Adult Jewish learning

the landscape

Lisa Grant

Diane Tickton Schuster

pp. 669-689

in: Helena Miller, Lisa Grant, Alex Pomson (eds), International handbook of Jewish education, Berlin, Springer, 2011

Abstract

In a retrospective review of the research literature, Schuster and Grant (2005) described the evolution of the field of adult Jewish learning, situating the blossoming of adult Jewish learning in the historical and social contexts of the late twentieth century. Here they ask how contemporary social forces have led to new developments in the field and what changes and priorities appear to be shaping the vision and decisions of adult education planners and policy makers today. Using Schwab's four commonplaces as an organizing frame, they describe the increasingly diverse constituencies who now participate in adult Jewish learning activities; assess the impact of various contemporary social and historical factors on the learning needs of these groups; suggest a new conceptual framework for situating the "where, when, and what" of different types of learners and the learning programs that attract them; and offer suggestions for future planning and research in the field of adult Jewish learning.