History of Adult Education in the 2000s- Keith Cozart

History of Adult and Community Education in the 2000s

Keith Cozart

Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA

EDAC 631

Abstract

This research paper addressed the decade’s social background, historic highlights, influential factors and implications of Adult and Community Education from the year 2000 to 2010. 

History of Adult and Community Education in the 2000s

Understanding the history of adult education and its boundaries, triumphs, limitations and implications can provide valuable information when practicing in this field of work. Realizing that there is no one correct approach or philosophical perspective creates a very wide and diverse playing field for the process.  This paper will narrow its efforts to the first decade of the 21^st century (2000-2010) addressing the following: (a) social ground (b) historical highlights, (c) influential factors and educators (d) implications of adult and community education. 

Because the decade is so recent I used the final two chapters of The Profession and Practice of Adult Education (Merriam/Brockett, 2007) as my primary resource.  I also referenced many video lectures of Sir Ken Robinson based on the current dilemmas and future of education as a whole. 

Social background of the decade

In the US, the 2000s were bought in by the Y2K scare with the belief that computers controlling extremely sensitive devices and data may completely melt down once the internal date/clock reached midnight, December 31^st, 2000.  Y2K seemed to set the tone for a decade of mistrust as the country slip out of the prosperity of the 1990s and into an economic recession.   Then on September 11, 2001 came the terrorist attacks on World Trade, Washington DC, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  Known historically as 9/11, the attack ushered the US into the War on Terror and into other expensive military action.  Wikipedia 2000 (decade) says this:

The War on Terror generated extreme controversy around the world, with questions regarding the justification for U.S. actions leading to a loss of support for the American government, both in and outside the United States”

In the white house Americans saw three different Presidents.  Democrat Bill Clinton ended his two terms in 2001 followed by Republican George W. Bush serving from 2001- 2009.  Democrat Barack Obama, the first biracial president of the US, took the helm in 2009.  Other events of the decade were as follows:

·      Globalization fueled by the growth of the Internet

·      Financial crisis

·      Housing market crash

·      Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the fall of Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden

·      Energy Crisis and the rise of the cost of fuel

·      Natural disasters

o   Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico

o   Earthquakes in El Salvador

o   Tsunami in Southeast Asia

o   Antibiotic resistance epidemic

Historical Highlights

Merriam and Brockett (p. 291) identify five issues and trend of the decade: globalization, human resource development in the workplace, holistic conceptions of learning, critique and diversity, and professionalization and practice.  This paper will address each of these plus Web-based training such as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and Internet video tutorials sights such as Lynda.com that fall under the trends of globalization.

Globalization can be a very scary thing for adults who have yet to jumped on the information superhighway.  For others it opens up all kinds of new possibilities.  One thing is definite; globalization will only increase in the foreseeable future.  The debate is whether it is a good thing as it homogenizes participating cultures and whether it will have a bubble effect such as the .com industry only to reach a point of restructuring and settling.  Pushing the way for globalization is the business sector where the hopes for increased sales and revenue drive corporations and organizations into untapped markets, stockholders and supporters.

Web-based training is one of the fastest growing areas of globalizing education.  MOOCs are new to distance education offering unlimited participation and open access via the web.  Their appeal is the low cost (if not free), open licensing of materials, recycling of resources and pop culture themes and structure.  MOOCs have and will continue to grow into the second decade of the 21^st century leading the way for many areas and forms of Adult and Community Education. 

Another web-based training resource is sites such as Lynda.com.  Created by Lynda Weinman in 1997, Lynda.com is an online training library predominantly of computer skills.  For an access fee, subscribers have unlimited access to video training sessions teaching literacy in basic computing office applications to web design plus much more.  Lynda.com incorporated in 1997 and leads the way in self-paced online training into the 2010s. 

Human resource development (HRD) in the workplace as described by Rachal (1989) is “the engine that is changing the nature of adult education.”  The focus is on workplace learning which brings into consideration all kinds of questions.  Are companies and institutions pushing HRD for the sole purpose of increased profits and earnings or are they honestly interested in promoting life long learning to their employees.  There is strong evidence that via HRD, adult learning occurs more rapidly, especially with salary increase incentives, and course structure benefits within a more controlled setting.  No one can blame companies for using HRD to increase company growth but there is the moral dilemma of elevating the “haves” and forgetting the “have nots” leading to a wider economic division in communities and societies. 

Holistic Learning Concepts focus on how our body, spirit, and emotions are connected to knowledge.  It takes the process beyond the mind and into our reflective experiences.  In my life, holistic learning is my preference.  This concept seems to align with the general message conveyed by education reform advocate Sir Ken Robinson.  He is generally more concerned with the uplifting process for the individual then with the level of proficiency at the end of an educational journey.  Encourage skill building for subject material that comes naturally to a person, but do not dwell on the underdeveloped areas.  Develop the whole person not just the mind.  Motivate the mind through emotions and spirit.  This is our call not just as adult educators, but also for all educators.

