EDU 525 Week 1: Foundation of Adults

Slide
No
Topic Narration
1 Introduction Welcome to Perspective on Adult Education
In this lesson, we will discuss adult history from historical
perspectives, including social, economic, regulatory, and
technological issues that have shaped adult education.
Please go to slide number 2.
2 b!ective "pon completion of this lesson, you will be able to#
Analy$e the forces that contributed to the growth of adult
education in the "nited %tates.
Please go to slide number &.
& %upporting 'opics In this lecture, we will discuss the above supporting topics
in detailed and have a clear understanding of the
definitions.
%pecifically, we will discuss#

'he definition of adult education(
)onte*t of adult education(
+oals, purposes and terms associated with adult
education(
,istorical perspective of adult education( and
Early institutions involved in adult education.
Please go to slide number -.
- ,istorical account
of Adult Education
.et/s ta0e a moment and discuss the historical account of
adult education.
'he first popular use of the term adult education started in
early nineteenth century and grew out of different
educational outreach programs to become a distinct field.
.ater, the field was mapped to several studies of adult
education in libraries, university e*tension,
correspondence study, )hautau1ua and lyceums which
lead to a shift in its social significance.
Applying the term adult education to a variety of
educational activities give coherence to otherwise discrete
activities, at the same time raising 1uestions about what
constitutes a history of adult education.
'he history portion of this course will begin by
considering the pre2colonial antecedents to the
development of education in the "nited %tates. 'his does
not mean that we will only e*amine or consider adult
education in the eyes of Europeans and their descendants
in America( however, since most complete histories of
adult education began, we will begin there.
We must as0 ourselves the following 1uestion# 3ust how
long has education been around and what is the earliest
form of education4
'he earliest American form of adult education was the
public lectures given in the lyceum in1526 and the .owell
Institute of 7oston endowed by 3ohn .owell in 15&6.
In 1558 the )hautau1ua movement introduced the
discussion group and modified lecture system. 9ree public
lectures supported by the :ept. of Education of ;ew <or0
were inaugurated in 1=>-.
In 1=26 the )arnegie )orporation organi$ed the American
Association for Adult Education, which later became the
Adult Education Association of the ".%.A.
Please go to slide number ?.
? Early :efinition of
Adult and Adult
Education

.et/s e*amine what does the word adult education really
mean.
In trying to define adult education, some scholars e*amine
the meaning of the word adult. Adulthood is a
sociocultural construct( that is, it depends on the particular
society, culture and time it has been loo0ed at. 9or
e*ample,
In )olonial America, adulthood starts above twelve years
of age. thers base the 1ualification based on
psychological maturity or one/s ability to perform specific
roles that are defined as adult social roles.
Even if adults are not necessarily mature, they are suppose
to be mature and older than children, and as a result there
is a set of e*pectations about their behavior.
'he best 0nown definition emphasi$ing the process of
adult learning is that of ,oulte in 1=82. ,e argues that it
is a process involving planning by individuals or agencies
by which adults alone or in groups, or in instructional
settings improves themselves or their society.
Please go to slide number 6.
6 )ontest of Adult
Education
'he first popular use of the term adult education can be
defined as the e*tension of education opportunities to
those adults beyond the age of general public education
who feel a need for further training of any sort. 'his is
also 0nown as continuing education.
)olleges and universities have instituted evening
programs, e*tensive wor0, and courses without credit,
correspondence courses and distant learning program with
course transmitted via satellite to numerous locations to
e*pand adult educational opportunities. )ommunity
colleges have been especially active in this area.
Please go to slide number 8.
8 )hec0 <our
"nderstanding
5 Adult Education
,istorians and
Educators
'here are several topics designed to contain an element of
controversy, and to which philosophy of adult education
can be useful.
.et/s ta0e a loo0 at three well 0nown historians and
educators and their wor0.
Herbert a!ter Ada"s was one of the first educators to
use the seminar method of education, and also one of the
founders of the American ,istorical Association.
,e preferred the term popular education or education
e*tension, while librarian @elvil :ewey used the term
home education.
Adams began his famous seminar in history at ,eidelberg,
where a large proportion of the ne*t generation of
American historians trained.

