inclusion
EDITORIAL Making flexibility real
In her editorial on the theme of Flexible Learning Approaches, ELM Editorial Board member Antra Carlsen explores flexible learning and highlights micro-credentials as an important tool for supporting it.
Nataša Potočnik: “Adult education is about empowerment and inclusion”
Our “Meet the board” series introduces the members of ELM Magazine’s editorial board. Our newest member, Nataša Potočnik of the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, believes in lifelong learning’s role in reducing inequalities and fostering active citizenship.
Bridging the gap: How stakeholder cooperation can enhance lifelong learning
Conducted across 21 European countries, the RegALE survey highlights the urgent need for better cooperation among policymakers, practitioners and researchers to create a more inclusive and effective adult education system in Europe. Francesca Torlone of the University of Florence discusses the survey results, noting the fragmented state of adult education and proposing solutions.
I argue: The Covid years reiterated the importance of lifelong learning
In ELM’s "I argue" series, Dr. Satya Brink, a Canadian researcher, states that the negative social impacts of the Covid years on disadvantaged and older adults could have been mitigated by lifelong learning.
Paolo Federighi on micro-credentials: Progress toward equality, but equity remains elusive
They provide affordable and flexible learning opportunities, but do they truly promote equity and inclusivity? “Not quite yet,” says Paolo Federighi, Honorary Professor of Adult Education at the University of Florence, in reference to the much-debated micro-credentials.
Empowering people with disabilities in politics
A German initiative offers citizenship education to people with disabilities, fostering their active participation in political life. “I've realised what rights I have and that my opinion counts,” says one student.
Project Stories: Peer literacy outreach in prisons
Derv Ryan from Irish NALA discusses the Literacy Ambassador Programme, which supports people who struggle with reading and writing to outreach to their peers. Since 2022, NALA has run the programme in ten prisons.
Collective practices: Inclusion in public spaces
Who has the power to create public spaces? Educators and architects reveal how empty, abandoned spaces can be filled with life and what popular education has to do with it.
Jasmina Mirčeva: “The education of deaf and hard of hearing adults is imperative”
“Deaf and hard of hearing individuals should not be overlooked,” argues Slovenian researcher Jasmina Mirčeva. In her column, she discusses the necessity and challenges of their inclusion in adult education.
Project Stories: Empowering seniors through the arts
Carlo Smaldone Villani of the Italian NGO Prometeo discusses his insights from the FSW project, which develops activities to help social workers work with seniors. The key lies in the arts, he says.
