The untamable wave of having fulfillment in life has overtaken so many adults around the globe in recent times. Adult education has become something worthwhile to be discussed, as it has become a bone of contention in several quarters.
Adults all over the world, even those in rural areas have dimmed their fit to upgrade their level of learning and technical know-how as education has become an indispensable entity in the twenty-first-century world, unlike the dark ages.
Meanwhile, education is a process that involves teaching and learning which aim at equipping the recipients with knowledge, skills, and attitudes that help them to become matured and solve the basic needs of life.
It is worthy of the assertion that education also aims at bringing a permanent change in a learner. It is now clear that
adult education is set to equip adults to fulfill their long-awaited dreams in life.
It is important to be aware that adult education as a continuous education is not just a long life learning for nothing but helps in the adults’ intellectual personal growth and professionalism in fields.
DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF ADULT EDUCATION
Adult education is a lifelong education that is set to enable those who have reached adulthood to acquire new skills, values, attributes, and knowledge that help in achieving long-awaited dreams and professionalism in different fields of life not minding the aging phenomenon.
One may ask which age could be considered adulthood but the answer is that this concept may vary based on different cultural perspectives around the world.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) is of the opinion that adulthood can generally start from 18 years of age.
Inasmuch as adult education has been considered the road to lifelong learning, it is important to realize that it is quite difficult from traditional schooling.
It is beyond traditional education that is structured and limited to some extent.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADULT EDUCATION AND TRADITIONAL SCHOOLING
There are many differences between adult education and traditional schooling. These differences make one understand the extremes in adult education and traditional schooling.
Below are some of these differences:
1. Difference by definition: By way of definition, adult education has been previously defined in this article as a lifelong education that is set at enabling those who have reached adulthood to acquire new skills, values, attributes, and knowledge which helps in achieving long-awaited dreams and professionalism in
different fields of life not minding their aging phenomenon.
On the other hand, traditional schooling is an age-based stipulated form of institutionalized standard education where students are taught in the physical building by certified teachers who follow well-structured curricula and the recipients are issued certificates at the end of each program.
2.Difference by focus: The focus in adult education is quite different from that of traditional schooling. Because adult education is a lifelong education, it focuses on the individual’s personal development and expertise in skills and already obtained knowledge.
On the other hand, Traditional schooling is set to give the students firsthand impartation of skills, knowledge, and attitudes that they most probably do not have prior knowledge of.
In this case, the students focus on the instructions being issued to them, primarily to assimilate them and most times to pass the examinations.
3. Difference by learning environment: In adult education, the learning environment is not a barrier as learning can take place anywhere and is not limited to physical classrooms.
As far as a learning environment is concerned in adult education, learning can take place in community centers, village town halls, and even online as the case may be.
On the other hand, traditional schooling takes place in a structured physical building where standard curricula are observed.
4.Difference by purpose: Adult education has a significant purpose that connects participants all over the world. Adult education has a significant purpose of advancement in one’s career.
It helps an adult to reach a reasonable level of education which is considered fit to be regarded as a graduate.
On the other hand, traditional schooling is set to produce students who most times set their minds on
the certificates that would be awarded them and not the knowledge itself.
5.Difference in philosophy: The philosophies in the teaching and learning process of adult education are quite different from those of traditional schooling.
The philosophy behind the instructions in adult education is usually referred to as “andragogy”. Andragogy is an educational concept that focuses on the art and science of enabling
adults to learn.
This term, as it is associated with adult education was originally coined by Malcom Knowles, an American educator in the 1970s.
Andragogy as it concerns adult education is self-directed oriented, experiential-based oriented, and problem-centered oriented.
On the other hand, traditional schooling is based on the philosophy of “pedagogy”. Pedagogy is an educational concept that focuses on the methods, principles, and processes of teaching the children.
Its main focus lies on the development of the young people.
IMPORTANCE OF ADULT EDUCATION IN TODAY’S WORLD WHERE LEARNING IS
A LIFELONG JOURNEY
Adult education has enormous importance in today’s world where learning has been discovered to be a lifelong journey. Learning never stops but continues as long as there is life.
Lifelong learning as it concerns adult education and citizenship education is also applicable to growth which continues till the death of an individual. The importance of adult education can not be overemphasized.
