Group 2 Project Demonstration

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Group 2's PowerPoint presentation and Word summary of our projects for this semester are below.

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Group 2

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Summary Paper – EDAC 631 – Group 2

Christina Blanch, Robert Mathews, Kristin Walsh, and Kandace Hoosier

Introduction

            Adult education is a very broad field that consists of many different people all over the world from different backgrounds. This semester our group was given the opportunity to explore in-depth two leading adult educators, two unique adult education programs, and two important adult education organizations.  After conducting our research, here is a brief summary of the group’s previous projects.

Summary of Leading Adult Educators Paper

Adult education is the “activities intentionally designed for the purpose of bring about learning among those whose age, social roles, or self-perception define them as adults (Merriam & Brockett, 2007, p. 8). It supports local communities and changes along with the culture to benefit society. Beder (1989) lists five core principles of adult education. They are that adult education must play a major in society, that lifelong learning is a must, the idea that all adults can learn, adults should have access to learning, and the way adults are educated should be different than how pre-adults are taught. Both Margaret Sanger and Sharan Merriam believed in these core principles.

Social change in the area of birth control and women’s health changed radically at the turn of the 20^th Century. This can be attributed to Margaret Sanger who began vocalizing and writing about sex education and birth control in 1912 and never stopped. Although she died in 1966, her legacy still lives on and she continues to provoke controversy. Margaret Sanger did not invent birth control, but she taught women and men about it during a time where information was scarce. She spoke outright about topics that men not dare approach. Without Margaret Sanger and her work and many publications, her creation of Planned Parenthood, her strength and passion, the field of women’s health would be different today and not for the better.

Sharan Merriam has spent most of her life studying, researching, and sharing her findings in the field of adult education. Her books and research are used throughout the world in classrooms and in higher education studies alike. She believes that self-reflection is critical to adult learning and this includes discussions about past experience as education (Merriam, 2008). Her theories and work have impacted the field by examining what is happening currently in relation to the past. She continually reevaluates the field, looking for ways to improve it which is so important in a field with such a broad definition.

Unique Adult Education Programs

           The Goodwill Inc. organization may not have started out with the express purpose of educating adults, but the founder, Reverend Edgar Helms, did want to help the impoverished improve their own lives (goodwillbigbend.com). He started by encouraging the wealthier families in Boston to donate their clothing and used goods to the less fortunate, and encouraged the recipients to learn how to repair any damaged goods and sell them for a profit. This may not be an obvious or classroom-style instance of adult education, but adults were learning to provide for themselves and their families nonetheless. Today Goodwill Industries, Inc. has grown into an organization that has provided reduced-price goods and services to millions, and opportunities to people who may not have other methods in which to advance.

            The original Goodwill Industries idea has expanded to what today includes free GED classes, financial education courses and has thousands of locations in 24 countries (goodwillbigbend). In addition they also provide low-income housing and childcare, something Goodwill Big Bend has excelled at over the past 50 years (goodwillbigbend.com). Started by a retired Air Force colonel in 1965, it has grown large enough to feature an apartment community for disabled individuals in Tallahassee, FL (goodwillbigbend.com). Goodwill’s efforts to help adults help themselves really make them a key factor in adult education in impoverished or less-fortunate communities (goodwillbigbend.com). Their ideals combined with the opportunities they provide are unparalleled by most other national organizations, and definitely worth of our support and interest for this project.

            The Maine College Transition Initiative program stuck out as a program making progressive and large steps forward in the field because of its goals to get adults over the invisible hump in the transition from high school or community college to a four-year degree. Even within the Adult & Community Education program at Ball State, I had never heard of a program or organization with these goals or structure. The MCT program is about getting hundreds of adult students into classrooms, which will hopefully result in a more educated workforce for the state of Maine (Ruff, 2011). The MCT program is similar to Goodwill in that career planning, technology instruction, and college admission assistance and classes are provided, classes that cost little to nothing to the students because of state and public grants (Ruff, 2011).

Important Adult Education Organizations Paper Summary

The Tennessee technology center system is a part of the state of Tennessee’s post-secondary education system, which includes the state’s 13 community colleges, seven universities, and the University of Tennessee, as well as the state’s 27 technology centers. The Tennessee technology center system was started by legislation enacted by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1963 (“TTC history”, n.d.).

