E-Archive Project

Kathy Brady: Commented on group 2.
Dawn Fewell:  Commented on Group 4.
Kimberly Neal:  Commented on Group 1.
Oscar Guajardo:  Commented on Group 2.

Group 3:  Dawn Fewell, Kimberly Neal, Oscar Guajardo, Kathryn Brady

• Adult Education Significant Points

• Adult education did not become a separate and distinct field of education until approximately the 1920s
• Adult education encompasses a broad and complex array of areas – formal and non-formal settings, occupation-specific training, basic adult education, community education, etc.
• Training adults in the workplace was the catalyst to many of the early adult education programs and remains one of the most important missions of adult educators
• A focus on literacy and basic adult education has continued to be an important task for adult educators
• Many people working directly or indirectly in adult education have made significant contributions in different ways in the last 100 years

Discussion

“Adult education” is a term that began to emerge in the 1920s as a way to distinguish the training and education of adults as a separate field in education.  The beginning of the 20^th century saw enormous industrial and economic growth in the United States.  This led to adult educational activities organized by unions, political parties, and the women’s movement.  In addition, businesses began to see the need to train their employees on new production methods to improve efficiency and profitability.  As time went on the need for adult literacy become apparent, and the government began to focus legislation and funding on basic adult education.  Organizations like the United States Military helped to provide improved literacy for their servicemembers, and the Carnegie Corporation funded the building of libraries all across the country.  As our nation became more modernized the need for adults to have training and education beyond high school were necessary to remain competitive in an ever-changing world.  In the last 30 years, service and information based jobs have replaced the manufacturing positions of the past.  This has influenced adult education as more and more workplace training is necessary to keep pace with technology, and in turn, companies are realizing the value of human capital and ensuring their people have the skills needed in the global world of today.

There are many scholars, researchers, and dedicated citizens who influenced and supported adult education in many different ways during the last 100 years.  David Kolb was instrumental because he introduced the concept of Learning Styles to adult education and provided a tool (the Learning Style Inventory) to assess an individual’s preferred method of learning.  He also presented the Experiential Learning Theory to the field of adult education, which emphasized the importance of personal experience, active engagement, and reflection in adult learning and development.  Steadfast supporters of adult education such as Barbara Bush used their network of contacts and personal dedication to education to help create philanthropic organizations to help countless people improve their educational opportunities for the last 29 years.

Ideas about Adult Education

Adult education is a very broad and dynamic field of education that can offer many different types of benefits for a wide range of adults.  It can take many forms and can occur in a variety of places.  There are non-formal settings for classes dealing with life skills or interests such as parenting, cooking, digital photography, travel, sewing, or basic auto repair.  Workplace training remains a prominent area of adult education and can be specific to a particular company’s needs or basic skills such as computers, public speaking, or software packages.  College and universities provide a formal setting for adult education and often provide extension services in literacy, ESL, and adult basic education, as well as resources and support for community education programs.  In contrast to our education as children, adult education is focused on the world in which adults find themselves, and learning is more about solving a particular problem or learning something new that pertains to their lives, whether personal or professional. 

E-Archive