Some of these importance are discussed below:
1. Upskilling and reskilling: Adult education helps in the upskilling of adults as well as reskilling in order to upgrade their level of technical know-how in their various works of life.
These in particular help to improve the employability of adults as it helps to retain them in their various fields of work regardless of the inevitable change in our current world.
2. Development in career: Development is a concept that every institution and individual ogle at. Development is essential in every career that one has as the world advances every day.
Development in career is one of the most significant importance of adult education as it builds up the already career that the adult person has and fortifies it the more.
3. Personal development: Adult education enhances the personal development of an adult from one degree of achievement to a higher degree.
Personal development helps to boost the confidence and morale of an adult in the labor world. That is what adult education does to an adult.
If an adult is equipped and developed through adult education, the adult also advances in performance thereby, promoting the workforce.
4. Societal development: Societal development is another importance of adult education. When adults become developed in their various careers in society they also contribute to societal development.
They partake in crucial decision making that promotes development in the changing society. With this, these equipped adults take an active part in the scheme of things happening around them.
5. Flexibility: Adult education helps to cater to various needs and the preferences of the recipients. Adult education accommodates the individual’s needs and different interests in the learning world.
It abhors restrictions to some extent as it is not entirely rule-governed like traditional schooling.
LIFELONG LEARNING AND ITS CONNECTION TO ADULT EDUCATION
Lifelong learning is a continuous, progressive, and ongoing pursuit in the acquisition of knowledge, values, skills, and attitudes for personal development and career advancement in a changing world.
Lifelong learning involves the mindset of continued education which equips adults with adaptation in varying circumstances.
HOW ADULT EDUCATION IS INTEGRAL TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF LIFELONG LEARNING
Adult education is an integral philosophy of lifelong learning because adult education advocates continuity, progressivism, and procession in one’s academic pursuit in life regardless of the person’s advancement in age.
In adult education, advanced age is not a barrier to an adult’s completion of his or her academic journey.
This philosophy of lifelong learning as it concerns education creates an avenue for an adult individual to continue his or her education to the desired satisfaction in life.
It is imperative to recall that adult education accommodates and can be easily adapted to as it is basically set up to help adults progressively pursue their academic interests and reach their academic fulfillment.
TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF LIFELONG LEARNERS WHO BENEFITED FROM ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS
There are many adults all over the world who have benefitted from adult education. Adult education as its name implies is entirely meant for adults of all races.
Owing to this fact, it is usually made to accommodate and help adults to easily sublime to the new adult education system.
It is important to note that adult education may take a little bit longer in some cases, especially the formal one, but the outstanding testimony remains that it is achievable and rewarding.
Below are some of the beneficiaries of adult education in various forms:
•Horace Sheffield is from Barnesville, Georgia is a beneficiary of formal adult education who successfully completed his lifelong goal of earning a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Studies from Shorter University at the age of 88.
He got to know that senior citizens could be enrolled in the University for free on the basis of adult education after reading an article he came across.
This study was entirely online and accommodating for adults. Amanda Brannock, who was one of his tutors equipped him with her laptop and printer for online classes and exercises.
Finally, it later became a reality that Amanda Brannock assisted the 88-year-old Horace Sheffield to the graduation stage to accept his diploma during the graduation ceremony.
•J. K. Rowling is a well-known British author and philanthropist who engaged in adult education as a lifelong learner, though informal.
She learned through self-study and her traveling to new places shaped her creativity and craftiness in the art of writing.
While she taught English in Portugal in the 1990s, she also taught adults who enrolled in adult education which helped her to gain new skills, experiences, and cultural insights that helped to shape and establish her writing career.
Today, J. K. Rowling is still remembered for her artistic work, Harry Potter.
• Mr. Kenneth Colona is another typical example of an adult who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Southeastern Louisiana University, located in his hometown.
At his graduation in 2014, he became the oldest in the history of the school to graduate from the university at the age of 85 years. It was not entirely easy for Mr. Colona but it was accommodating.
He obtained admission to the university in 2010 and had to persevere for the next 13 years till he graduated.
The record holds that Mr. Colona who is a beneficiary of adult education at Southeastern Louisiana University was once a student in that university in the 1950s but left shortly after he joined the United States Marines.
