ADULT EDUCATION REVIEW AND PREVIEW
OVERVIEW • The Meaning of “Adult” • Adult Learning • Adult Education • Components of Adult Education • Providers of Adult Education • Professional Associations • Resources in Adult Education
The Meaning of “Adult” 1. Social and cultural basis 2. Biologically defined 3. Psychological maturity or social roles 4. Maturity
ADULT LEARNING Adult learning is a cognitive process internal to the learner; it is what the learner does in a teaching-learning transaction, as opposed to what the educators does. Merriam & Brockett, 1997
DEFINITION OF ADULT EDUCATION • Adult education is a process whereby persons whose major social roles are characteristic of adult status undertake systematic and sustained learning activities for the purpose of bringing about changes in knowledge, attitudes, values, or skills. • Darkenwald & Merriam (1982)
COMPONENTS OF ADULT EDUCATION • Foundations of Adult Education • Organization and Delivery of Adult Ed. Planning Educational Programs for Adults Administering Adult Education Program Designing the Learning Environment • The Adult Learner Adult Development & Learning Characteristics of the Adult Learner The Learning Process The Learning Transaction with Adults
Foundations of Adult Education • Terminology, key terms, definitions, etc. • Historical evolution of adult education • Purposes of adult education • Philosophical perspectives • Providers of adult education • Key resources: journals, web sites, associations, centers, etc. • Issues in adult education • Global view of adult education
Philosophical Perspectives • Why we do what we do! • Awareness of underlying values and • assumptions • Relates to theories of learning and teaching • techniques • Facilitates communication • Aids in ethical and moral issues
Philosophical Approaches • Not philosophies but drawn from them • Liberal and Progressive Perspectives • Behaviorist-Humanist • Critical Theory
PROVIDERS OF ADULT ED. • I.Fully or partially tax-supported agencies and institutions • II. Non-profit, self-supporting agencies and institutions. • III. For-profit providers • IV. Nonorganized learning opportunities
Fully or Partially Tax-SupportedAgencies and Institutions • Public school adult education • Four-year colleges and universities • Community and technical colleges • Cooperative Extension • Armed forces • Correctional institutions • Libraries and museums • State and federal public adult ed. programs
Non-Profit Self-Supporting Agencies and Institutions • Religious institutions • Health Institutions • Community-based agencies • Service clubs • Voluntary organizations • Professional organizations • Worker education programs • National adult education clearinghouses and conference providers
For-Profit Providers • Correspondence school • Proprietary schools • Private tutors • For-profit, degree granting colleges • Consultant and workshop providers • On-line data base services • Publishers of how-to-books, videotapes, and audio tapes
For-Profit Providers (cont.) • Computer and software publishers • Business and industry sponsored programs • Business and industry human resource development programs • Conference centers
Non-Organized Learning Opportunities • Television viewing and other mass media • Work setting • Family • Travel • Recreational and leisure-time activities
Where Learning Occurs • FORMAL INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS • Serve the educational needs of adults and serve the educational needs of youth but also serve adults as a secondary function • NONFORMAL SETTINGS • Serve the educational needs of adults outside formal educational institutions. Includes community-based and indigenous learning • INFORMAL OR SELF-DIRECTED CONTEXTS • Self--directed learning which usually occurs in learner’s natural setting and is primarily carried out by learners themselves.
Formal Institutional Settings • Independent adult education organizations Laubach Literacy International, Highlander Center for Research and Education • Educational institutions • NC community colleges, Cooperative Extension Service, British Open University • Quasi-educational organizations • Libraries, museums, mass media, community organizations, religious and civic organization (education of the public is an integral part of their function) • Noneducational organizations • Government agencies, armed forces, unions, correctional institutions (education is not primary function but a means to some end)
Professional Associations • NATIONAL • American Association of Adult & Continuing Education • American Society for Training & Development • STATE or REGIONAL • North Carolina Adult Education Association • Piedmont Chapter American Society for Training & Dev. • INTERNATIONAL • International Council for Adult Education
Related Professional Associations • American Association of Community & Junior Colleges • National University Continuing Education Association • International Association for Experiential Learning
Resources on Adult Education • Journals, Periodicals, Newsletters • Adult Education Quarterly • Adult Learning • Adult & Continuing Ed. Today • Adult Learning • Adult Basic Education • International Journal of Lifelong Education • Journal of Continuing Higher Education • New Horizons in Adult Education (Electronic journal) • Studies in the Education of Adults • Training and Development Journal • Training/HRD
