Adult Education Scholarship - Literature review Example

RITIСАL RЕVIЕW ОF АDULT ЕDUСАTIОN SСHОLАRSHIР by Student’s Name Code+ course name Professor’s name University name City, State Date Introduction Currently, there is increased competition amongst companies that is emanating from globalisation. Thus; in order for these companies to remain relevant, there has been an increase in the demand for skilled labour at the workplace. This has forced individuals with lower education qualifications to return to school. In this report I present the some of the reasons that have taken adult learners and some of the challenges that they undergo by analysing some articles by Dr. Jim Crowther a Senior Lecturer in Community Education at the University of Edinburgh. In this piece I shall bring out the themes and methods of learning that Crowther has brought out in his works. I shall also highlight some of the applications that instructors of adult learners in their learning programs in order to give them meaning to the adult learners. The main aim of the adult education program is to equip knowledge and skills in the learners but this is also dependent on many factors. Dr. Crowther has highlighted some of the issues that affect the adult learners socially and which should be observed in order for the adult learners to succeed. These issues will also be presented in this report. Themes Dr. Jim Crowther has contributed heavily to the improvement of adult education by showing the relevance it would have both socially and economically for the individuals. He has also in his various works criticized some approaches being used by the Scottish government in the education sector which according to him they do not fit the description of being learner centred. Below, I analyze some of his works in order to bring out some of the themes that are clearly brought out in his works as concerning adult education. In “Adult literacy, learning identities and pedagogic practice" International Journal of Lifelong Education, Crowther and his fellow authors analyse some of the challenges that are faced by the individuals in adult education. At the same time, they show what forces of motivation could possibly be the causes of the adults being in the program. One major drive that leads adults to enrolling for adult education is the need for success in life (Crowther, Maclachlan, & Tett, 2010). These individuals already have their minds set on participating in the program in order to improve their living conditions. This is not necessarily being wealthy and having well paying jobs but rather it is an issue of also how well one is able to relate with others socially. This is because in many ways education is important as a tool for building literacy and this helps one to live better and also be of more help to the society. Hence this desire that the adults have comes from the necessity of wanting to be more financially secure, advance or open up career opportunities, and to generally enjoy the luxuries that come with financial security. Another theme that is brought out in this article by the authors is the aspect of the environment and what impacts it would have on the ability of the adult learners to learn. According to the authors, for adults to learn best, they require environments for learning that will help them to build on their self-esteem (Crowther et al., 2010). Instead of environments that will make the adult learners feel inferior and thus degrading them, it is important to provide them with an environment that will help them to cultivate better self efficacy through interaction with their tutors. Another theme that is shown is the conflict that would arise from the need of the learners trying to commit themselves to their education while at the same time trying to fulfil their economic requirements. According to the authors of the article, it is difficult to balance economic and educational demands and hence it becomes an issue for the adult learners to try and succeed in their programmes (Crowther et al., 2010). In Knowledge and learning in social movement by Jim Crowther; the theme of the adult learners being aware of the impacts of the social environment in which they are studying in is highlighted. This is to mean that individual perceptions of the social environment impact heavily on the ability of the adult learner to participate in the program. In this article Crowther brings out the value of the type of education that would be learnt through social movements (Crowther, 2006). Emphasis is put on the need to recognize that learning may not be similar between individuals but it’s a quickly developing space that is concerned with the sources that the knowledge is gotten from, the figures in control of the knowledge, the beneficiaries of the knowledge and most importantly what significance the knowledge bears on social movement (Crowther, 2006). This thus forms the basis of social movements being viewed as being more than about mass actions and activism but rather as influential environments where what is learnt has the ability of getting out to and communicating with a larger number of individuals compared to those that are in adult learning programs (Crowther, 2006). In Too narrow a vision by Jim Crowther the theme of the meaning and significance of learning to the adult learner is highlighted. The basic idea of increasing knowledge through adult education is based on motivation since these are individuals seeking to progress further in life. Hence the motivation that is given should help the adult learners to identify with the benefits of what they are learning (Crowther, 2011). Thus in order for there to be an education that is learner centred, the adult learners should be allowed the freedom of defining the reasons and objectives of learning themselves. This is because if it is decided for them then it will have no importance to them since they cannot relate with their needs (Crowther, 2011). In order to be able to motivate these individuals in order to help them attain these new skills to progress their lives with, it is important that their capability to learn be nurtured (Crowther, 2011). Through nurturing the learners’ ability to learn, the tutors will have the ability to identify the reasons that have brought the adult learner to school. This is to enable the tutors to be able