Lifelong Learning Sector Research Articles

How educational systems respond to diversity, inclusion and social justice: Disability, power, discipline, territoriality and deterritorialization.

This paper presents a critical examination of a vexed issue relating to how educational systems respond to diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Whilst there are unique factors specific to the various educational sectors; that is, to early years, schools, colleges, higher education and to the life‐long learning sector, this paper explores education and diversity in its broadest sense and recognizes that issues are as much cross‐sector as they are within‐sector. Further still, this paper shifts across disciplinary epistemic boundaries making use of Foucault's tools and the work of Deleuze and Guattari. Given this broader context, this paper primarily traverses the borders of schooling and higher education. It utilizes the notion of scales of justice and draws upon the work of Fraser and explores how this can offer insights into issues not only in relation to redistribution and recognition, but also to representation. It intentionally, draws upon (critical) disability studies literature; and the often‐forgotten discrimination known as disability. It acknowledges the various paradigms and terminological descriptors associated with disabled people, how these are intentionally, I argue, produced and re‐produced, subject to a process of misframing, misrecognition and maldistribution through various territorialized and often segregated educational spaces. In response, this paper offers a reading of dis/ability which moves through theoretical and conceptual understandings and advances the notion of deterritorialization in order to escape, engage and identify larger patterns of inequality. It offers different insights, provides an alternative mapping that can raise different critical questions about disability, also to issues of diversity, inclusion, and social justice.

The Effect of Specific Training and Skill Formation on Teaching in the UK Lifelong Learning Sector: A Case Study

The Effect of Specific Training and Skill Formation on Teaching in the UK Lifelong Learning Sector: A Case Study

Mixed Methods Study on the Lecturers’ Practice of the Learning Economy in the Lifelong Learning Sector

평생학습강사는 지식과 학습을 연계하여 가치를 창출하는 학습경제의 실천가로 주목된다. 본 연구는 평생학습강사가 경험하는 학습경제의 실천과정과 현상에 관한 해석적 탐구, 실증적 검증, 혼합분석을 통해 핵심 개념과 원리를 도출하여 학습경제 실천모형을 개발하는 것에 그 목적이 있다. 본 연구의 결과는 다음과 같이 세 가지로 확인되었다. 첫째, 해석적 탐구 결과, 학습경제 실천에 대한 8개 유형주제 및 25개 상세주제로 범주화되었다. 둘째, 실증적 검증 결과, 9개의 요인으로 도출되었고, 표본의 학습경제에 대한 인식 및 실천 수준은 높은 것으로 확인되었으며, 모집단의 인식 및 실천 수준도 높은 것으로 예측할 수 있었다. 셋째, 혼합분석 결과, 해석적 탐구와 실증적 검증을 통해서 학습경제 실천과 관련된 핵심 개념들을 6개 구성요소로 형성하였으며, 이를 토대로 평생학습강사의 학습경제 실천을 설명할 수 있는 모형을 개발하였다.Lifelong learning lecturers are noted as practitioners of learning economy that creates value by linking knowledge and learning. The purpose of this study is to develop a learning economy practice model by deriving core concepts and principles through interpretive inquiry, empirical verification, and mixed analysis of the practice process and phenomenon of the learning economy experienced by lifelong learning lecturers. The results of this study were as follows: First, as a result of interpretive inquiry, 8 types of learning economic practice and 25 detailed topics were categorized. Second, as a result of empirical verification, it was derived as nine factors and the recognition and practice level of the sample about the learning economy was very high, and the population was also highly predicted overall. Third, as a result of the mixed analysis, the core concepts related to the practice of learning economy were formed into six components through analytical inquiry and empirical verification, and based on this; a model was developed to explain the practice of learning economy of lifelong learning lecturers.

What ‘gives life’ to critical pedagogy in the lifelong learning sector?

