Adult education is a cognitive path for adults in post-secondary schools aims self-improvement, fulfillment of academic desires, advancement of vocational skills, and promotion of social justice and reforms. Today, educators should know students and their needs and expectation from education through bilateral communication in which to support and facilitate their education. In fact, it defines sustaining students-centered education verses traditional teachers-oriented model. My philosophy in adult education is facilitating skillful courses meanwhile listening to students and preserving the their' emotions in my feedback to lead them reach the planned targets in course purposes.
Although class-based education is still running in schools, electronic education has improved in higher education too. Students in self-conscious andragogy practice self-autonomous and self-discipline. This method emancipates adult students from the limitations of the walls and rules in classes and benefits them flexible time studying and time management. This method attracts more people to pursue continuing education as it is compatible with their responsibilities as either parents or full-time employees or both.
Adult education means self-actualization in liberated societies such as the United States and Canada. Adult education fosters literacy and numeracy of ITs, digital information, transformation of local to global businesses with the international elements and worldwide positions. In 1945 UNESCO constituted the code of conducting “education for all” formulation (Elfert, 2019, p. 539), and in 1948, in Article 26, UNESCO emphasized the link between adult education with democracy. Also, in 1949, UNESCO convened the First International Conference on Adult Education that participants advocated adult education should foster the “true spirit of democracy” (Elfert, 2019, p. 539) and humanity in the world (Elfert, 2019). Canada traces the acts and individuals between high school diplomas and the ages of 65 welcome in higher education for their purposes.
The history of adult education efforts lasted longer than recent years, but officially Canada joined the OECD and the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) in 2012 and participated in the improvement of education contest. The mission of the OECD was promoting the economic and social well-being of worldwide countries. PIAAC assessments measured three skills of literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving in technology-rich environments. It also consisted of the essential skills for processing information regarding the demographic characteristics, educational attainment and training, employment status, incomes, and social and linguistic background in countries. Canada in 2012 had stayed in the average of OEDC's standards in literacy, higher than average in computer technology but below the average of OEDC standards in numeracy (Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Division, 2012). However, the Statistic Canada in 2016 reported 12% of adults between 25 to 64 were working in jobs with lower levels of education. In other words, they are overqualified laborers that work in lower job qualifications. This trend would be a competitive challenge between lower and higher levels of educated laborers for occupations in the future.
Diversity in purposes for education sits adults from communities and countries in classes; however, sustainability income promote the idea of continuing education. Sustainable incomes and secure job status would enforce many adults to return to schools to learn new methods of working with utilizing technology, leadership, problem-solving, and decision-making skills in modern society. However, the elements such as rehabilitation and sobriety, as well as domestic violence for women can not be ignored because it offers alternate jobs status and life style.
Regarding sustainable global education, immigrating then adjusting to the new society as well as bridging the gaps between parents and children in IT sciences oblige parents to take the ICT knowledge for living in the “Digital Capital” (Shun, 2019). Pena et al. (2018) asserted that immigrants are looking for the programs such as compulsory education or new skills to increase their level of employment services, contribution, and “financial literacy training” (p. 1). Therefore, immigrants and parents pay attention to higher education to survive in the new society.
The history of adult education illustrated that it fertilized critical thinking in social and political issues. The Antigonish school in Canada, Britain with Tom Lovett (1975;1988) for working-class communities in Northern Ireland and Liverpool; Jane Thompson (1980;1983) for women in Southampton” (Spencer, Lange, 2014, p. 90); and Folk Highlander in the United States were the symbolic examples of the schools that pondering critical thinking and representing their role for social movements. Moreover, the history of adult education shows that students of the schools of thoughts have become the leaders for future motions. The philosophy of these schools was based on spiritual-religious foundations; however, unfortunately, later the philosophy and the actions of spiritual schools altered to disruption of misunderstandings, abuse, and ignorance of human rights manifested in Canada and the United States. Today, instructors and professors have to be experts in social, political affairs, and economic to affect thoughts in universities and colleges.
Today, adult education has been changed education methods to a collaboration of educators knowledge, skills, and experiences in the subjects-matter contents with students' knowledge, social, and cultural backgrounds and crashed the strategies of delivering curricula. Adult education is not just a transformation of knowledge, but rather it is an opportunity for learning and exchanging knowledge, experiences, and skills between students and educators. Teachers make a smooth education paths for the students to enhance collaboration and the culture of sharing knowledge among students. The educators have a responsibility to encourage students in studying and learning. This reality occurs when teachers send positive and transparent feedback alongside asking for answers with critical thought and discussion.
Furthermore, instructors, facilitators, and professors in adult education should stay up-to-date in academic research and theories to interpret new knowledge and assess the educational methodologies, psychological essences, and expected changes in students' behavior after graduation in higher education. Educators cooperate better with students when they are knowledgeable about adult students with mature mindsets and thoughts. Adult students deserve to know the ultimate results of their education in self-awareness (Groen, Kawalilak, p.141), self-confidence, and self-efficacy in modern society.
In Conclusion, adult education with the meaning of self-conscious in learning generates the opportunity of multifaceted development and integration with formal education for lifelong learners. This process would start with the vision of self-actualization and self-development with close attention to different subjects which instructors conduct dialogue among students with an open mindset in diversities. Educators can work effectively with adult students when they consider diversity to catch students’ trust in this journey.
Mehrossadat Saberi
April 25, 2023