#o$n De%e& has made, arguably, the most significant
contribution to the development of educational thin0ing in
the twentieth century.
,e was outspo0en on education, domestic and
international politics, and numerous social movements.
Among the many concerns that attracted :eweyAs support
were womenAs suffrage, progressive education, educatorAs
rights, the ,umanistic movement, and world peace.
7y the 1=1>/s, the term adult education was preferred for
designating and classifying education programs for adults.
'&"an r&son, a professor of and leader in adult
education saw this development as a signal shift in the
social significance of adult education. 7ryson regarded
adult education as a voluntary activity characteri$ed by the
self direction of adult learners who were attempting to
improve their personalities# personal improvement was
the fundamental motive of individuals for learning and
liberal education was the term that best descried this 0ind
of education.
7ryson defined adult education as all the activities with an
educational purpose that carried on by people engaged in
the ordinary business of life.
Please go to slide number =.
= American
Association of
Adult Education
American Association of Adult Education or AAAE was
established in 1=26.
AAAE supported research studies on adult learning
abilities, e*perimental pro!ects, conferences and
publications. AAAE/s first efforts to identify agencies
engaged in adult education resulted in two handboo0s that
described participating institutions.
)arnegie/s e*ploratory wor0, which started in early
1=2>/s, culminated in 1=26 in the organi$ation of the
AAAE. 'hough independent, the AAAE functions largely
as an agent of the )arnegie )orporation, which provided
most of its funding. As the conduit for the )arnegie
)orporations grant activities in adult education, AAAE
supported research studies on adult learning abilities,
conferences and publications. A fuller account of the
AAAE will be presented in the future, but of interest here
is how the AAAE defined and classified adult education.
Please go to slide number 1>.
1> Belated 'erms and
)oncepts
In trying to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of
adult education, it is important to distinguish adult
education from adult learning.
Adult learning is described as a cognitive process that is
internal to learner. .et/s ta0e a loo0 at an e*ample below#
A person who is ill may learn a lot about the illness
through reading articles in maga$ines, tal0ing with friends
or seeing a television show, this is adult learning
embedded in life e*periences. If this same person
participates in a patient2education program or a self2help
group focusing on the illness, then adult education is
ta0ing place.
'he difference is that the patient2education program and
self2help group is considered as a systematic and
organi$ed events intended for learning.
Please go to slide number 11.
11 Belated 'erms and
)oncepts,
continued
A number of terms are used interchangeably with the word
adult education. 9or e*ample, the term continuing
education is growing in usage in ;orth American. @any
people choose continuing education because adult
education connotes catching-up and thus associated
e*clusively with adult basic education.
ther common terms include adult basic and secondary
education. Adult basic education refers to institutional
programs for adults whose basic s0ills include reading,
writing and computation are assessed and is below the =
th

grade level. 9or those adults whose s0ills are above the 5
th
grade level, but who have not graduated from high school,
the term adult secondary education is used.
Please go to slide number 12.
12 Belated 'erms and
)oncepts,
continued
ther terms that are commonly used include non2
traditional education, community education, lifelong
learning and lifelong education.
Non(traditional education refers to the variety of ways in
which adults can receive credit towards a degree in higher
education.
)o""unit& education refers to any formal or informal
action2oriented or problem2solving education movement.
ot$* lifelon+ learnin+ and lifelon+ education terms cast
learning or education as an activity in which public
schooling as well as adult and continuing education are
important, but not e*clusive players.
Please go to slide number 1&.
1& Belated 'erms and
)oncepts
CcontinuedD
'here are also some practice2related terms associated with
adult education.
While schools and postsecondary institutes refer to
curriculum to mean the content of education, the
preferred term in adult education is program. A program
can consist of activities of varying time lengths, ranged
from semesters to one hour wor0shops.
ther commonly used term is facilitator and
practitioner. A facilitator refers to an adult educator who
uses collaborative, student2centered and interaction
techni1ues.

While practitioner refers to anyone involved at whatever
level in the planning and implementation of learning
activities for adults.
Please go to slide number 1-.
1- +oals and Purposes .oo0ing at the overall goals and purposes of one/s practice
is one way of stimulating oneself in the field. It is also
another way to determine what really counts as adult
education.
'here are a number of writers who presented goals and
purposes of adult education. 'hese typologies have
considerable overlap between and among them.
'he five ma!or categories defined by 7yron are#
.iberal(
ccupational(
Belational(
Bemedial( and
Political.
'iberal refers to the study of humanities and, social and
natural sciences
,ccupational refers to wor0 related adult education that
is e*emplified in !ob2preparation and s0ills development
courses, in on2the2!ob and wor0place training, and in
management training.
-elational refers to programs in which personal growth
such as those that help develop effective relationships,
provide leadership training, improve self2esteem or foster
self2actuali$ation efforts, and offer other learning related
to home, family, and leisure.
-e"edial refers to adult basic education programs that
help adults learn to read, complete high school programs,
and develop some basic s0ills.
'he last category is political. Political refers to adult
education activities related to citi$enship responsibilities
in a democracy.
Please go to slide number1?.
1? 9ormative
Influences
In the early days of this country, adult learning and
education occurred as part of the process of cultural
transmission. .et us e*amine the different learning
developments.
In ;ative Americans culture, education was transmitted
verbally by storytellers and orators, or absorbed through
e*perience of family life, economy, religion, or
government unli0e the European style of learning.

n the other hand, new settlers considered themselves as
teachers than learners and, colonial concerns inherited the
tradition of education, particularly formal education as a
privilege related to ran0
)reating forms of adult education became a way to shape
individuals and society. %uch ventures as lyceums,
lecturing, chauau1uas, +reat 7oo0s and the ;ational
'raining .aboratory clearly bore the characteristics of
adult educations.
;ewspapers, maga$ines and boo0s brought adults into
contact with the larger world of culture and 0nowledge,
informing them of events that touched their lives and
ma0e 0nowledge accessible for their part2time study.
Please go to slide number 16.
16 %ummary We have now reached the end of this lesson. .et/s ta0e a
loo0 at what we/ve covered.

9irst, we discussed the history of adult education. 'his
history of adult education is a rich resource that can help
us understand our past and how we fit into the mosaic of
the field. It can help us frame sharper 1uestions about our
own practice.
;e*t, we e*amined the value of studying the history of
individuals, institutions and ideas, as well as the broad
history of the field.
,ere we also concentrate on defining adult education and
related concepts, identifying some of the goals and
purposes of adult education and s0etching out adult
education/s relationship to education in general.
verall, we saw the three potentials benefits of history.
'hese are#

Information about people places, and events in the past(
Insight into how the same historical events can be viewed
through different senses( and
Inspiration that come from recogni$ing the richness of
adult education/s past.

'his completes this lesson.