Originally published in 1982, this book discusses the role of adult education in social and community action. In particular it presents a critical assessment of 'community education' and the theories of Illich, Freire and Gramsci and it proves that there is a radical adult education tradition in the USA, Europe and North America which can offer many insights into the contemporary debate about the role of adult learning. The material is based on a decade of practical involvement in community action and education in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, where - despite deep political and religious divisions - community action has united Catholics and Protestants in a common resolve.

This book focuses on two of the most cited figures in the debate on radical education - Antonio Gramsci and Paulo Freire. Both regarded forms of adult education as having an important role to play in the struggle for liberation from oppression. In this book Peter Mayo examines the extent to which their combined insights can provide the foundation for a theory for our own times of transformative adult education. He focuses on three aspects of the pedagogical process in particular -- social relations, sites of practice and the content of adult education. He analyses their ideas and identifies some of the limitations in their work, notably the critical issues of gender and race which they do not address. The book concludes with a seminal attempt at synthesising their ideas in the context of other adult educators' more recent contributions in order to develop a theory of transformative adult education, including an assessment of its feasibility in the era of globalization and neoliberalism.

The nature of adult education at individual, group and community levels is the concern of this book. Definitions and patterns of adult learning are critically assessed in both this country and abroad, and the processes involved considered in detail. Both case studies and thematic articles have been included and are selected to illustrate the breadth of the field along a number of areas: formal, non-formal and informal education; face-to-face and distance education; from basic levels of education to higher education; from highly deterministic to more ‘open’ or self-directed forms of education. It is felt that the study and practice of the education of adults can be best advanced by the adoption of such a broad view.

The first edition of Adult and Continuing Education established itself as one of the most widely used and respected introductory texts on this important area of education. For this second edition, Peter Jarvis has made extensive revisions and has included substantial additional material to take account of the many changes which have occurred in the field of adult education. The book begins with a rationale for the provision of education for adults and analyses contemporary theory before going on to give practical advice on curriculum development and the teaching of adults.

Adult Education and Lifelong Learning is regarded as one of the most widely used textbooks about adult education. Now part of the Routledge Education Classic Edition series, this key title combines the practical and philosophical to cover all areas related to the topic, including how we understand people as learners, how to teach adults, curriculum planning, distance education and assessment. It doesn’t shy away from complexity and asks difficult questions to provoke the reader into thinking about what lifelong learning really means. Not your basic ‘how-to’ book, it combines practice with theory and points the way to further studies and engagement in the field. With a new introduction by Professor Sam Duncan to contextualise the work, this is a must-read text for all education students as well as practitioners and researchers in adult education and lifelong learning.

Adults are continually learning outside of conventional education frameworks, acquiring new skills and knowledge in a range of community settings, Stephen Brookfield explores the extent and quality of this informal independent learning and the ways in which adult educators can work with independent adult learners to support and enhance their learning.