A higher education practitioners' book should provide insight and suggestions for those who wrestle with the notion that learning can be viewed in different contexts. Jarvis, Holford and Griffin (2003) make a case for challenging educators to stretch their comfort levels to consider that people learn in different ways and they deliver a case for supporting the notion of lifelong learning as a commodity that ensures better living. By looking at different ways people learn, the authors contend that we will be more likely to be lifelong learners if we have been successful at learning. They provide insights into the roles learning has played in our society and suggestions for implementing new ways of thinking; specifically that learning needs to be approached as a lifelong process.

According to Jarvis, Holford and Griffin, lifelong learning should be the goal of education. Lifelong learning is identified as involving learners learning together, offering programs that offer individuals information they need, integrating information rather than specializing in specific skills and providing learners the opportunity for consumer sovereignty. In this sense, the authors work to examine trends of the 21st century and how the different psychological theories contribute to the idea of lifelong learning. They make a case for helping educators consider viewing learning as something more than a set of knowledge or skills.

The authors look at societal trends that have moved us from an agricultural to an information society and they describe the impact each has on learners of today. They discuss the trends in education that have brought us into the 21st century toward lifelong learning and they highlight the value and benefits of distance learning. These trends suggest that lifelong learning supports a possible balance in our global society that could help us relate better to one another.

Learning, according to the authors, is described as a social activity, driven by context, which must involve active engagement. The authors ponder the idea that when learners are able to determine their own outcomes the role of the teacher changes and that we as teachers need to look beyond the theories of behaviorism and constructivism and look deliberately at the notion of choice. Jarvis, Holford and Griffin agree that teachers need to become facilitators of learning as opposed to delivers of information. They promote learning contracts and they agree that standards can and should be set; but the approach must be broadened. Their focus is on how people should be required to acquire the standards that are identified, not by memory, but through experiences and choice, and that performance should be at the center of learning.

The authors provide an overview of behavior, cognitive, experiential and social learning theories. They challenge the attempts that educators have made of implementing these theories in a teacher-directed environment. By identifying and challenging the different theories of learning, the authors continue to return to the idea that once targets or standards are identified there should be alternate ways of acquiring the information needed to meet those targets or standards. The authors suggest that as educators we need to look at organizations and distance learning and find ways to integrate what is known about each of these settings in preparing opportunities for people to meet standards. They charge us to find ways to allow learners to demonstrate their understanding in real life settings, provide different ways to demonstrate their learning and focus on the goal of lifelong learning to benefit society.

While the book focuses on enlightening those who work in post-secondary settings, the ideas suggested support the belief that what is good for children is also good for adults. I applaud their platform and believe it provides a framework for discussion that anyone who works with learners or who is a learner will benefit by pondering.

Nancy Ruppert
UNC Asheville