Introduction
We have focused on the “Adult Education with Different Hats”, “Trends in Financial Support”, and the “Results Driven Financial Support” audios. In “Adult Education with Different Hats”, Dr. Sharan Merriam spoke about the many hats that adult educators must possess to successfully run. Merriam spoke intentionally regarding Human Resource Development (HRD) and its correlation to adult education. Human Resource Development can be viewed as working with employees and their superiors to help run a smooth organization. Dr. Sharan Merriam’s audio discussed the diverse skill set needed to run adult education. Different ideas must be implemented for the betterment of the students. In the “Result Driven Financial Support Video”, Dr. Boulmetis spoke about social justice funding for adult education, and the burden of funding tends to come from taxpayers’ dollars. He stresses that adult education programs are still present, just not in the ways the U.S. was once used to. The government is interested in return on investment and uses education as a mean to stimulate the economy.
Discussions
According to Dr. Sharon Merriam adult education needs many hats to bring forth a solid stable organization. Various people come with his/her own expertise that a company can utilize. We can always use a new set of technology or informative set of instructions to help produce a successful organization like adult education. There is a common thread that each audio has regarding adult education, and that is that adult education shifts according to experiences, institutions, and organizations offered to an individual. Amy Rose (2010), “think(s) of adult education as an intellectual commons, where various concepts and theories could be engaged, explored, and examined. – it is not bound by a building or organization” (p. 43). Scholars sometimes have preconceived notions on when, where, and how learning should take place, but limiting the expectations and experience of adult education does a disservice to those involved. In the “Adult Education with Different Hats” audio, Dr. Sharam Merriam discusses the various ways she and others are involved in continues adult learning. She is involved in the lifelong learning institute that provides various opportunities and courses to the “aging population”. The institutes embarks on ROAD Scholar trips to enrich their educational journey through hands on experience. The program reiterates that learning can be enjoyed through several different avenues and changes of one’s cultural experiences. This is further discussed by Taylor, Parrish, and Banz ( 2010) in “Adult Education in Cultural Institutions”, which states that “cultural institutions – libraries, museums, historical societies, botanical gardens, archives, zoos, parks – are grounded in the idea that a culture requires places, forums, working laboratories for cognitive change” (p. 327). This suggests that we are enriched by our experiences and what we have exposed ourselves to.
Our experiences are correlated to the resources that we have access to. Although federal funding is still present in many ways today, the government’s willingness to fund unconventional adult education programs has diminished since the 1980s. In “Result Driven Financial Support”. Dr. John Boulmetis discusses how the federal government is interested in seeing a return on their investment should they provide funding. They view government assistance as a means to boost the economy. Dr. John Boulmetis states that the citizens need to fund AE. Our tax dollars are used for funding educational programs. The federal government should construct a new funding plan for education that would be allocated to social issues. Money is not being set aside for social justice and education which are two important factors within our society. Boulmetis argues that although funding isn’t as evident as it once was the government has chosen to support adult learning in other ways such as: military schools and training, some community based and political movements, etc. Cheryl J. Polson (2010) states that “the focus of military adult education has shifted from building soldier morale to preparing member for post service careers” (p. 263). Education benefits like the G.I. Bill and tuition assistance also serve as an incentive for soldier to continue their educational journeys when they leave the military (Polson, 2010, p. 266).
Implications
The need for versatility and ability to adapt in order to thrive is evident in today’s workforce in order to become successful. Individuals are unique in their own way and tend to bring forth a personal set of skills to implement in organizations. For example, Lisa Freeman is the face of her organization and her demeanor dictates the number of students that will enroll. The principle must be fair when dealing with adults and children because their school is cut in half, one side is a high school, and the other side is adult education. The organization depends on community publicity, funding, and community awareness; however, it also relies heavily on the federal government for funding the programs. Government funding is important to Freeman’s company and it also aides in stimulating the economy. Some individuals rely solely on government funding to attend school to further their education. Museums and other locations design to culturally enrich individuals rely on government funding as well.
References
Polson, C. J. (2010). Military Contributions to Adult Education. Handbook of Adult Continuing Education, 263.
Rose, A. D. (2010). Perspectives on Adult Education: Reflections on the 2010 Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education. 43-44.
Taylor, E. W., Parrish, M. M., & Banz, R. (2010). Adult Education in Cultural Institutions. Handbook of Adult Continuing Education, 327-333.
I like that you pointed out the common thread between the interviews. One way the common thread was evident in your paper was when you mentioned how government funding may have decreased since the 80s for unconventional programs (which I took to mean informal education), but that they haven't given up all funding as government funding still exists in military-type adult education programs. The thread here being that adult education is too broad to have its own umbrella as Dr. Merriam points out. It made me wonder if the government is still spending the same amount on adult education but that it's put towards another sector of it. It would be interesting to see the percentage of funds spent by the government on all types of adult education programs from maybe the 1970s until now. Maybe it's just being moved to a "different hat" of adult education? ~jayne
ReplyDeleteHello! Great paper! The conversation about federal funding and needing a return on investment is interesting. I covered this interview for my paper as well and found that the social context of the country often dictates how adult educational opportunities are funded. Your point is spot on about how the government does not want to fund programs that do not produce a measurable ROI. Which for adult learning, it can be difficult to fully see the outcome until a few years down the road.Great point.
ReplyDeleteGreat job! I appreciated how you touched on how limited the scope of adult education can be, depending on who is defining what is or isn't AE. Because there are so many ways of learning and self improvement, it would definitely help the field as a whole to be more inclusive.
ReplyDeleteGreat job everybody! I really appreciate how you tied the interviews in with the body of your paper; my group utilized them as a starting point, so it is interesting to see how a different group has interacted with and interpreted the same material. I think this is a good representation of how unique and multifaceted AE can be, and how it is important to be open to a variety of approaches and perspectives. It was also interesting to learn more about the relation of government funding with AE; I often consider only the AE perspective, and hadn't stopped to think about how the government is seeking a return on their investment.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the discussion over funding and how adult education is tethered to what is made available to them. I could not agree more! How can adult students have enriching experiences, if these experiences are not made available or when funding has been cut? How people view the world around them is based on their own personal experiences. If funding is cut and those experiences are limited, how can we begin to understand others around us and unite? When money is spent on the educational experience, everyone benefits, even the government. Great job on this paper and thank you for your great points!
ReplyDeleteAwesome job group 3!! I enjoyed your discussion regarding government funding for adult education. I like that you all pointed out that the government views funding or assistance as a means to boost the economy. You all clearly illustrated how government funding is being used in the military to further adult education. It is evident that lifelong learning is encouraged in the military. In addition, I appreciated that you all stated that money is not always set aside for social justice because it is a very true statement. I think that one hat that must be worn by the adult education field is focusing on social justice and ensuring that there is proper funding to achieve social justice.
ReplyDeleteI found this comment very interesting. "The organization depends on community publicity, funding, and community awareness; however, it also relies heavily on the federal government for funding the programs." I took a 2 day course earlier this year at IUPUI for fundraising for small non-profits. I would be curious to know if the program has an ongoing fundraising program that involves individuals and/or organizations that give regularly to the program? The class taught me the importance of building relationships with outside groups often to build the funds to run non-profit programs that benefit the community.
ReplyDeleteYou guys digested the interviews well and gave some good thoughts and examples from your perspective. Versatility and adaptability in order to thrive is a good point to make---I think we all heard that. There are many different things going on and creative efforts at providing education everywhere you look. That is going to happen even more--a good thing IMO. thanks Ladies
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