skill

Developing literacy skills in a 3D museum
In a virtual museum – “A library of life, love and loss” – adult learners can post images and brief tales and develop their literacy skills. The gallery shares poignant stories and represents a valuable teaching method.

A Faroe Islands project helps young adults build confidence in education
The Faroese project Serbreyt invests in the education of young people with special needs. The key is identifying the strengths of the learners and building on them.

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.

Erickson: “Active participation in communities of practice helps educators navigate changes”
“Today’s adult educators must continuously reshape their professional identity,” writes Jane Erickson in her column. She considers virtual communities of practice essential for maintaining professional relevance.

Project Stories: Breaking barriers in language learning
Ana-Maria Tanase of the Romanian organisation CPIP talks about the lessons of the international project I-BLU. The project seeks to develop efficient, user-friendly learning pathways for adult learners of English.

Transforming PIAAC results into action: On what to focus
The 2023 Survey of Adult Skills, the OECD’s International Assessment of Adult Competencies on literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills, paints a polarised picture between high- and low-performing countries. Data reveals a pressing need for policymakers to focus on lifelong and life-wide learning to ensure that education is more adaptive to evolving demands.

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.

Christoph Bretgeld: “We must talk about skills, not titles”
In his Speakers’ Corner column, Christoph Bretgeld argues that we must develop our perception of skills and acknowledge their roles as carriers of more accurate information. This would lead to better-functioning labour markets. Speakers’ Corner columns are produced in cooperation with the European Association for the Education of Adults.

How seniors develop digital skills: A lesson from Australia
A project from the Australian research program Shaping Connections reveals the common obstacles seniors face when attempting to develop digital skills. A key to overcoming these challenges is peer-based learning.