Project Demonstration Paper

Lyndsey Hildenbrand commented on Group Blogs 2 and 4
Amanda Campbell commented on Group Blogs 3, 4 , & 5
Dan Royer commented on Group Blogs 2 and 4

Summarize What Have You Done In Assignments 1-4

Through our investigation and exploration into educators, programs, and organizations involved in adult education, we have evolved.  Our first assignment, after submitting our personal stories, focused on leading adult educators.  We focused our attention on Booker T Washington, Paulo Freire, B.F. Skinner, and John Watson.  B.F. Skinner and John Watson were both part of the Behaviorist perspective.  Their backgrounds in conditioning responses were of interest in regards to their current use in the field of audiology, which Amanda and Lyndsey will be working within in two short years.  Both Skinner and Watson believed human behavior is affected by the environment or external forces, and that this motivation could be used to condition humans to respond in specific ways.  Booker T Washington and Paulo Freire both worked to educate minorities.  Washington worked for African American education post-slavery, while Freire focused on illiteracy in Brazil.  All four of these adult educators have worked to build a foundation for both educating and interacting with others and understanding their actions.

After investigating influential adult educators which have made an impact on our present education system, we turned our attention to investigating two adult education programs.  Due to the specific area which two of our members are pursuing, the programs we focused on were audiology related-- a Hearing Health Fair at Irvington Methodist Church in Indianapolis and the Indiana Speech Language Hearing Association (ISHA).  The Hearing Health Fair is an opportunity to teach church members about hearing loss, testing, and treatment (hearing aids).  On the other hand, ISHA is an educational opportunity for audiology clinicians to help and promote best practices in the field of audiology (as well as speech pathology). 

We continued our investigation in adult education by looking into information regarding two adult education organizations: The Highlander Folk School and UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization).  Both of these organizations work to provide education to underprivileged or minorities.  The Highlander Folk school, founded in 1932, helped provide education and training to adult in poverty.  Their influence was not only in the education of poverty-stricken adults, but also helped push the Civil Rights movement and promote desegregation.  UNESCO, founded in 1946, focused on building peace and eradicating poverty by educating underprivileged adults.  These two organizations have helped to promote the idea that all have the right to education—any age, race, gender, and socioeconomic status.  

Based on Assignments 2-4: What Have you Learned About Adult Education

            Each of the individual papers written allowed our group to learn about the many facets of adult education. The previous paragraph provided information on what we did as a group, to complete the assigned papers. However by reading all of the information on adult education groups, leaders and programs one important concept about adult education was made abundantly clear. This message is that adult education is a broad field that participates in many roles to provide opportunities for both learners and the communities they live in. Our group was also able to learn about the historical transition of the field of adult education, which shapes the future of the field as well.

            First by learning about the multitude of adult educators we were able to get a sense of fundamental principles of the field. The teachings and other works of these adult educators laid the template in adult education by providing the different styles in which adults learn. By illustrating these learning styles, courses could thus be tailored to adults.  Next, by reading information on unique adult education programs, our group was able to see the different atmospheres that adult education occurs in, as well as the diverse subjects presented. Our group focused on three different programs, but the one thing they had in common is that they used group approaches to facilitate learning. Finally the “important adult education organizations” paper highlighted an important aspect about adult education, which is its impact globally.

            Before completing our assignments, some of our views on adult education were very limited and based on the definition given by Merriam and Brockett, which is “activities designed for the purpose of bringing about learning among those who are defined as adults (Merriam & Brockett, p. 8, 2007). However assignments 2 through 4 have broadened our definition to encompass more information and have taught us the degree of global impact that the field of adult education has.  Thus adult education can teach anything from work-related skills to skills learned for recreation.

Image of Adult Education In the Future

The one thing that has remained true about the world in the 21st century is that it continues to change.  The role of adult education will remain important and central in this rapidly changing world.  The need for adults to be educated and trained will not subside, in fact it is anticipated that it will accelerate as greater levels of technical expertise will be needed to perform high demand jobs.  In addition to this there is a dramatic demographic change underway in the U.S.  At one time, a dominant white western European worldview was dominant, and assumed to be the cultural norm.  As time passes, the demographics are changing and in significant ways.  The growth of non-European cultural groups is outpacing those groups who have made up the dominant culture in the past.  As these groups grow and become more visible and prominent, a change in outlook must take place.  This change will be visible in the move toward the acceptance of a truly multicultural society.  In the past, the individual groups were expected to change and conform to the values of the larger and more dominant group.  However, as time moves forward this conformity will not be the case.  Therefore, it means that the central tenet of adult education must be to treat all students from diverse backgrounds with a proper level of respect.

This future image of adult education should include a highly developed sense of professionalism about the way we practice the education of adults, however, practitioners must avoid the elitism that often accompanies professionalization.  Professionalism requires those who teach do so while adhering to the highest possible ethical standards, while seeking to advance the understanding of adult learners.

Above all else adult education must be flexible to meet the adult learners’ needs it proposes to serve.  This means that adult education will need to be able to function in an on-line environment as well as in an in-seat environment.   It will also need to be able to meet the changing needs of the workplace and provide skills to adult learners.  These skills must have practical application and be useful for adult learners.  This can vary from the needs of an adult learner who desires to learn about ways in which to improve their social standing (Highlander Folk School) or ways in which they can help others find practical ways to apply their education to find a better life (Booker T. Washington).

In the future, the voice of the minority will gradually become the voice of consensus when those living within the majority culture share a perspective of respect and multiculturalism.  This new worldview will treat people with respect without considering ethnic backgrounds or being concerned with the outdated dominant cultural view, working to overturn the oppressive relationship with those outside of traditional boundaries.  Adult education becomes powerful because it will empower those who are least powerful in our current culture.  In other words adult education is important because it does not maintain the status quo, but it advances the needs of the weakest members of society.

References

Merriam, S., & Brocker, R. (2007). The profession and practice of adult                             

education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass