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ERIC Number: EJ800136
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Apr
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0955-2308
EISSN: N/A
The Problem with "Learning"
Biesta, Gert
Adults Learning, v18 n8 p8-11 Apr 2007
One of the changes that has taken place in the field of education over the past two decades has been the rise of the concept of "learning" and the decline of the concept of "education". Teaching has become redefined as supporting or facilitating learning; education has been redescribed as providing learning experiences and opportunities for learning. Pupils and students have become learners adult education has become adult learning. The rise of the new language of learning is not the outcome of a single process or the expression of one particular agenda. It is the result of a combination of different, at times contradictory, trends. The rise of the new language of learning is also linked to the simple fact that more and more people nowadays spend more and more of their time (and money) on all kinds of different forms of learning, inside and outside the formal settings of educational institutions. Finally, the emergence of the new language of learning is related to wider socio-political developments, particularly the erosion of the welfare state and the rise of the market ideology of neo-liberalism. Although there may be valid reasons for the rise of the new language of learning, the vocabulary it has brought about is in itself not without problems. A fundamental issue is that it has brought about a far more individualistic educational vocabulary. In this article, the author contends that it is time that practitioners and policymakers reclaimed a language for education that captures the intricacies of the educational process. The author also urges educators to become conversant with both the language of learning and also the language of education, reminding pedagogues that there is more always to education than just learning.
National Institute of Adult Continuing Education. Renaissance House, 20 Princess Road West, Leicester, LE1 6TP, UK. Tel: +44-1162-044200; Fax: +44-1162-044262; e-mail: enquiries@niace.org.uk; Web site: http://www.niace.org.uk/Publications/Periodicals/Default.htm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A