SOME THOUGHTS ON ADULT LEARNING

Most adult learning is unstructured, random, and occurs as a result of living and experiencing the world. Most structured adult learning occurs as a result of the adults desire to solve problematic situations. The inquiry process is initiated by the learner and motivated by the learner. This makes top-down, unidirectional extension education programs suspect. It relies on the chance occurrence that the needs expressed by the adults desire to learn and the knowledge base of the educator are well matched. Of course the educator assumes that they are offering the type of information desired. And this is not unlikely if that educator has some special knowledge of the learner. This is the situation that might occur in Extension Programs where the county based educator is intimately aware of the social and physical environment in the county. The concept of an "intimate expert" is especially useful to describe the effective adult educator. The educator must thoroughly understand the learner's needs (intimate) and must have some knowledge (expert) that will provide a solution.

Some groups of agricultural educators (state extension specialists and researchers) have become more expert and less intimate. Other groups, (county based staff) have maintained an intimacy, yet have become less expert, relative to farmers needs.

The educational concept of androgogy best describes the process of recognizing the uniqueness of each individual and treating groups of adult learners as aggregates of unique individuals. Pedagogy on the other hand values the similarities among groups of people as universal principles. While no one really believes that "all farmers are alike," research and extension education programs are often structured as if this were the case. Universal solutions based on relatively narrow scientific studies are offered as recommendations to all individuals. Customizing that information for specific situations is left to the farmer. A method of developing knowledge that was targeted at farmers needs would recognize the uniqueness of the individual. It would help the adult learner, the farmer, learn what they perceive they need to know, at a time and in a way in which they respect and understand.

The educator would be an agent of change, or a facilitator, not an all-knowing expert in command of universal solutions. The research and educational process would result in relevant information produced and shared in a democratic manner. Knowledge experts must participate in the process, but not control the process based on their own particular understanding of the world.

John M. Gerber, 1991


Converted by Brian Gerber