Today, Mr. Kenneth Colona is still celebrated for his remarkable resilience and for being a beacon of hope to many adults who may want to gain satisfaction in life through adult education.
• Maryam Mirzakhani is another beneficiary of adult education. She is an Iranian mathematician who kept making deliberate efforts to expound her knowledge in her academic field by engaging in endless research and findings till her departure on July 14, 2017.
Though Maryam never engaged in traditional adult education, she embodied the principles of lifelong learning through self-directed learning and collaboration with experts which helped to deepen her understanding and intellectual faculty.
Even after earning his PhD from Harvard University, she continued to do research, investigations, and collaborate with authorities in her field which helped her to refine her mathematical theories.
It is important to take into cognizance that Maryam is the first woman in history to be awarded the most prestigious Field Medal in Mathematics and this is what lifelong learning through any form of adult education can bring about.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS
There are different types of adult education programs that clearly helps an adult to gain fulfillment in life.
This adult education can come in different forms but results maintain that the beneficiaries always have their dreams accomplished at the end of each program.
Below are some of the types of adult education programs:
1. Formal adult education program: This is the type of adult education program that is entirely formal as the name imply. This type of adult education program is run by universities, colleges, and polytechnics.
At the end of the adult education program, certificates are issued to the beneficiaries. It is important to note that this type of Vocational Training program has a stipulated duration of study but at the same time, accommodating.
At the University of Chicago, the Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies specifically specializes in professional education and liberal arts for adults.
At the University of Toronto, the School of Continuing Studies focuses on equipping adult learners with personal development courses.
At New York University, the School of Professional Studies specializes in offering adult learners continuing education as well as programs on career advancement.
At Harvard University, the Harvard Extension School runs both online and part-time courses for adults in different fields. The same applies to the University of Oxford, in the Department for Continuing Education.
Monash University in Melbourne, Australia focuses on flexible learning for adults in the course of their professional programs.
2. Informal adult education program: As the name implies, this type of Vocational Training is entirely informal as it is offered and learned in a non-academic environment.
Adult education can be said to be informal if it is basically, self-directed in that an adult acquires knowledge and skills through a personal and deliberate approach like picking books from the library to read.
Malcom X, an African American of the 19th century was a civil rights activist whose education was basically through an informal type as he was denied the privilege of being educated formally as a child because of the racial discrimination that dominated his world.
The informal type of Vocational Training programs can be achieved through workshop learning organized specifically for adults. Community-based learning is another way through which adult education programs are carried out.
In community-based learning, adults are exposed to cultural activities that enlighten them. They are also engaged in storytelling and mentorship programs as they are made to visit museums and other cultural places.
Through these channels, they add more knowledge and increase their wealth of knowledge. Informal Vocational Training can also be carried out through digital and social media learning.
As we now live in the digital age, adults can learn informally by joining platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, and even Telegram where they can join community study groups.
If properly assisted, they can join in group discussions through LinkedIn and Reddit.
3. Vocational and trade adult education programs: Adult education can be vocational and trade-oriented when it focuses on equipping adults with practical skills that either help them in career advancement and professionalism in a specific career or, introduce them to entirely new opportunities.
The vocational and trade-oriented type of Vocational Training is usually of help to adults because it can help in career change because it is entirely based on practicum.
This type of Lifelong Learning is technical as they provide training in electrical works, plumbing, automotive repair works, welding works, carpentry works, and so on.
In some cases, at the end of this vocational and trade-oriented type of Vocational Training, adults are equipped with the necessary tools and resources to start up their own enterprises.
RESOURCES FOR FINDING ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS
There are many resources that help in finding Lifelong Learning programs around the world. These resources increase in efficiency as technology advances.
These resources provide mediums where Lifelong Learning can be accessed, be it formal adult education programs, informal adult education programs, or vocational and trade-oriented adult education programs.
Below are some of these resources:
• Universities’ adult education websites: Most universities and colleges that run Lifelong Learning have websites through which an interested adult can have access to them.
The Harvard Extension School at Harvard University has a website (https://extension.harvard.edu/ ) for adult education programs through which they can be accessed.
