for literate behaviour, approaches, design and relationships, and offers an exploration into the use of literacy theories to inform policy and practice, particularly in regard to curriculum. Bringing together international experts in the field, the contributing authors represent a wide variety of theoretical and research perspectives which cover literacy in various forms, including: • transformative literacy • survey literacy • academic literacies • information literacy in the workplace • digital literacy. Landscapes of Specific Literacies in Contemporary Society suggests that literacy curriculum needs to evolve from its current perspective if it is to cater for the demands of the 21st century contemporary globalised society. The book will be of key interest to researchers and academics in the fields of education, curriculum studies and the sociology of education, as well as to policy makers and literacy specialists.

Adopting a 'social practice' approach to literacy research based on ethnographic methods, this book provides a strong critique of dominant understandings of the role of literacy in the lives of adults in Australia. It explores how groups of working-class adults can manage the literacy practices of their everyday lives by drawing on social networks of support. It is based on research conducted by the author over a forty-year career in adult literacy education, featuring the voices of varied adult groups, including: prisoners, the long-term unemployed, local council workers, manufacturing workers, adult literacy students, marginalised young people, vocational students, and patients living with a chronic illness (type 2 diabetes). Each chapter explains how dominant society views these adult groups in relation to literacy, and provides a qualitative examination at the local level of how members of these groups manage the literacy practices of their everyday lives.

This book explores the gradual evolution of Adult literacy policy from the 1970s using philosophical, sociological and economic frames of reference from a range of perspectives to highlight how priorities have changed. It also offers an alternative curriculum; a transformative model that presents a more socially just different value position.

The definitive textbook for reflective professionals in further, adult and vocational education. Now updated with the latest research, the book offers extensive support for trainee and practising teachers in a variety of settings, for both practice-based training and career-long professionalism. Written by a collaborative author team of sector experts led by Maggie Gregson and Sam Duncan, Reflective Teaching in Further, Adult and Vocational Education offers two levels of support: - practical guidance for practitioner success, with a focus on the key issues including planning and assessing learning and collaborative approaches to reflective practice - evidence-informed 'principles' to aid understanding of how theories can effectively inform and develop teaching practices In addition to new case studies from a wider range of settings than ever before, the new edition offers broader national and international coverage, greater emphasis on work-based learning, and more ideas for exploring classroom communication and meeting a wider range of learner needs. Readings for Reflective Teaching in Further, Adult and Vocational Education directly compliments this book, providing access to key texts, working as a compact and portable library. reflectiveteaching.co.uk provides a treasure trove of additional support, including supplementary sector-specific material for considering questions around society's educational aims.

This book explores the unique set of challenges faced by mature-age male undergraduates as they adapt to university study. The authors examine the motivations of mature male students for enrolling in higher education and their aspirations for life after graduation, in doing so filling a crucial gap in the current literature. Later access to higher education carries numerous benefits, including improved social mobility: it is therefore paramount to understand why men tend to be underrepresented among mature students. Exploring the intersections of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, culture and gender, and paying careful attention to the stories of the students themselves, the authors provide a thought-provoking analysis of an underrepresented student group. The book will be of interest and value to students and scholars of mature-age male students, and aspirations and motivations within higher education more generally.