ABSTRACTCritical pedagogy in the UK has traditionally been practised in the Lifelong Learning sector. However, the sector has become constrained by funding cuts, instrumental curricula and accountability measures, and teachers can feel that they have little room for professional autonomy and therefore the practice of critical pedagogy. Yet some do continue to do practice, often in relatively isolated circumstances, by working within the system but drawing upon their personal and professional identities. This paper presents the rationale and methodology, together with some very early findings, of a study examining what inspires, motivates and sustains practitioners of critical pedagogy in the face of constraints, the teaching strategies they consider to be successful, and how these stories could be harnessed and mobilised to enable critical pedagogy to flourish. The research draws on the philosophy of Appreciative Inquiry to capture these stories of success. This contrasts with the documented difficulties of using critical pedagogy in the current educational climate. A qualitative research strategy is used, comprising 12 in depth, semi-structured interviews with practitioners of critical pedagogy in the Lifelong Learning sector in the West Midlands.

Moments in Transformation: Newly Qualified Lifelong Learning Teachers’ Reconceptualization of Assessment in Practice

This study investigates the pre-and post-training conceptualisations of assessment amongst trainee and recently qualified teachers in the lifelong learning sector in the UK. Using the lens of transformative learning, the study maps out the process, influential factors and time in the shift in conceptualisation. Though designed as a qualitative iterative study, the study employed a combination of statistical tools and content analysis in data analysis. It found that the dominant pre-training conceptualisation of assessment was in its summative essence as a tool for testing and examination and that reconceptualization occurred mostly during practice. The study calls for a review of the structure and content of teacher education in the area of assessment and proposed that post-training development programmes for newly and recently qualified teachers must acknowledge these findings in their teacher development programmes.

The emergence of teacher supply for adult education institutions and technical colleges from the 1850s to the 1960s and beyond

When mechanics’ and similar institutions became established for adults by the middle of the nineteenth century, there was goodwill amongst committee members and volunteers to teach the classes. The institutes were not government-funded and relied on patronage and membership fees to fund them. There was a shortage of teachers for the classes as those who were qualified were trained to teach in schools. In any case, many institutes could rarely afford to appoint more than one or two, if any, qualified teachers. However, the reputation and ongoing success of such adult institutions depended on good-quality teaching and learning. The Great Exhibition of 1851 in London had highlighted that Britain was losing its leading industrial position in the world. This shook the government and as a result royal commissions were set up which, ultimately, resulted in the Technical Instruction Act of 1889 and the Local Tax Act of 1890, both of which in their own way resulted in state-funded support for adult technical education. Between 1900 and 1940, further education was established but the First World War and the Great Depression prevented expansion. The findings of the McNair Report of 1944 highlighted the need for technical training colleges to support those wishing to teach and lecture in further education. The paper summarises how teacher supply was variable for adult education and how teacher training for the lifelong learning sector came about.

"Oh, Flip That!" An Evaluation of Flipped Learning in Initial Teacher Education

Technologies are already ‘established and stable’ in Further Education Colleges (AoC, 2014: p. 11), such as distance and blended learning packages, virtual learning environments (VLEs), e-portfolios, messaging and plagiarism detection, however, these technologies often mean there is no interaction between the users, or, when there is, it follows the more traditional didactic method. There is increasing pressure in all education sectors to broaden the use of digital technology in teaching, learning and assessment, and flipped learning has been seen to contribute to this. What makes the flipped classroom different is the use of technology in order to encourage collaborative teaching and learning. This paper will first provide a general overview of flipped learning and then evaluate its effectiveness within Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS) via a summary of a small-scale research project with in-service trainees. The conclusion emphasises that Teacher Educators require time and support in order to develop and embed e-learning effectively.