This is applicable to other universities around the world that run Lifelong Learning programs.
• Online learning platform: Online learning platforms have become the most common resources in recent times. Facebook can provide information on Lifelong Learning programs as well as LinkedIn.
A good example is www.linkedin.com/learning.
• Government and public-based resources: The government initiates programs for Lifelong Learning. Programs like this are usually sponsored by the government to help adults achieve their lifelong learning goals.
The UK National Careers Services (nationalcareer.services.gov.uk) provides an avenue for adults to learn in government-sponsored adult education programs. Other government-funded programs can be accessed via extension
• Resources through associations: Association, like, the American Association of Community Colleges is another platform that helps adults to find available Lifelong Learning programs in the U.S.
OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO ADULT EDUCATION
Inasmuch as Lifelong Learning may be presented to be accommodating for adults, there are, however, barriers to finishing the program.
Some of these barriers are not farfetched and they include: time factors, financial constraints, confidence, and unwavering interest amongst others.
Some possible solutions to these barriers will be discussed below:
• The barrier of time factor: It is noteworthy that time is usually a barrier to Lifelong Learning but with determination and support from family and friends, an adult can be helped to make out time for his or her lifelong learning program.
• The barrier of finance: Financial constraints are usually one of the problems faced by adults in achieving their lifelong learning through adult education.
This can be managed when the adult is supported by family members and relatives to have satisfaction in life through adult education. The government on the other hand has a significant role to play in this aspect of finance.
• The barrier of confidence: One is always confident if he or she is supported in whatever he or she does. When adults are supported in their Lifelong Learning pursuit, it boosts their morale and encourages them to embrace their lifelong learning experiences with open chests.
• The barrier of interest: Interest is one of the significant barriers to adult education that if when stirred up, goes a long way in helping adults to make tremendous marks in their Lifelong Learning programs.
• Health issues: This concerns the government, families, and relatives of an adult who has been enrolled in the adult education program.
However, it concerns the adult to an extent as he or she has to take good care of himself or herself in the course of the adult education program.
Support systems should be put in place to make Lifelong Learning stress-free, adventurous, and successful.
THE FUTURE OF ADULT EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING
The future of Lifelong Learning is most likely to be promising and will gain universal acceptance as never before as we soar into the future.
Below are some of the reasons for this assertion:
1. Celebration of adaptability and inclusivity: The fact that Lifelong Learning is made to be adaptable for adults and more inclusive than traditional schooling serves a kind of hope that in the future, more adults will embrace adult education and have their long-awaited dreams come true.
2. New trends in adult education: In recent times, Lifelong Learning has assumed different approaches to reaching out to as many adults as possible.
Online learning platforms have now boosted the existence of Lifelong Learning to an unimaginable height, unlike the way it was in the past centuries.
3. Assured skill-based training: Lifelong Learning of some types is based on practical skill acquisition which equips adult persons with skills that can help them all through their lifetime.
This has increased the interest of adults in Lifelong Learning. With such a trend, adult education stands the opportunity to have a brighter future.
4. Career advancement: The growing importance of career advancement through continuous learning as technology and the industrial revolution continues to overtake our world, Lifelong Learning provides the solution to upgrading one’s career. This, of course, rings a bell that adult education will thrive in the future.
CONCLUSION
All roads should lead to Lifelong Learning for lifelong learning accomplishment. Adult education is the possible way to achieve satisfaction in life for senior citizens.
Career advancement is one of the things that our modern world hankers on, as the wave of technology has increasingly overtaken every sector.
Adults need to upgrade their technical know-how and engaging in adult education is a sure solution to it. Personal development is another essential aspect of life that Lifelong Learning focuses on.
When one is developed personally, it boosts that person’s morale and esteem to face difficult problems and find possible solutions to them.
Personal development as obtainable through Lifelong Learning is not far from societal development. When the inhabitants of a society are personally developed, they think critically and make reasonable decisions that foster development in the society.
This article is a call to action for every adult who has been unsatisfied with his or her level of education, be it formal, informal, or vocational education, to embrace the trending movement of adult education so as to be properly equipped to take part in the scheme of things happening around them because adult education advocates the holistic ness of all the faculties of humanity irrespective of age barrier.
