ABSTRACT
This chapter describes that 'social pedagogy' is an academic discipline used to reflects what society at a given time thinks about education and the life course, about the relationship between individuals and society, and about social welfare for its marginalised members. It considers the learning theorists have enabled others to continue to innovate and construct the meaning of learning and adult education and theoretical understandings and application from different epistemological platforms. It also looks at three learning theories that embody a systems approach: Paulo Freire's critical pedagogy, social pedagogy and transformative learning. The chapter considers how lifelong learning has become a theme, force or lever for change in a variety of contexts and practices with policy at local, national and supranational levels. Critical pedagogy and its current form of popular education in Latin America describe an adult education programme evolving from the village-based literacy work of Paulo Freire.
