Solient Features of Didactics of Adult Education – A Modern Approach in 2021

Abstract

DIDACTICS AND ADULT EDUCATION First of all the term adult education should be defined. According to the definition of the German Education Council (1970)1, adult education/continuing education today is understood to be the "continuation or resumption of organized learning after completion of a first phase of education of varying scope (ibid., p. 197)". Didactics does not only mean the selection of methods, but it also includes planning the respective content to be taught, defining and setting learning objectives, as well as the subsequent evaluation of the course unit (cf. Gundermann, 2019, p. 2). Didactics can be described as the competence to teach learners competently, comprehensively, and thoroughly: Didactic models can focus on content of instruction, models of teaching, and teaching staff (cf. Gundermann, 2019, p. 3). With regard to adult education, these models have been applied late compared to the other educational sectors because adult education is oriented less to state curricula but to the needs and lifeworld of its target groups.