Why Adult Education?

Whether one appreciates it or not, to live is to learn on a daily basis. Unless you simply repeat what you have always done, day in and day out, you are encountering at least slightly new situations which require you to think and lean in new and possibly challenging ways. Nothing is quite the same as it was decades ago, whether it be grocery shopping, driving a car, going to the doctor, or making career decisions, financial plans or political choices. The world has changed, and you and I must change with it!

Adult education is based on the idea that there is much more change in life than might meet the eye. Among the most successful people around are those who embrace life conscientiously, learn constantly, and wrestle with life’s challenges and opportunities with an intelligent and thoughtful enthusiasm. In other words, those who “make good sense a way of life.” Some individuals have a natural curiosity and interest in ideas and things new. They enjoy learning and are easily comfortable, even happy, with change and growth. Others, however, seem to learn, grow and change only by being sort of “dragged through” life. They tend to have less of an appreciation of the somewhat exciting dynamics that growth and change present. Theoretically, adult education is good for everyone. But, only those who relish life will likely enjoy it.

Adult education — sometimes referred to as “on-going education” — might resemble classroom learning in that you may register for, pay for, and attend a presentation or seminar in a formal classroom setting. But, very likely an adult education offering is shorter than courses of study at a high school, technical school, college or university. Each session is more “bite-sized” and is measured in clock hours rather than months or semesters. Usually anything resembling “homework” is optional and without any graded test or exam at the end of the session. Generally, the topic is very specialized and is intended to be informative, practical or insightful rather immediately. The purpose for each adult education opportunity is usually very specific and evident. At the end of the session, you leave with information usable almost at once.

Almost any topic is worthy of adult education status because in 21st Century society an ever increasing awareness is a requirement for responsible participation and effective decision-making. Life planning, political issues, health and medical issues, life-style issues, how-to-do-it items, household management, business management, time management, physical self-care, philosophy, religious ideas, culture and the arts, and just about anything else can be included in fruitful adult education presentations. And, while sometimes “a little learning is a dangerous thing” (for learning is like money or power, much depends on how you use them), you can only begin serious learning from the beginning of the issue or idea. You must risk learning only a little before you can successfully learn a great deal. There is no 3-hour seminar which will make you competent to practice law or medicine, a 3-hour presentation can effectively help you learn more than you knew before. Thus, you can more reasonably and intelligently engage in a useful professional legal or medical consultation.

If “ignorance is bliss,” then ignorance can also become very dangerous and expensive. Adult education is a great modern remedy for ignorance. It has been said that once one stops learning and thinking, one has effectively “died” intellectually. Adult education is a great preventative measure for an intellectual “premature death.” Everyone can do this. And it can be (in fact, it should be!) very enjoyable, even down right fun!

Adult education opportunities are offered by schools and school districts, colleges and universities, professions and industries, and by private adult education companies. Some are free of charge and some cost a moderate tuition. A quality adult education presentation is always worth much more than it’s price. Search the web for “adult education” and similar key words and phrases, and you’ll likely find a whole host of opportunities to live intelligently and insightfully.

To Be Told or To Be Encouraged?

To be told or to be encouraged – the educator’s conundrum.

Research carried out by Elizabeth Bonawitz and Patrick Shafio published in “Cognition” recently addresses the question as to whether teachers should ‘tell pupils’ the way things are or encourage them to ‘explore’ and ‘play’

Remember in  the review of the National Curriculum in which Michale Gove (Education Secretary) was reported as saying “lessons should emphasise the learning of facts and equip children with essential knowledge” and  “every child must be given a “profound level” of mathematic and scientific knowledge” (The Guardian 20th Jan 2o11)

Remember the collective sigh of educators who saw this as yet another call for a return to ‘traditional’ approaches that ‘served us well in the past’. Well that may be the case BUT we are living in a society where ‘knowledge’ is growing exponentially… it has been suggested that technological knowledge is doubling every 72 hours!!!

So how can ‘facts’ be treated as being anything other than the learning of ‘temporary information’?

Historical “facts” are matters of interpretation and cultural perspective. (I like the provocative statement that History is a set of lies we agree upon)

Scientific Theories can best be described as ‘temporary statements of how things work’ which are open to review and change in the light of new discoveries.

In philosophy the  nature of ‘truth’ and ‘fact’ form the heart of the debates philosophers engage in.

So, does not the rhetoric of Gove suggest that ‘facts’ are permanent and unchangeable?

This is a very worrying suggestion.

As said elsewhere in my other writings I would maintain that there are four key skill domains which need to be developed..

a) The ability to ACCESS and ASSESS information

b) The ability to COMMUNICATE IDEAS effectively in a range of media

c) The ability to MANAGE SELF

d) The ability to MANAGE CHANGE

Of course there are ‘ideas’ which need to be shared as the basis upon which to build new ideas, but these are not necessarily to be given the status of ‘fact’.

The skills within each of the above ‘domains’ can be developed within a context of exploration, discovery and play rather than within a framework of having to learn a series of ‘facts’.

Knowledge is not Understanding nor does it necessarily bring Wisdom.

Now here’s the real educational challenge… Encouraging Creativity

Real creativity stems from the ability to share, communicate and think.

It requires those involved in creative endeavour to feel that they have something to bring to the table; a degree of confidence.

It requires those involved in innovation be be able to consider and invoke change.

It also requires “domain knowledge” – for example Mozart could be creative because he had come to understand the nature of musical scales and harmony. This understanding would have come from tuition and guidance as well as being encouraged to ‘play’ with ideas and perhaps ‘bend some of the rules”.

This domain knowledge requires the individual to free to engage in the collection and assessment of information – not necessarily facts.

My fear is that the ‘teaching of facts’ creates the false idea that the learner simply needs to be ‘told stuff’, moreover once ‘told’ and ‘learned’ then there is no need to ‘question’.

Research carried out by Elizabeth Bonawitz and Patrick Shafio published in “Cognition” recently addresses the question as to whether teachers should ‘tell pupils’ the way things are or encourage them to ‘explore’ and ‘play’

They suggest that “the efficient learning of specific facts may lead to the assumption that when the adult has finished teaching, there is nothing further to learn-because if there were, the adult would have said so”

Reading the full article and the associated research validates what many excellent educators already knew instinctively. Discovery through play and exploration is more empowering.

I would also propose that play within the context of developing specific skills within the four ‘skill domains’ mentioned above is the best way to prepare young people to be active within a world that does not exist yet; to undertake work and careers which are no currently on offer and tackle the problems and challenges we do not yet know are problems and challenges.

Dryden and Vos a number of years ago wrote the same thing – they were calling upon educators to realise that what children are being taught to interact with the world as it WAS and as it IS and not necessarily what it WILL BE when their pupils take their place within society.

Alan

Dr Alan Jones in an NLP Trainer, Motivational Speaker and Educational Coach who has worked with a wide range of clients including international organisations, education authorities, professional training providers and individuals. He is an Accredited de Bono Thinking Skills Consultant.

His colleagues recognise not only his particular skills as a trainer and presenter but also his eclectic interests. He is a magician (Member of the Magic Circle), mentalist, writer and broadcaster.

His ‘pet’ personal projects are Magic 4 Learning (teaching personal and learning skills through magic and conjuring); The Rational Mystic (bringing skepticism, mysticism and critical thinking together); EQUALISE (a Peer Mentoring project based upon key aspects of Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Literacy) and Mind Alignment/Achieve! – a project built upon NLP principles, aspects of Transpersonal Psychology and Emotional Intelligence which aims to inspire, motivate and encourage personal change.