According to Hoops (2010) and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (n.d.), the technology centers are to be premier provider of adult workforce development in the state of Tennessee. The Tennessee technology center program has been recognized regularly for its impact in adult education and the Tennessee economy and workforce supply. According to the Gonzalez (2012) of the Chronicle and Hoops (2010) of Complete College America, the Tennessee technology center system is a national model for adult and higher education. The data support this recognition. The statewide system achieves 75% graduation and 81% job placement rates (Gonzalez, 2012; Hoops, 2010).

The Coalition of Lifelong Learning Organizations (COLLO) was established in 1973 for groups to join that share a common interest in the area of lifelong learning (“About COLLO”, n.d.). By bringing people together as members, cooperation is fostered and a network has been created that make lifelong learning a priority in educational matters. COLLO has a very active role in the promotion of lifelong learning and gives several awards to those who contributions have helped the cause. COLLO believes that lifelong learning is a must and they accomplish goals by bringing groups together instead of taking on issues alone.

The purpose of COLLO is to developing, maintain, and improve lifelong learning education (“About COLLO”, n.d.). COLLO also carries the burden of educating the public on matters of adult education and lifelong learning (“About COLLO”, n.d.). By showing the value and importance of learning, they serve as an advocate for the members of the group.

            COLLO has made a big impact on the world of adult education (“Success Stories”, n.d.). By working with groups such as the Joint Commission of Community Colleges, they helped to assist in the Tech Prep legislation to help community colleges. They have worked with the National Coalition for Literacy to strengthen the continuum of adult education.  Working with several groups, COLLO created grassroots networks to fight against the elimination of 14 literacy programs around the country.

The Future of Adult Education

Adult education will continue to grow in all area including on-the-job training, workshops, community classes, and formal education. With more research, instructors and institutions will understand the trends and designs that will help this progression. This will help the overall field and help to make adult education programs visible and seen as valuable. There are many people and organizations out there that are working hard to build and grow the field of adult education. As one can see from the people and organizations of above it takes a community of individuals to move the field of adult education forward. As time progresses so will the field of adult education.

Individual Reflections

            The reflections of group 2 varied but all had one theme – the broadening of knowledge about the field of adult education. Kristin did not realize that Goodwill and organization like that helped people to get back into school. By working with groups like Goodwill, her perspectives have been broadened and this class has helped her to realize the differences that adult education can make.

            Rob did not realize how broad the field was and now realizes that adult education is any field where adults can learn and grow. By learning about different organizations and key educators, he has been enlightened and has learned to appreciate the history of the subject. By gaining a better understanding of the impact that adult education has individually and collectively, he now feels better equipped to understand adult education and the unique needs of the participants.

            Kandace also has a broader perspective of the field and has learned how communities are trying to make a difference. These programs are not just local but all over the world and making differences in all sorts of lives. Working as a team has helped her to learn that sometimes it takes a team to accomplish goals.

            Finally, Christy has learned that adult education is more than simply formal education for adults. Before this class, she had very little knowledge of what adult education was and all that it encompassed. By reflecting on the readings and the assignments, she has realized that adult education can be formal education, guitar lessons, seminars, presentations, and more. The classes can range from a one-time setting to one that is ongoing. By learning more about how adults learn and why it is important, she now feels that she can better understanding adult students and reach out to them knowing their needs and their barriers.

References

Beder, H. (1989). Purposes and philosophies of adult education. In S. N. Merriam and P. N. Cunningham (Eds.), Handbook of adult and continuing education (pp. 37-50). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Gonzalez, J. (2012, July 30). Less choice, more structure for students in a Tennessee system, it works. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/ article/Less-Choice-More-Structure/133193/

Hoops, J. (2010, June). A working model for student success: The Tennessee technology centers. Retrieved from http://www.completecollege.org/resources_and_reports/

Merriam, S. B. (2008). Adult learning theory for the twenty-first century. New Directions for Adult & Continuing Education, 119, 93-98. 

Merriam, S. B., & Brockett, R. G. (2007). The profession and practice of adult education: An introduction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Ruff, L. A. (2011). Successful Transitions to Higher Education: A look at Maine's College Transitions Initiative. Adult Basic Education & Literacy Journal, 5(3), 182-185.

Tennessee Technology Center at Dickson (n.d.). TTC history. Retrieved from http://www.ttcdickson.edu/ttc-history

The Coalition of Lifelong Learning. (n.d.). About COLLO. Retrieved from http://www.thecollo.org/aboutus.php#statements

The Coalition of Lifelong Learning. (n.d.). Success stories. Retrieved from http://www.thecollo.org/stories.php#1