to make the education relate with the interests of the individuals and also their lives. This is in contrast to the setting of education of education in Scotland which is only keen on equipping young students with knowledge necessary to join the job market rather than also considering the employers needs for new skills in the work place which may present career growth opportunities for adult learners (Crowther, 2011). In Critical and social literacy practices from the Scottish adult literacy experience by Crowther, & Tett, the theme of the real meaning of literacy in Scotland is highlighted. According to the authors, the politics of literacy that surround adult education in Scotland are pre defined and the natives of the country who are still affected by using poor English are viewed as being short of literacy. According to the authors, in the working class Scots, the individuals who do not speak the correct English dialect are normally distinguishable at work and hence they are treated like the inferiors (Crowther & Tett, 2011). This should not be case but instead the meaning of literacy should be defined in a broader perspective which encompasses the ability to use the language in the right manner and also the meaning that the speaker passes across. Instead of dwelling hard on making others feel inferior and adult education is continuous learning, education should just be a means to help them to articulate their words well and at the same time express themselves properly using the language (Crowther et al., 2011). This is because the process of developing literacy is viewed differently among communities and thus the authors contend that there should be no one universal or standard definition of literacy. Hence instead of identifying schools as the only source of literacy is seen as a means of politicizing the whole meaning of literacy and hence trying to rob people of their social and cultural identities. Thus for radical changes to take place, there must be changes to the curriculum that will not only concentrate on teaching the literacy of reading and writing the words but also the literacy of knowing the world around us. Thus this adult education should be aimed at bringing out responsible and economically and morally productive individuals who can be employed in the different work places (Crowther et al., 2011). Tradition The tradition that best suites the works of Jim Crowther is the radical or progressive tradition. The reason it is a progressive tradition is because Crowther advocates for education to be offered not only vertically that is from the lowest grade to when one completes school but also horizontally in order to build knowledge and skills for those already through with their undergraduate studies (Crowther, 2011). In the radical tradition, there was a high need to change the structure of education from being teacher centred to being student centred. The main purpose of this tradition was to cultivate both social and economic improvements in the society with an aim of reducing or doing away with inequality, exploitation, and domination by some of the members of the society (Kumar). In his works, Crowther takes note of the importance of the knowledge being gained, who it is intended to benefit from it and also the sources of this knowledge and who is in control (Crowther, 2006). This is to mean that the whole idea of adult education and its relevance should be left for the user to personally create their own understanding of it in order to gain most from it. The radical tradition was also concerned with first trying to understand the position that an adult learner has of the education before anything else starts so as to identify the best ways in which to handle the students so as to help them realize or accomplish their goals (Bryant, Johnston & Isher, 1996). Jim Crowther also advocates for this form of adult education. In his opinion, it is important to nurture the capabilities of the different adult students so as to firstly identify the capability that they posses to learn (Crowther, 2011). This is to show that in this tradition utmost importance is placed on the student’s ability to learn so that the tutor can understand and devise the best ways to help the adult student achieve their goals. Another characteristic of the radical tradition of adult education was the advocating for adult education to put more emphasis on the achievement of goals set by the learner themselves (Kumar). In the works of Crowther it is also evident that according to him adult education is a platform that adults use in order to improve their lives at the end of their programmes. The main reasons that Crowther highlights are economical, and also to become more helpful in the society by gaining more literacy (Crowther et al., 2010). The radical changes that are observed here is people trying to become aware of what is around them and in order to be able to become more helpful then they turn to education in order to gain more insight and achieve some specific goals. Thus with these goals having been set by the learner, it will be easier for the learner to find more meaning and relevance to their education since they know what results they intend to get at the end. This is also another characteristic of the radical adult education whereby there is no direction that is set for the learning to take place but rather learning occurring through negotiations between the tutor and the student (Kumar). The radical tradition is also associated with trying to make the learners to become critically conscious of the environment around them. This is because it makes the learners to challenge and question the practices and beliefs that have been dominant in their society (Kumar). This make the learners to be more aware of their environment since it is involved with both learning and practice which make it easier for the learners to apply what they learn. This is what Crowther tries to ascertain when he claims that literacy has been predefined and it should be left to people within a community to decide what best defines literacy to them (Crowther et al., 2011). This shows that he is concerned with the individual understanding themselves better in order to gain that freedom in society. With the form of education the Scottish government is keen on embracing, the mental freedom of