Knud Illeris is Professor of Lifelong Learning at the Danish University of Education. He is internationally acknowledged as an innovative contributor to learning theory and adult education. In 2005 he became an Honorary Adjunct Professor of Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, and in 2006 he was inducted to The International Hall of Fame of Adult and Continuing Education. He is the author of numerous books, including How We Learn, which provides a comprehensive understanding of human learning and non-learning.

In this definitive collection of today's most influential learning theorists, sixteen world-renowned experts present their understanding of what learning is and how human learning takes place. Professor Knud Illeris has collected chapters that explain both the complex frameworks in which learning takes place and the specific facets of learning, such as the acquisition of learning content, personal development, and the cultural and social nature of learning processes. Each international expert provides either a seminal text or an entirely new precis of the conceptual framework they have developed over a lifetime of study. Elucidating the key concepts of learning, Contemporary Theories of Learning provides both the perfect desk reference and an ideal introduction for students. It will prove an authoritative guide for researchers and academics involved in the study of learning, and an invaluable resource for all those dealing with learning in daily life and work. It provides a detailed synthesis of current learning theories...all in the words of the theorists themselves. The theories of Knud Illeris Peter Jarvis Robert Kegan Yrjo Engestrom Bente Elkjaer Jack Mezirow Howard Gardner Peter Alheit John Heron Mark Tennant Jerome Bruner Robin Usher Thomas Ziehe Jean Lave Etienne Wenger Danny Wildemeersch & Veerle Stroobants In their own words