Adult Education
ADULT EDUCATION
Introduction
1. Adult education is the process to provide education to the adult and aged people who, somehow, had failed to receive the elementary education during their childhood. The effort of providing adult education has been in existence for the past several years, as it is one of the most important things in building an educated nation. Unless the adults realize the importance of education they would never understand the need to educate their progeny. Education is one of the stepping stones for building a strong nation. Hence adult education is promoted on a large scale in the Indian sub continent.
Concept of Adult Education
2. Most people make the mistake of looking at the concept of Adult Education from a narrow perspective. To them it is nothing but a literacy program that is undertaken to eradicate illiteracy among adults in a country. However, Adult Education, as a discipline has come a long way. It is no longer restricted to literacy alone. In a wider connotation, Adult Education refers to any form of learning process that engages mature men and women beyond the confines of a traditional learning environment. Also termed as continuing education, it includes everything from learning the three basic R’s (reading, writing, and arithmetic), to learning for personal accomplishment and goes to the extent of enabling a person to attain a higher degree. In order to have a better understanding of adult education, it becomes necessary for us to trace its beginning and know how it has evolved through the years.
Evolution of Adult Education
3. Malcolm Knowles, who is also called the father of adult education, pioneered the field of adult learning in the U.S in the 20th century. According to him adults are independent, self-directed, goal-oriented, and always pertinent to the matter in hand. Therefore, curriculum to teach adults cannot be of the same genre of the curriculum framed for children. Adults need to connect learning to their vast
Introduction
1. Adult education is the process to provide education to the adult and aged people who, somehow, had failed to receive the elementary education during their childhood. The effort of providing adult education has been in existence for the past several years, as it is one of the most important things in building an educated nation. Unless the adults realize the importance of education they would never understand the need to educate their progeny. Education is one of the stepping stones for building a strong nation. Hence adult education is promoted on a large scale in the Indian sub continent.
Concept of Adult Education
2. Most people make the mistake of looking at the concept of Adult Education from a narrow perspective. To them it is nothing but a literacy program that is undertaken to eradicate illiteracy among adults in a country. However, Adult Education, as a discipline has come a long way. It is no longer restricted to literacy alone. In a wider connotation, Adult Education refers to any form of learning process that engages mature men and women beyond the confines of a traditional learning environment. Also termed as continuing education, it includes everything from learning the three basic R’s (reading, writing, and arithmetic), to learning for personal accomplishment and goes to the extent of enabling a person to attain a higher degree. In order to have a better understanding of adult education, it becomes necessary for us to trace its beginning and know how it has evolved through the years.
Evolution of Adult Education
3. Malcolm Knowles, who is also called the father of adult education, pioneered the field of adult learning in the U.S in the 20th century. According to him adults are independent, self-directed, goal-oriented, and always pertinent to the matter in hand. Therefore, curriculum to teach adults cannot be of the same genre of the curriculum framed for children. Adults need to connect learning to their vast