The Fear of Being Assessed: An Auto-Ethnographic Case Study on Attempts to Engage and Motivate an Individual Disaffected Access Student

This paper explores how a tutor engaged an individual student who was abusive to teachers and would not carry out coursework assessments which tutors had set him in the Lifelong Learning Sector. It offers strategies to overcome barriers to achievement, particularly where a student resists carrying out required assessment tasks. It is a self-reflexive, auto-ethnographic case study. The research is based on observation, interview and a narratology of the researcher’s own involvement in the situation. It is concerned with strategies that worked with this particular student. It argues a case for personal engagement, solution-focused and cognitive behavioural strategies in the teaching/learning situation and offers an overall humanist approach. It ultimately argues for the complexity of understanding the key relationship between teacher and student. It is also concerned with ‘improving practice’ which is the central agenda of this journal.

So what do managers say about classroom management?

The context of this article was that, after researching issues of classroom management for a number of years, I was asked by managers at different institutions to speak to their staff about strategies for helping to counteract the problems tutors faced in many classes on a day-to-day basis. The question that emerged was how might managers in the lifelong learning sector support tutors in dealing with these stressful situations. The methodology of this inquiry was to offer qualitative practitioner research which would suggest some recommendations to improve practice on how managers might support teachers in these circumstances. The research methods would aim to determine managers’ perspectives, using a survey to identify a sample of their views. This would lead to two focus groups with managers, opening up a more exploratory discussion, followed by an in-depth interview with an experienced, particularly supportive manager, working with challenging classes. The purpose of this interview was to review a range of strategies that might be used to help managers support staff and students create more effective learning environments. The next stage was to subject managers’ suggestions to the views of teachers. The findings from this research showed there were widespread problems in many classes where this research took place. Managers offered a range of localised and wider strategies for supporting teachers in these challenging situations. Offering whole institution approaches, training on interventions and opening spaces for tutors and managers to explore these issues in a blame-free environment were some of the recommendations. The tutors surveyed welcomed these suggestions.

Extending the mentor role in initial teacher education: embracing social justice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how mentors can act as change agents for social justice. It examines mentors’ roles in initial teacher education in the lifelong learning sector (LLS) and how critical spaces can be opened up to promote a flow of mentor, trainee teacher, learner and community empowerment. Design/methodology/approach – Two thematic literature reviews were undertaken: one of UK LLS ITE mentoring and the other an international review of social justice in relation to mentoring in ITE and the first year of teaching. Bourdieu’s concepts of capital, field and habitus (Bourdieu, 1986) are used as sensitising tools to explore LLS mentors’ practices and the possibilities for increasing the flow of “pedagogical capital” between mentors, trainee teachers, learners and communities, in such a way that would enable mentors to become agents for social justice. Findings – LLS mentors and trainee teachers are uncertain about their roles. In the UK and several countries, mentoring is dominated by an instrumental assessment-focused approach, whereby social justice is marginalised. In contrast, what we call social justice mentors establish collaborative democratic mentoring relationships, create spaces for critical reflection, support trainees to experience different cultures, develop inclusive critical pedagogies, and generally act as advocates and foster passion for social justice. Research limitations/implications – While the literature reviews provide timely and important insights into UK and international approaches, the existing literature bases are limited in scale and scope. Practical implications – A model for mentoring that promotes social justice and recommendations for mentor training are proposed. Originality/value – The paper addresses the omission in policy, research and practice of the potential for mentors to promote social justice. The proposed model and training approach can be adopted across all education phases.

Curriculum studies in the lifelong learning sector

Curriculum studies in the lifelong learning sector

Overcoming the barriers of distance: using mobile technology to facilitate moderation and best practice in initial teacher training

This case study describes the development process of a model using readily-available technology to facilitate collaboration, moderation and the dissemination of best practice in initial teacher training in the UK. Students, mentors, tutors and external examiners from a number of educational institutions in a UK, higher education-led Lifelong Learning Sector partnership (LLS) participated. The study explored the extent to which using group video-conferencing software and tablet computing had the potential to model best practice in giving feedback to students, in the setting of targets and in the joint observations of mentors and tutors based in separate institutions. A further area of investigation was the impact of the technology on the observation and moderation of teaching practice by external examiners. The study found that participants could identify a wide range of advantages of using the technology and also some disadvantages. The impact of the study was measured qualitatively via the students’ professional development record (PDR). The challenges involved in undertaking a multi-site study requiring Wi-Fi connectivity and involving participants from several institutions are described. The introduction of key information sets (KISs) related to employability creates an urgent need for HEIs to develop measures which enhance the employment prospects of all students.

