Australian Journal of Adult Learning
Special issue: Creators of ourselves and our futures: Creative pedagogies in adult learning
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, Drama Educator and Drama Therapist 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. We encourage submissions from around the globe about creative pedagogies that include these four fields:
- Arts Education – including creative writing, poetry, painting/ drawing, singing, music, dance, acting, directing, and multimedia.
- Pedagogies and Psychologies of Creative Arts – how do adult education processes in creative arts transform lives? Is a creative arts approach to education more inclusive and accessible for marginalized communities, including women, people in rural areas, minority ethnic/linguistic groups, and learners with disabilities?
- Creativity Education-Oriented Courses – examples of creative arts in adult and community education across diverse contexts. How do creative learning spaces differ from traditional classrooms, and does co-creating a space enhance interpersonal skills and learning?
- Creative Problem-Solving in Community Contexts – what coregulation and self-care strategies do creative arts educators utilize for themselves and their students?
Each of these areas highlights ways that individual and community power continues to shape and impact adult learning experiences. Creative pedagogy, as defined by Aleinikov (1989), is the science and art of creative teaching, emphasizing creativity as essential for successful learning. In essence, creative pedagogy teaches learners how to learn creatively and to become creators of themselves and their future. The overarching principles of the five major pedagogical approaches— constructivist, collaborative, integrative, reflective, and inquiry-based learning—are inherently active and student-centered (Chan & Lee, 2021).
Types of submissions invited
Proposals invited for the following types of papers that address literacies in adult learning will be considered:
- Advancing theoretical discourses on creative pedagogies.
- Disseminating new research on creative pedagogies and adult education.
- Critiquing social capital theory approaches to the social purposes of adult education.
- Reporting on creative arts programs or stories of practice teaching any of the various arts relevant to human transformation (from practitioners in the field).
Submission details
Abstracts: 300-500 words (excluding references), to be sent to the Guest Editors via the emails provided below.
Academic papers: 6,000-6,500 words, including references, tables, data, and figures; double-blind, externally peer reviewed.
Practice stories: Up to 3,000 words, including references, tables, data, and figures, reviewed by editors.
AJAL submission and author guidelines
https://www.ajal.net.au/peerreview/index.php/ajal/about/submissions
Timeline
- Abstracts due: February 28, 2025
- Decisions on abstracts: March 7, 2025
- Papers due: May 16, 2025
- Review period and feedback: May – August 2025
- Finalisation of paper: September 2025
- Final papers for copy editing: October 3, 2025
- Publication: November 2025
Inquiries can be submitted to the Special Edition Guest Editors via email
Dr Rob Townsend: rob62townsend@gmail.com
Jeffrey Bryant Jones: jeffwifi@live.com.au
All other submissions to the Australian Journal of Adult Learning are lodged here.