Celebrating the value of lifewide learning : Policy and practice
Session Abstract
Adult learning encompasses the full range of people's individual and collective curiosity and creativity. The session analyses the rise and
fall of inclusive life-wide and lifelong learning in England; its successes in securing participation by under-represented groups, and the tensions
in public policy between economic imperatives and social inclusion.
Target Audience
This session is for adult educators, who themselves are interested in securing adult learning services that engage people from across the social
spectrum, and curious about what might be similar and what different about policy and practice in England.
Session Description
On arrival, participants will be invited to jot down two things they expect to learn from the session, and then to work with a neighbor to
offer a definition of life-wide learning, and its difference from lifelong learning. Pairs will then combine into 4s to combine their conclusions (5
to 10 minutes).
The presentation (with slides) begins with the speaker's understanding of life-wide learning, drawing on the thinking of British politicians from
Winston Churchill to Alan Johnson; identifies highlights in the development of a broad based curriculum of structured adult learning, its focus on
engaging under-represented groups, and its use of public campaigns to motivate adults to participate, and reasons for the more recent focus in
policy and practice on a narrowly utilitarian offer. (25 mins).
Participants will then be invited to explore similarities and differences with US policy and practice (10-15 minutes);
The session will end with a brief evaluation exercise. (5 mins).