Professional standards in teacher education: tracing discourses of professionalism through the analysis of textbooks

This article explores aspects of the relationship between professional standards for teachers and the curriculum for teacher education in the lifelong learning sector in the United Kingdom. Drawing on an analysis of different editions of three core textbooks for teacher education in the lifelong learning sector, which are positioned as acting as proxies for the teacher education curriculum, the article explores the relationship between professional standards and the curriculum for teacher education in the sector. Starting from a standpoint that foregrounds the material nature of professional standards – that is, that the standards need to be conceptualised and made sense of as an embodied, physical textual artefact – the argument presented here is that in order to understand any impact that professional standards might have beyond the discursive, the ways in which the standards as a material text might be seen as interacting with other relevant texts that embody different aspects of the profession – such as textbooks – must be considered. The article concludes that whilst curricula can and ought to be expected to change over time, the impact of professional standards on curriculum change would appear to be relatively minor.

Equality and diversity in the lifelong learning sector

Equality and diversity in the lifelong learning sector

Payback time? Discourses of lack, debt and the moral regulation of teacher education

This paper analyses recent policy and discourse in the UK lifelong learning sector to identify a tension in discourse which positions teacher educators as essential to the knowledge economy while simultaneously insisting on the deficits they represent. Drawing on critical analyses from Friedrich Nietzsche, Maurizio Lazzarato and Gilles Deleuze, I challenge altruistic views of professional motivation and situate individual professionalism under a construction of an indebted subject. Examining recent attempts to redefine professional standards in the sector, I argue that teachers are positioned as subject to homogenisation and ethically indebted to a higher ideal. Ethical commitments to adult learning, I suggest, are a cost-effective instrument of social control because of their imbrication in this discourse of irredeemable moral debt to the sector. Responses to this situation, I argue, are likely to include forms of professional mobility which undermine it.

Learning theory and classroom practice in the lifelong learning sector

The introduction to this engaging book opens with an expression of the likelihood that the reader is currently teaching, or perhaps intending to teach, in the lifelong learning sector. Given the title, that would certainly appear to be a good enough reason for picking up Jim Gould’s volume, especially considering the author’s own extensive experience as an educator in schools, and in adult education/further education contexts. The text emphasises that ‘‘one of the central aims of lifelong learning is to provide a different atmosphere from that encountered in the school environment, particularly if learners see it as their ‘second chance’’’ (p. 39). Many of the insights for adult educators shared throughout the content and organisation of this book highlight the essential role of theory and practice in creating environments where effective teaching and learning take place. Those in the lifelong learning sector seeking review, clarification, and/or increased understandings of the essential relationship between theory and practice will find it very useful and informative. However, there is also much in this text to benefit individuals who teach in grade schools, teacher education programmes, and/or across the wide range of disciplines in higher education in general. Currently, my own role as a teacher educator preparing teachers who, for the most part, aspire to teach in public school systems, involves assisting prospective teachers in understanding how and why a sound knowledge of theory can richly inform their development of effective practice and, in turn, offer, ‘‘a more informed view of what you do’’ (p. 3). As previously noted, this book has relevance for all ‘‘teacher educators’’ – and not only those in the ‘‘lifelong learning sector’’ – for the following reasons: First and foremost, the text offers very practical assistance in navigating the oft-heard argument, ‘‘But practice, not theory, is how you learn to teach.’’ Gould builds the case for informed practice, illustrated by succinct analyses of theory and numerous examples of related practice in each chapter, all the time

