Learning Transfer in Adult Education

Learning transfer is the use of skills and knowledge acquired in one situation or setting in a different environment. It is, fundamentally, the point of education. Learners should be able to apply the knowledge, perspectives, and skills gained in a class or workshop to their work, their homes, or their communities. Generally, though, such transfer is not explicitly considered in pedagogical design outside some formal education and job settings. By consciously building it into our curricula, syllabi, and practice, we can greatly enhance the likelihood that students will integrate their learning and their lives. This issue of New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education examines learning transfer across the breadth of adult education. The authors approach the question practically, looking at techniques such as experiential or problem-based learning and the use of classroom technology as well as the perspectives of brain research, the effects of race and culture, and the context and complications of personal change. Each chapter offers practitioners a thoughtful outlook that will help them plan for and implement learning transfer in their particular area of focus