RECAP of 1 ST HALF The Adult Learner History of Adult Education Theories of Education and Learning Andragogy: An effort to unite Adult Education Going.

RECAP of 1ST HALFThe Adult Learner

History of Adult EducationTheories of Education and Learning

Andragogy: An effort to unite Adult EducationGoing Beyond Andragogy

One more look at the History of Adult EducationMetamorphosis of Adult Ed

CAE 213Introduction to Adult Education

The six core concepts that describe the Adult Learner are

1. The Learner’s Need to Know2. The Self-Concept of the Learner3. Prior Experience of the Learner4. Readiness to Learn5. Orientation to Learning6. Motivation to Learn

1700s Educational Tradition

• English culture prevailed• Indentured servants = ½ of immigrants• Desired male work force with high literacy rates• Puritan concerns for schooling and literacy.• Illiteracy = 1/3 of white males, almost all others• In 1776, the Articles of the Confederation

Interpreted the people as meaning free white, male citizens

1800s Nationalism & Expansion

• US gov. assimilated Native Americans [Training in agriculture and Christianity.]

• In 1800s, ed central to women’s rights.• Farmers studied at farmer’s institute• Clerks studied at mercantile library.• Libraries offer info on foreign travel, literature,

and social issues like slavery.• Lyceums developed in 1830s• Chautauqua developed in late 1800s.

1900s Independent Society

• Abolitionists, feminists, ect. - alternative ed.• 1900s, Cooperative Extension mobilized

industrial agriculture.• Migrants indoctrinated in evening schools,

factories, and private organizations.• Independent ed. org. like YMCA develop. • Women, migrant laborers, and small farmers

envisioned an alternative America in which they were granted increasing power.

• Ed became a way out of trad. American thinking.

Dominant Adult Ed. Movements

• Ec. depression 1929 - new learner needs• Carnegie Corp. - funding for adult ed• Ed Lindeman adult ed as ed with social action.• GI Bill (1944) – subsidized higher ed and

vocational training for over two million vets• Community Colleges developed• Education seen as tool for retraining workers

[Johnson – War on poverty / Nixon – Community Action program / Reagan – Job Training Partnership Act].

Diverse Visions for Adult Education

1. Adult Ed - tool to change society Highlander Folk School - Myles Horton

2. Adult Ed - tool to improved quality of life Great Books Program; Ford Foundation for Ed; Association of University Evening Colleges

3. Adult Ed - tool to manage human resources Ed workers [GED]; More competitive [HROD]; Train church leaders [TEE]; English as global economic language – TESOL, ESL, EFL.

Theory

• Theory is a comprehensive, coherent, and internally consistent system of ideas.

• Philosophies of education (ed. theories) provide ideas about education that interpret the role of the educator.

• Learning theories are applicatory theories that focus on application to the learners.

Educational Philosophies

• Analytic – ed. develops human reason• Liberal – ed. conserves knowledge and society• Behaviorist – ed. modifies behavior & skills• Progressive – ed. broaden experience base• Humanistic – ed. aids in realization of goals• Radical – ed. challenges social injustice• Eclectic ? – ed. is contextually determined

Learning Theories

• Five basic learning orientations:• 1. Behaviorist – Learning is a process of modifying my

behavior to produce environmentally appropriate behavior• 2. Cognitivist – Learning occurs as I, a thinking person,

interpret data accurately to respond appropriately • 3. Humanist – Learning occurs as I, along with others, exercise

our freedom of choice, to influence our future• 4. Social Learning – Learning occurs as I observe people and

they observe me• 5. Constructivist – Learning occurs as I and others construct

meaning

Learning Theorists: Propounders and Interpreters

• Each propounder creates a comprehensive, coherent, consistent system of ideas about learning. We have an abundance of learning theories.

• Interpreters bring order to learning theory by identifying categories or domains within theory. There is no fully agreed upon a way to order theories but a simple division is :1. Behavioral learning theories2. Cognitive learning theories3. Additional learning theories

1. Behavioral learning theory

• Thorndike (1898) response to stimuli• Pavlov (1849-1936) conditioned response• Guthrie (1886-1959) learners select stimuli• B. F. Skinner - Reinforcement is the key• Hull – other variables determine response

2. Cognitive learning theories

• John Dewey – 1896 – critiqued learning theory• Tolman (1886-1959) emphasis on human purpose• Behavior is the result of a wide variety of forces, not

just a simple stimuli – response pattern.• Piaget – learning is a process of human development

3. Additional Learning Theories

• Maximize efficiency in using educational resources Tyler (1950) Basic principles of curriculum & instruction

• Motivate literacy via “consciousness raising” Friere (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed

• Facilitate individual transformation via Adult ed. Mezirow (1981) Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning

Andragogy: An Effort to unite Adult Ed.

