Kayla Dusseau - History of Adult Education
Kayla Dusseau
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Commented On:
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Emily & Angie - Group 2
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Adult and Community Education: The 1960s
Kayla Dusseau
EDAC631
Ball State University
Introduction
During the 1960s many social norms and political values were being challenged by United States citizens. John F Kennedy was president and had big ideas of change for the United States. Kennedy wanted to create a “New Frontier” to eliminate social injustice and inequalities. Kennedy did not get follow through on his ideas as he was assassinated in 1964, and Lyndon Johnson became president.
In the 1960s many Americans still felt the effects of discrimination “In many parts of the country, discriminatory laws and attitudes kept many blacks and other racial or ethnic minorities from pursuing a college degree. Prevailing attitudes about the role of women limited their college-going as well.” (Brock 2010). The Civil Rights act was passed in 1694, this prohibited discrimination in public places and was meant to create equal opportunities for all races and gender. This meant that many more adults were entering the adult basic education and higher educational system, and the government would need to take notice.
Highlights
In 1964 Lyndon Johnson sign the Economic Opportunity Act. This is seen as the first adult basic education program. It focuses on students 18 and older who do not know how to read and write. Previously students would receive their education through informal learning by their friends and family. Johnson homed to help underprivileged break the poverty cycle by helping them further their education and develop job skills and find work (Great Society 2017). In Amy Rose’s article Ends or Means: An Overview of the History of the Adult Education Act, Rose states “It (Economic Opportunity Act) represented the first comprehensive poverty program developed at the federal level and included controversial pieces of community action and development, job training, and education. (Rose, 1991).
In 1966 the Adult Education Act came in to play. This act built one to the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. This Act would provide funding for adult education program by giving funds to the stated to provide adult education programs in more communal places. The Adult Education Act of 1966 had a major impact on the amount of students that were able to be served. (Rose 1991) States were able to provide these services at community colleges, correctional institutions, and organizations who had the means of providing this service.
Influential Factors
When looking at informal learning in the 1960s, an interest in self-directed learning was growing. This was in response to students that were being published at the time, and showed many adults developed life and job-related skills because of their own initiative (Carliner 2013).
Of those adult education researchers, Malcolm Knowles. Knowles has had a big impact on adult education. He was able to provide and explain his research on adult education in a clean and concise manner, which moved interest in adult education, from the academic community to the community of adult education professionals (Carliner 2013). Knowles brought andragogy to light with his publications. According to Merriam, Caffarella and Baumgartner (2007), andragogy is the art and science of helping adults learn (p. 84). “Andragogy focuses on the adult learner and his or her life situations..” (Merriam et al 2007) .
Another major influence in the 1960s was Paulo Freire. Freire was a major supporter of horizontal education. "Through dialogue, the teacher-of-the-students and the student-of-the-teacher cease to exist, and a new term emerges: teacher-student with students-teachers. The teacher is no longer merely the-one-who-teaches, but one who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also teach. They become jointly responsible for a process in which all grow" (Freire, 1972). Freire believed people could learn from each other it did not have to be in a formal school setting but instead through dialogue. It is through dialogue where learners become aware, and then become empowered and this empowerment will lead to action (Merriam & Brockett 1997).
Implications
The 1960s had a big influence on Adult Education. During the 1960s many other Acts were put forth to help adult education bloom. The Adult Education Act, adult education was pushed to the forefront and was given it own identity. The power to control education also shifted with this act. The federal government allocated money to the states to help provide adult basic education with in Community Colleges and other institutions to help adults prepare for college or work by learning how to read and write. The Higher Education Act of 1965 also provided need-based financial assistance to the general population for the first time (Brock 2010). With the Civil Rights Act passing, and the baby boomers starting to enter college universities were seeing higher enrollment, along with a push for social change (Brock 2010).
Knowles and Freire deeply influenced the adult education with their publications in the 1960s. From Knowles we were able to learn about andragogy and how adult students can be more prone to self-directed learning. Freire had a big influence on experiential learning. In his work he focuses on how we can learn from each other and teachers must also learn from their students.
I feel the 1960s made great leaps in Adult Education. Not only did the government identify Adult Education as a entity in itself it helped provide funding for lower class citizens to access it. We had great individual influences that helped shape how we teach adults, and made us realize that teaching adults is very different from teaching children.
Areas
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Summary
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Social Background
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Highlights
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Influential Factors
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Implications
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References
Brock, T. (2010). Young adults and higher education: barriers and breakthroughs to
success. Transition to Adulthood, 20(1), 109-132. Retrieved from:
Freire, P. (1972). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. London: Sheed and Ward.
Merriam, S. B. & Brockett R. G. (1997). The profession and practice of adult education: an
introduction. California. Jossey-Bass.
Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R.S. & Baumgartner, L.M. (2007). Learning in adulthood.
California. Jossey-Bass
Rose, A. D. (1991). Ends or means: an overview of the history of the adult education
Act. ERIC Clearing House on Adult, Career and Vocational Education.
Great Society. (2017). Retrieved February 18, 2018, from:
It's really interesting to read about another decade after I wrote about the 1980s. From my paper, I can see the correlation of the events that happened during the 1960s and how they impacted education in the 80s. One of the more central themes is the availability of high quality education to adults who would not previously had access to it. In the 1980s, this was a major theme and a shift in the power and privilege of those formally oppressed parties.
ReplyDeleteKayla,
ReplyDeleteYou have discussed some important issues in 1960s. The structure of the paper is clear.
Suggestions:
1. Influential factors need to be improved. Tell us how the influential factors relate to the social context in 1960s.
2. Another major influence in the 1960s was Paulo Freire.
--- Paulo Freire is not an American adult educator. Tell us how he influenced the history of American adult education in 1960s?
3. Check APA format.
Check APA about direct and indirect citations. For example:
“In many parts of the country, discriminatory laws and attitudes kept many blacks and other racial or ethnic minorities from pursuing a college degree. Prevailing attitudes about the role of women limited their college-going as well.” (Brock 2010).
Johnson homed to help underprivileged break the poverty cycle by helping them further their education and develop job skills and find work (Great Society 2017).
Rose states “It (Economic Opportunity Act) represented the first comprehensive poverty program developed at the federal level and included controversial pieces of community action and development, job training, and education. (Rose, 1991).
Check APA in your References. You don’t need to capitalize all of the first letter in the title. For example:
Freire, P. (1972). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. London: Sheed and Ward.
Check the grammar. For example:
Of those adult education researchers, Malcolm Knowles.
Bo
Kayla--
ReplyDeleteLet's see if my comment sticks this time. I wrote comments earlier in the week and they aren't showing up. I really appreciated your paper, as I was looking into the 1980s for my personal paper I ran across a lot of information that was related to the 1960's and I wished I had time to go and look at it. You paper filled in those blanks! The Adult Education Act helped guide much of the the 1980s.
Kayla,
ReplyDeleteYour paper included great detail and clear content. The adult education history from the 1960's included monumental milestones to the field. The support it received in funding from the federal government clearly contributed to the advancement and accomplishments overall. The organization of your paper clearly reflects content to the major implications and influences of the 1960s.
Jennifer Bradley
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading on the progression of adult education in the 1960's. My paper focused on the early 1900's, but it was interesting that the apprenticeships that followed the World Wars later evolved into community college programs. On the other had, there was a growth of new thinkers during the Civil Rights movement and from other oppressed groups.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to other eras of adult education, it required federal funding and political capital.