others can be tied down due to the universal meanings of literacy that leave others feeling alienated (Crowther et al., 2011). Thus this tradition of adult education is intended to give individuals the freedom of thought that can allow them to define literacy in their own understanding from the way they can apply it. Educational practices According to Crowther, many adults are likely to face a number of challenges which will heavily affect their spirit of continuing to learn and this is something that has quite often been sidelined by the tutors (Crowther et al., 2010). A good example is the difficulty that would be experienced by learners who do not know how to go about the procedure of making a wise choice for a course. The main reason that adult learners return to school is for the single reason of wanting to better their lives. Hence courses that are skill based will be better for adult learners and also everything that they are taught should be able to relate to their work places in order for them to identify with them (Crowther et al., 2010). This is largely contributed to the fact that with adult learners a good interaction with the tutor is necessary so as to motivate the adult learners by helping them to realize the goals they intend to achieve so as to boost their self-esteem (Crowther et al., 2010). This self esteem is important since it affects the way the adult learner may be persistent to their education despite all these challenges. Economic and social factors are also another factor that affects how adults persevere to their studies. Social movements and ones identity are good factors that can help to improve the learner’s resilience to their education. It is through these social movements that adults are presented with a wide range of new opportunities that encourage them to enrol in these programs (Crowther et al., 2010). It is through the influence of their personal identities and the social movements that they are part of; that they get to make their choices. This is because it helps them to network and hence enabling them to focus their combined efforts to their learning (Crowther et al., 2010). It is because of this reasons that the writer refers to social movements as being influential environments in which learning can get in touch with a huge number of people and at the same time communicate with a significantly higher number of individuals rather than those currently in the adult program (Crowther, 2006). In the Scottish education system, the vertical mode of education is given preference than the horizontal mode. This education system has less to do about improving the gains of adult education but has the ability to place young graduates into the work force without considering the adult learners needs (Crowther, 2011). But since the adult learners needs are centered on trying to improve on skills in order to further or to improve their careers, Crowther suggests that a different mode of education should be used in order to give space for those progressing their education. According to him, there should be an introduction of formal training and education that will help to implement the horizontal progression (Crowther, 2011). This mode of education will definitely come in handy to help in acquiring new skills so as to progress their lives. Identity Dr. Jim Crowther has a PhD in adult learning with a main focus on adult learning in and through popular protests. According to him, since the 1980’s his research is mainly directed towards the role that adult education plays in the process of furthering social justice and democracy. It is through this that I deduce that he must have had an interest in social movements since this was also the period that was characterized by the industrial revolutions in Europe (Council of Europe, 1994). It is during this period that focus on skilled employees was the main issue that determined the wages and chances of employment due to globalization. This was during the shift from industrialization and so as to remain competitive employees had to concentrate on developing multi skills so as to fit and also grow at the workplace (Council of Europe, 1994). Crowther puts a lot of focus in people realizing what they ought to be doing in school and that their adult education should provide just the expected results. These results were to gain new work skills and also to become financially stable. This seems that he advocated for people learning collectively in social movement since the intention of the industrial action was to ask for collective bargains for the employees (Council of Europe, 1994). It thus appears like he must have been active in the industrial revolution and that was why he advocated for learning through the social movements so that they would collectively bargain for their salaries together after developing the new skills. Relevance As an adult educator one should be aware that adult learners require to be taught with is more skill based. This is because the main reason that they are in school is to gain new skills that reflect on the work place. Thus the adult students already have a reason that has brought them into the program and it is important that what they learn and how they learn it should help them to achieve these goals after the program (Crowther et al., 2010, & Lawson, 2005). It is thus important for an adult educator to continuously remind the students on the importance of reflecting on the reasons that have brought them to learn so as to ensure that the students don’t lose resilience in the course of the program. By doing so, the tutors will be involving the learners in the learning process and will only guide them through. This is also partly because adults would have the ability to do things themselves by just showing them what should be done through using relevant models (Comings, 2007). This will also help greatly to ensure that their self esteem is continuously improved since it is also a major determinant of the resilience that they have (Crowther et al., 2010). This is because through encouraged participation, the adult learners will see their progress towards accomplishing or achieving their goals. This is due to the learning process being relevant to their practices at work. It is also important to continually motivate adults due to the many challenges that they encounter. Due