Critique and diversity are other scary issues of adult education.  As an educator in general, you are constantly under critique.  Critiquing the field of practice as a whole is even more nerve racking especially as I dive into a Master’s degree in Adult and Community Education.  My biggest concern is that potential employers will not take interest in my degree.  Which leads to the question ­– where do employers stand on the professionalization of adult educators and its’ field of practice (Merriam/Brockett, 2007, p. 288)?  In short, do I need a degree to practice in the educating of adults?  No.  Will I have more employment opportunities in the field with a degree?  Don’t know.  Diversity throws the race, economic, and social cards into the debate.  Adult educators should put diversity at the forefront of their mission.  The real challenge is reaching a diverse group with your offerings, although examples listed earlier such as MOOCs and Lynda.com are solving this challenge for the technically inclined educator.  Realizing underdeveloped communities often have no access to online learning; through globalization the issue of diversity could significantly lessen in our children’s lifetime.

Profession and practice returns to an earlier subject of Professionalization of Adult Ed.  I can see the validity of professionalization although it will slight worthwhile ground level movement such as Highlander Learning Center.  It could move the whole field toward Formal Adult Education.  There is so much study material readily available online, too much in many respects.  A focus of practice for adult educators into the 21^st century will be to filter the information in a holistic manner without overwhelming students with too much information.

Influential Factors and Educators. Two of the main educators in the field of Adult and Community Education within the 21^st century are the authors of our class textbook Dr. Sharan B. Merriam and Ralph G. Brockett.  Merriam is a tireless writer of the field and through her scholarship has helped shape the discipline of adult education in the 21^st century.  Other notable influences are her contributions to philosophical foundations, adult learning and development, and qualitative research methods.  Dr. Brockett is also a well published author and coauthor of several texts and editorial columns in Adult Education publications such as Adult Education Quarterly and the International Journal for Self Directed Learning.  He’s research interests are Self-Directed Learning, Adult Learning and Development, Ethics in Adult Education and Adult Education as a Field of Study and Practice. 

A few other leaders in the field are Dr. Mark Emblidge, Mushtag Ahmed Azmi, David Swatmary and the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame.  Dr. Emblidge has a lifelong interest in promoting literacy.  He is director of the Literacy Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University and Executive Director of the Virginia Literacy Foundation.  More currently he is working as a Franklin Fellow with the US Department of State.  Azmi, who passed away in 2011, was a mass literacy expert whose main contribution was his developing of control, monitoring and evaluation systems for national literacy programs.  Dr. Swatmary is a record store businessman and rock music historian turned advocate for continuing and professional education.  Through his work at the Educational Outreach unit of Washington University, Dr. Swatmary has established the unit as a gateway to community education.  With a focus on the nontraditional students that are mostly working adults, he serves 42,000 students with an offering of 6000 programs and courses.  Via Dr. Swatmary’s leadership the UW Educational Outreach unit emerged as a leader in the field of professional education during the early 2000s.  The International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame began in the early 1990s with the mission to honor and document the contributions, past movements and educators that shaped the field in order to better the future.   To be inducted into the Hall of Fame a scholar, practitioner or policy maker, “must be eminently distinguished in the profession, shall have brought honor or distinction, and shall have contributed to the heritage of adult and continuing education."

Implications of Adult and Community Education in the 2000s.  One main lesson to learn from this time period is the urge to use technology within globalization to well serve students and educators.  Computer literacy is no longer an option in modern job markets.  The wave on Web-based courses offered formally, non-formally and informally will only grow into the foreseeable future.  As an educator and/or student, it is a necessity to have technology and computer related skills.  Globalization is a runaway train.  It has, is and will continue to stretch its boundaries.  Better jump on the “train.”

Another perspective to consider is how to strive for more holistic approaches to teaching within the digital age.  The computer screen often does very little for my soul, but can nurture my mind and spirit.  How do we nourish the soul at a distance?

In reference to Ken Robinson’s TED lecture, “How to Avoid Education’s Death Valley” linked here, I reflect on his three principle of flourishing human life.  They are

Human beings are:

1.     naturally different and diverse

2.     naturally curious

3.     inherently creative

Taking these three principle to heart can only help the process of learning for all, childhood through adult. 

References

Merriam, S.B., Brockett R.G., (2007), The Profession and Practice of Adult Education, (Pages 263-317). San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass Publishing

Robinson, K. [TED ideas worth sharing], (2013, April). Ken Robinson, How to Avoid Educations Death Valley, Retreived from http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_how_to_escape_education_s_death_valley.html

Thacher, M. H. [slideshare], (2011, August 21). 21st Century Skills: What do Adult Learners and Teachers Need to Know? Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/mthacher/21st-century-skills-what-do-adult-learners-and-teachers-need-to-know

The International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame (IACE), In Wikipedia. Retrieved January 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Adult_and_Continuing_Education_Hall_of_Fame