013144 Learning and the Family

Family experience has a powerful and continuing influence on the development of attitudes towards learning and this is becoming more clearly recognised in education policy and practice internationally. Links between schools and families are being developed in increasingly sophisticated ways and a variety of agencies are increasing designing activities in which family groups can participate together. Concerns about work/life balance are leading some empolyers to create opportunities for families to connect to the workplace. The challenges and opportunities presented call for a broad range of facilitation skills from the educators involved. In other situations the opportunity and necessity for learning is thrust upon a family by circumstances beyond their control, such as illness or disability of a family member, involvement with the criminal justice system or family breakdown.

In all of these situations there is a learning dimension to the support offered by community-based agencies. This subject offers students an opportunity to investigate some of the ways in which family learning is developing as a distinctive area of adult education practice and the challenges this presents for professional development and practice across the education spectrum.