to the demands that adult learners have due to the learning, it becomes difficult to balance other responsibilities that they have in their day to day lives (Crowther, 2011). Due to these challenges it is possible that the adult learner may lose focus of their goals and thus it is important that the tutor motivates them quite often. Also by giving them information that they can be able to relate with will also motivate them to continue learning (Comings, 2007). This is because adults prefer learning things that are important to them since they can easily relate them to real life experiences (Lawson, 2005). Instead of just giving them facts it is advisable that you give them information they can acquaint themselves with so that participation can be encouraged. This constant and good interaction with the instructor is necessary so as to ensure that the adult learner remains focused on their goals. Network formation is another important factor in the way adults get to learn. As an instructor, it is important to realize that it is through these groups that learners concentrate their efforts together with the aim of learning. Thus it would be important that an instructor try to group the adult learners in groups. This is because through these groups, role play will be practiced and the learners will get a chance to practice and hence build their skills better. This will also ensure that the instructor to be in control and easily observe what is actually happening (Comings, 2007). By making the learners active and involved in the learning process, they will be able to share ideas that will help them to relate to the real life experiences more. And since it will be easy to observe them while in groups, it will be also easily possible for the teacher to see individual progress of every student that will help the instructor to understand the best methods they can use to motivate each learner (Comings, 2007). It is also important that an instructor understands that cultural back grounds could affect the learning process of the adult learners. Learning is a continuous process and the experiences that adults have gone through because of their cultures are the ones that they will use to deduce and reflect on the reasons as to why they are learning (Crowther et al., 2011). This is because their interests are also directed towards society (Lawson, 2005). Thus the environment that they are taught in will also impact heavily on the way that they respond to the learning process. This thus makes it important that the instructor gets in touch with the reasons as to why these learners are in the adult learning program. This makes sure that the instructor is able to structure the learning process in a way that suits the needs of the adult learners. It is also important that the instructor creates a learning environment that will be minimal to occurrences of failure. Thus the environment that is provided for learning should not create anxiety for the adult learner since; it will discourage participation leading to brain washing occurring (Comings, 2007). This is because the instructor will just talk leaving the learner to only digest what they have been told. In such an environment learning will not occur, hence it would be important to encourage participation by giving positive feedback since it will help them to enjoy learning. This would be of great benefit to the learners since the instructor will be able to observe the unique characteristics and abilities of every adult learner (Comings, 2007). Conclusion In this report i have concluded that it is important that the adult learners should be well equipped with the knowledge and work skills that they intended to have in order for them to become productive and also to boost their morale of wanting to re-enrol. The educational practices that Dr. Crowther suggests in his article are clearly aimed at ensuring that the adult education program is learner centred. He also emphasises on the need to let the learning process reflect on the social bearing of the individuals. He believes that it is through these social interactions that learning occurs best and also knowledge is transferred to many more people. This thus shows that it is important that adult education be keen on equipping the learners with knowledge and skills that they can be able to apply in their real life day to day work obligations. Adult education educators should also be keen on establishing frequent interactions with the learners in order to motivate them and keep them focused on the reason they are learning. This will bear great benefits to the adult learners since they will always be aware of the meaning of the adult learning program they are enrolled in and also the purpose for them pursuing it. Instructors should also promote skill based learning programs that will help the learners to acquire the actual skills they are in search of. References Lawson, K. (2005). Using eclecric digital resources to enhance instructional methods for adult learners. OCLC Systems and Services, Volume 21, Ed1. Comings, J. (2007). Adult literacy research: Opportunities and Challenges, NCSALL Occasional Paper. Volume 1. Crowther, J& Tett, L 2011, " Critical and social literacy practices from the Scottish adult literacy experience: resisting deficite approaches to learning literacy, vol.45, no.3, pp.134-140. Crowther, J 2011, “Too narrow a vision", Adults learning, vol.23, no. 2, pp.14-16. Crowther, J, MacLachlan, K and Tett, L 2010 “Adult literacy, learning identities and pedagogic practice" International Journal of Lifelong Education, vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 651-664. Crowther, J 2006, Knwoledge and learning in social movement: issues and opportunities for adult community education, in Edwards, R, Gallacher, J and Whittaker, S (eds), ' learning outside the academy: international research perspectives', Routedgefalmer. Usher, R., Bryant, I., & Johnston, R. (1997). Adult education and the postmodern challenge: Learning beyond the limits. London: Routledge. KUMAR, . (n.d.). PHILOSOPHICAL BACKGROUND OF ADULT AND LIFELONG LEARNING. [e-book] pp.31- 42. http://www.unesco.org/education/aladin/paldin/pdf/course01/unit_03.pdf [Accessed: 4/8/2013]. Ed.ac.uk (1980). Academic staff | People | School of Education. 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