The Australian Journal of Adult Learning (AJAL) - Call for papers 2025

Guest editors: Rob Townsend is a Professor of Social Work and higher education consultant with Naturally Gifted Research & Associates. Jeffrey Bryant Jones is Artistic Director, Community Educator (Drama), Writer/Editor with Hobo Playhouse in Australia.

This Special Issue of the Australian Journal of Adult Learning (AJAL) will explore the various movements at the forefront of creative pedagogies in adult education, to consider ways that creative arts education processes are being defined and enacted in current times in creative arts practices/adult learning and popular education, social movements and campaigning.

Abstracts & EOIs for articles due February 28, 2025.

For further details visit:

https://ajal.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/AJAL-SE-Nov-2024-CallForPapers.pdf

Adult, community education in acting and performance as personal development: "I can look people in the eye now!"

July 2024

Rob Townsend & Jeffrey Bryant Jones

Abstract

Creative arts and performance courses at the community level for mature age individuals. Theatre and drama as education and as therapy. This article charts and reflects on several ACE arts-based courses and community theatre productions that have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the professional experiences of the teacher. Change for individuals via education occurs intentionally and unintentionally and needs to be documented, with some examples presented here. If personal change and development were the intention of the courses described here, then participants did have the opportunity to integrate their self-discoveries into their real lives, potentially leading to transformation. The teacher being aware of, and skilled in, emotional regulation strategies can benefit students and teachers in all forms of learning, specifically adult community education. The students in the course described in this article have transformed from anxious, self-doubting individuals into empowered, self-confident people who bravely create their own acting techniques.

Public Full-Text link:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383983584_Adult_community_education_in_acting_and_performance_as_personal_development_I_can_look_people_in_the_eye_now