Improving Learning Cultures in Further Education

Every year more than three million students are enrolled for full-time or part-time study at colleges of Further Education, and more than half of them are adults. Despite the sheer size of this sector, it has not been the object of much systematic, independent research. Improving Learning Cultures in Further Education presents the findings from a large-scale longitudinal research project into the practices of teaching and learning in Further Education (FE) and argues that there is much scope for improvement.. With a unique theoretical framework based on a cultural understanding of teaching and learning and focused on the formation and transformation of learning cultures, this book develops a new way of understanding educational improvement. The book is structured around three key questions: What do learning cultures in FE look like and how do they transform over time? How do learning cultures transform people? How can people (tutors, managers, policy-makers, but also students) transform learning cultures for the better? Through a combination of theory, analysis and case studies, Improving Learning Cultures in Further Education makes a strong case for the importance of a cultural approach to the improvement of teaching and learning in Further Education and provides practical guidance for researchers, policy-makers and practitioners for implementing change for the better. David James is Professor of Education at the University of the West of England, Bristol, and Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Latvia. He is a former FE teacher. Gert Biesta is Professor of Educational Theory at the School of Education and Lifelong Learning, University of Exeter, and Visiting Professor for Education and Democratic Citizenship at orebro University and Malardalen University, Sweden. Higher and Further Education/Educational StudiesJames is the author of 'Improving Learning Cultures in Further Education', published 2007 under ISBN 9780415427357 and ISBN 0415427355.