• Multiple historic educational movements• Multiple philosophies of education • Two diverse streams of inquiry

1. Scientific, rigorous, experimental investigation Thorndike 1928 Adult Learning

2. Intuitive analysis of adult learning experience Lindeman 1926 The Meaning of Adult Ed.

Andragogy: An Effort to unite Adult Ed.

• Unifying Influences1. Journal of Adult Education and publications of

the American Association for Adult Education.2. Shared values - lifelong learning, democratic

participation, critical thought, etc. 3. Appreciation of Freud, Erickson, Dewey, etc.4. Ongoing dialogue among adult educators 5. In 1950s, practitioners tried to unify and the

Ford Foundation funded meetings.

Andragogy: An Effort to unite Adult Ed.

• Adult Educators did not unify around a central goal• Practitioners divided between the improvement of

individuals and the improvement of society.• Divergent themes from key practitioners continue to

influence Adult Education• A unifying central theory of adult learning has

emerged even if there is not full agreement in calling it “Andragogy”

Andragogy

Key concepts in adult learning (p. 4): 1. The need to know2. The learner’s self-concept3. The role of experience4. Readiness to learn5. Orientation to learning6. Motivation

THEORIES OF EDUCATION Beyond Andragogy (Ch. 5)

• Carl Rogers – the educator facilitates learning by1. Sets the mood & climate in the class.2. Elicits and clarifies the learner’s goals.3. Relies on each learner motivation.4. Organizes a wide range of resources.5. Views herself or himself as a resource.6. Accepts cognitive content and emotions.7. Becomes a participant learner. 8. May express strong feeling and is attentive to the strong feelings

expressed by learners.9. Grants freedom to learners to the extent of his or her own comfort level.

THEORIES OF EDUCATION Beyond Andragogy (Ch. 5)

• John Dewey1. All genuine education begins and comes through experience.2. Democratic social arrangements promote a better quality of life.3. Growing intellectually and morally reflect the continuity of learning/life.4. Education involves interaction, it is basically a social process.

THEORIES OF EDUCATION Beyond Andragogy (Ch. 5)

• Malcolm Knowles – the teacher’s role in learning1. introduces possibilities of self-fulfillment2. helps student clarify own aspirations3. helps student diagnose the learning gap4. respects ideas and feelings5. establishes trust and safe learning context6. reveals own feelings and serves as resource7. helps students organize themselves to set learning

goals, measure progress, and self-evaluate.

Applying adult learning concepts in adult education practice

1. Preparing the learner (to take responsibility)2. Developing a conducive climate for learning3. Creating mechanisms for mutual planning4. Diagnosing shared needs for learning5. Formulating program objectives6. Designing a pattern of learning experiences7. Conducting these learning experiences8. Evaluating the learning outcomes

• Goals and purposes for learning• Individual and situational uniqueness• Core Adult Learning Principles

1. Learners Need to Know – why, what, how

2. Self-Concept of Learner – self-directed

3. Prior Experience of the Learner4. Readiness to Learn – life related

5. Orientation to Learning problem centered

6. Motivation to Learn – personal payoff

Andragogy Subj Learner Situation Individual Institutional Soc

1. Learners Need to Know

2. Self-Concept of Learner

3. Previous Experience of

Learner

4. Readiness to Learn

5. Orientation to Learning

6. Motivation to Learn

Figuring out the unique learning context where andragogy will be practiced

The Metamorphoses of Andragogy

• E. C. Lindeman – US father of adult education was influenced by Folk High Schools of Denmark.

• Rosenstock re-introduced “andragogy” in 1924. Teachers must be professionals who cooperate with learners, only such a teacher is an andragogue.

• 1947 a division of adult ed. established in UNESCO.• UNESCO organized world conferences for adult

education in 1949, 1960, 1972, 1985, 1997.• Adult ed, as a profession develops in Europe and

Canada. Profession develops at a slower rate in US.

The Metamorphoses of Andragogy

• Adult education in the US develops as progressive education – promoting the attainment of freedom (social/economic) through understanding and education. Education was seen as a key instrument of social change and the teacher was viewed as a facilitator of change and growth.

• Pratt (1988) sees andragogy and pedagogy as distinct ends of a continuum of the teacher-learner relationship.

The Metamorphoses of Andragogy

LEARNERAdult Education Child EducationAndragogy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pedagogyindependence interdependence dependence