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Int Rev Educ (2014) 60:299301
DOI 10.1007/s11159-014-9417-1
BOOK REVIEW
By Jim Gould. Learning Matters (An imprint of SAGE Publications Ltd.), London, 2012 (2nd edition), 168 pp. ISBN 978-0-85725-877-9 (hbk),ISBN 978-0-85725-817-5 (pbk)
Susan E. Elliott-Johns
Published online: 15 May 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht and UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning 2014
The introduction to this engaging book opens with an expression of the likelihood that the reader is currently teaching, or perhaps intending to teach, in the lifelong learning sector. Given the title, that would certainly appear to be a good enough reason for picking up Jim Goulds volume, especially considering the authors own extensive experience as an educator in schools, and in adult education/further education contexts. The text emphasises that one of the central aims of lifelong learning is to provide a different atmosphere from that encountered in the school environment, particularly if learners see it as their second chance (p. 39). Many of the insights for adult educators shared throughout the content and organisation of this book highlight the essential role of theory and practice in creating environments where effective teaching and learning take place. Those in the lifelong learning sector seeking review, clarication, and/or increased understandings of the essential relationship between theory and practice will nd it very useful and informative. However, there is also much in this text to benet individuals who teach in grade schools, teacher education programmes, and/or across the wide range of disciplines in higher education in general.
Currently, my own role as a teacher educator preparing teachers who, for the most part, aspire to teach in public school systems, involves assisting prospective teachers in understanding how and why a sound knowledge of theory can richly inform their development of...