2 . Definitions of adult learning vary, but it is usually defined as all forms of learning undertaken by adults after having left initial education and training, however far this process may have gone.

Education and training are important factors for achieving the strategy objectives of raising economic growth, competitiveness and social inclusion. However, with some exceptions, the process of implementing education and training remains weak. Most education and training systems are still largely focused on the education and training of young people and limited progress has been made in changing systems to mirror the need for learning throughout the lifespan.

An additional 4 million adults would need to participate in lifelong learning. Recent research confirms the importance of investing in adult learning. The research on adults indicates that those who engage in learning are healthier, with a consequent reduction in healthcare costs.

The big economic challenge in Europe is to raise its growth and employment performance while preserving social cohesion(凝聚力). The rapid progress in other regions of the world shows the importance of creative, advanced and quality education and training as key factors of economic competitiveness. General levels of competence must increase, both to meet the needs of the labour market and to allow citizens to function well in today's society.

Europe is facing big demographic(人口的) changes that will have a major impact on society and on the economy and consequently on education and training provision and needs. Over the next 30 years, the number of younger Europeans will fall by 15%. One in three Europeans will be over 60 years old, and about one in ten will be over 80.

Given the challenges identified above, raising the overall level of skills of the adult population by offering more and better learning opportunities throughout adult life is important for both efficiency and equity reasons. Not only does lifelong learning help make adults more efficient workers and more active citizens, it also contributes to their personal well-being.

6 . According to some researchers, you should not praise children for everything that they do. It does not help them build self-confidence.

Most parents and teachers agree that praise can help increase children’s self-confidence — the more, the better. However, according to some researchers, only proper praise is good for children. If adults praise everything children do, it makes children look for praise all the time, not trying to do their best. “Teachers should not say things like ‘good job’ or ‘nice work’ whenever a child does anything. They should encourage them to continue to improve,” some researchers advise.

Another idea is that children with high self-confidence are happier, and do better at school. About this, Marshall Duke, a researcher in children, says, “High self-confidence brought in by too much praise does not make children happier, get more, or become able to do more. Finding a child’s advantages and developing them can help build confidence more than too much praise can.” Praise also loses its effect if it is given equally to all students.

“It’s important to tell children the truth about what they’ve done. Honest feedback (反馈意见) is far better than empty praise,” Duke adds. “People have got into the habit of not telling children when they’re wrong. That makes it hard for them to deal with difficulties when they grow up. That’s just how the world is.”

7 . Putting children in daycare helps working parents take their minds off childcare.     1    

How daycare negatively affects children is related to many factors. One study has shown that children who are shy have a higher level of the hormone cortisol which is released when an individual shows signs of stress.     2    And as a result the child may not mix well with others at the daycare center, a situation that can cause stress.

Another negative impact of daycare is that there is less communication between a mother and her child.     3    So it is essential for a child to develop a deep bond with his or her mother, since this will lay the foundation for all the relationships he or she will form later on in life. Children who spend a lot of time with their mothers’ experience healthier social and emotional development.

Children in daycare centers also feel unprotected compared to children at home. In a daycare center, when one caregiver attends to more than one child at the same time, she may not be able to look deeply into why a child is mixing well or not.     4    

    5     Well-maintained daycare centers contribute a great deal to the overall development of a child by providing a structured environment. Children become more social by interacting with other children of the same age, and learn new activities that are not always available if they are brought up only at home.

8 . You should always support your kids and their natural talents. And if you nurture them, great things will happen. That's what 9-year-old Joe Whale's parents thought when they encouraged their son to keep drawing, even though he got into trouble for doodling （涂鸦） during class.

They sent Joe to an after-school art class and his artistic abilities were quickly noticed by those around him. In fact, Joe was invited to decorate the dining room of the “Number 4” restaurant in Shrewsbury, England. Now, Joe is known as The Doodle Boy and has his own website, as well as social media pages showing off his awesome art.

According to Greg, Joe's dad, his son has always loved drawing and "was added to the Gifted register in primary school aged 4”. Greg also revealed how long it took Joe to finish his drawings on the dining room walls in the restaurant. "Joe spent about 12 hours illustrating the wall.”

What's more, Greg had some proposals for parents who want to encourage their kids to develop their talent: "I would advise parents to encourage their children to always follow their passion and dreams - research local workshops or groups within your local community ”

Joe's teacher recognized his talent and posted his work on Instagram. His drawings caught the eye of the “Number 4" restaurant which asked him to come over and decorate their walls with his doodles. Now, his dad drives him there so he can draw his heart out. Who knew that drawing in an after-class program would lead Joe to get his first job at barely 9 years old?

9 . Disappointment is a natural human emotion that occurs after a failure. For our young children, this failure can look like not getting the toy they wanted, not being invited to a classmate’s birthday party or losing their favourite stuffed animal.

It is essential for children’s mental health, well-being and overall development that they experience how to deal with disappointment well. But this can be difficult for parents to handle, particularly around holidays that have grown to involve gift-giving and expectations.

North American culture often mistakenly links love and happiness with material goods such as toys; the Santa story promises magical wish fulfillment. This can cause conflict for parents when children do not get the “right” gift.

On holidays, there’s social and personal pressure to provide happiness and joy to children through material objects, which can be confused with providing the necessities. For parents who do not have the resources to provide the perfect or desired gift, this can cause additional stress, shame, guilt and fear around disappointment. Parents may feel as though they have let down their child and that they have impacted the child’s experience or memory of their “special day”.

This is especially true if the child has difficulty with or is learning to regulate emotions and expresses disappointment through tantrums (发怒) or sulking (生闷气). These behaviours can affect parents profoundly, often leading them to feel badly about themselves or that the child does not love them.

Changing our focus from giving rather than receiving can help our children develop and appreciate the strength in gratitude. Research has linked gratitude to significant health and wellness benefits such as improving self-esteem, improving sleep and developing empathy.

The other thing to know is that although disappointment feels awful, it is a part of life and is actually a positive and healthy emotion that’s central to children’s emotional, cognitive and social development throughout their lives.

10 . Mothers who angrily tell off their children when they step out of line may be making behavior problems worse, according to a study. The study by the London School of Economics (LSE) found that too much shouting and giving severe punishments were producing an opposite result. Ignoring naughty children also appeared to lead to a decrease in discipline standards.

Researchers said that “reasoning with children” was more likely to have a positive impact on their behavior at a young age. But the study warned that it was difficult to determine a direct link between one parenting style and its outcomes because of the effect of other causes.

The latest study was based on an analysis of almost 19, 000 children. Data was collected from parents just before their children’s first birthdays, and then when they turned three, five and seven. The study, led by Dr Laure De Preux, assessed the impact of various parenting styles on children.

Researchers said,“Particularly excessive (过度的) shouting, punishing or ignoring a naughty child increases his behavior problems, and only reasoning doesn’t negatively impact the child’s behavior.”

But the study also showed that a large number of other things such as economic conditions also impacted on children’s development. The result suggested that wealthier families were able to create a whole environment that clearly benefited the child beyond simple effect of parenting. It said children in poor households in particular were affected by their mother’s parenting styles.

“In this group, behavior problems are reduced when mothers read to the naughty children, and increased when mothers shout at them, take treats away, or ignore them,” it said.

It is the latest in a line of recent studies to assess the link between parenting and children’s behavior.

Two years ago, a report commissioned (委托) by the Department for Education found that severe and inconsistent discipline in the home was bringing up a generation of young children with anger management problems, poor attention and low levels of learning ability.