Reflectivity, reflexivity and situated reflective practice

This paper describes an aspect of reflective practice referred to as situated reflective practice. The overarching theory is derived from social theories of structuration and reflexivity. In particular, from Giddens’ theory of structuration, which sees social life as an interplay of agency and structure. Discussion of the research reported here centres on the nature of such situated reflection, considers related literature and presents the data collected in a recent small-scale study. The original purpose of the research was to explore the perceptions of corporate trainers on a course for Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector. As a result of this research, the concept of situated reflective practice was generated. It is argued that there exist some situations where a person will find themselves in a position over which they have little control, avoidance or veto. The major conclusion of this study was that key interview themes enabled the delineation of a series of five characteristics representing increasing structural distance in space and time between the reflective practitioner and the professional situation in which they work.

War Stories; How Experienced Teachers Said They Responded To Disruptive Students In The Lifelong Learning Sector

This small-scale qualitative research inquiry investigates how a small sample of experienced teachers dealt with disruptive students in their classes in the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS) in West Yorkshire. I wanted to continue my earlier writing on these issues by listening to what teachers said about their challenging experiences on the front line of the classroom interfacing with negative student behaviour. I firstly discuss a research instrument for collecting this data from these teachers’ experiences, and also explore their strategies for dealing with disruptive student behaviours. It seemed very important to hear from practitioners rather than relying on what textbooks advised. Previously I was interested in the experiences of trainee tutors facing these difficulties; in this piece I am more concerned with how experienced tutors deal with these unpleasant circumstances. I outline the findings that this questionnaire elicited in terms of key negative incidents that these teachers had experienced in class and the strategies they had deployed to overcome the social and emotional challenges of disruptive student behaviour. I briefly summarise these tutors’ perspectives on the support they felt they did or did not receive on these issues. I conclude with an analysis of the findings and question the problematics of this research, its meaning, validity and possible application in other teaching contexts.

The Views Of PTLLS Students During A Period Of Change Within The Lifelong Learning Sector

This paper focuses on Initial Teacher Training (ITT) within a Further Education College in the south-east of England. It is based on a small-scale research project among 106 adults who successfully studied for the City & Guilds qualification Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) between 2010 and 2013, a time of significant change in ITT policy. It explores the opinions of 29 self-selecting participants who completed an online questionnaire using the SurveyMonkey tool. The results show that trainee teachers seem to be optimistic for their future and a large majority of respondents would support the establishment of an FE Guild. Teacher Educators will note that 82% of the respondents have obtained some teaching experience since completing PTLLS. The survey found that only a small number of respondents had progressed to higher levels of teacher training since completing PTLLS, although a variety of future career plans were being made.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever had discussions about reading’: a case study of FE literacy teachers’ conceptualisations of literacy

Research on reading in the lifelong-learning sector has tended to focus on the attitudes, habits and practices of the recipients of further education (FE), or the practices of literacy within the cultural and contextual environments of the subjects and spaces of further education. Although teachers’ conceptualisations of literacy are often acknowledged in this work to be central to the making and shaping of pedagogical practice, little research in the sector has attended specifically to teachers’ meaning-making about literacy. This approach is well developed in other phases where relationships between teachers’ classroom practices and their attitudes and values in relation to textual experience are seen as significant. In this paper we start this work for the post-compulsory sector. The FE Literacy Teachers as Readers Project aimed to explore teachers’ discursive understandings of reading through a qualitative study of their own accounts of their reading habits and preferences, their definitions of reading and the role of reading in their classrooms. Our discussion analyses our participants’ descriptions (figured worlds) of their own and their students’ reading identities to describe the positions they take up in relation to (‘big D’) discourses about readers and reading, and to consider how this might begin to pattern and frame their classroom practice. Coming a decade after the introduction of subject-specialist qualifications for literacy teachers in the FE sector, this study offers a timely insight in to teachers’ conceptualisation of reading in the context of well-embedded professional training, and one that is particularly pertinent at a time when the statutory training model for FE is under review.