Philosophy and the Adult Educator

This issue of Adult Learning is devoted to our philosophies of practice. How we, as teachers, facilitators, program planners and managers, operationalize our knowledge of practice through our values and beliefs that help to shape it. Elias and Merriam's seminal work (1980, 1995), Philosophical Foundations of Adult Education, provided us an understanding of six enduring philosophical traditions that have predominated in the field of adult education. Five of these perspectives emerged from the experience of learners and teachers as distinct systems of educational thought early in the last century, with antecedents well into prior centuries. They withstood the test of time, and continue to serve us well. Yet, as we embark on a new millennium, new ways of conceptualizing our reflections on practice and fresh philosophical views growing out of contemporary experiences and theories are rapidly gaining adherents among adult educators. This article addresses where we have been and where we are going philosophically A review of five adult education philosophies from Elias and Merriam's work will be followed by a brief discussion of contemporary questions about philosophy and practice, and finally, the author will offer an orientation to the articles that follow in this issue. Analytic philosophy in adult education, also addressed by Elias and Merriam, is not discussed here. While important to the field, the analytic tradition constitutes a process of clarifying and justifying language and concepts used in the discipline, rather than being a distinct system of educational values, beliefs and practices. Liberal Adult Education Liberal adult education is the oldest and most enduring of the educational philosophies with roots in classical Greek philosophy Liberalism emerged as the predominant educational philosophy of the Western world and came to be a traditional standard against which alternative systems of thought developed. Liberal education emphasizes the development of rational, intellectual powers and the transmission of organized content knowledge through disciplinary study Additionally, liberal learning is necessarily broad, seeking to produce the cultured, educated person. According to Elias and Merriam, "liberal education produces a person who is literate in the broadest sense--intellectually, morally spiritually and aesthetically" (p. 26). Pedagogically, liberal adult education has traditionally placed importance on the role of the educator as an expert, a subject-matter authority whose function it is to transmit a fixed body of knowledge to the learner. Control of the teaching-learning transaction is unquestionably the prerogative of the teacher. Study, reflection and the consumption of authoritative knowledge have characterized liberal learning. In recent years we have experienced a resurgence of this philosophy through the popularity of the Paideia method, which emphasizes a discussion technique through curriculum-based seminars. Progressive Adult Education No other philosophical perspective has held as great an influence on the field of adult education as the progressive. Several features, suggested by Elias and Merriam (1995), characterize this perspective and practice, including a holistic view of education as both lifelong and life-wide, encompassing all aspects of living and learning. Further, progressivism emphasizes the centrality of the learner's experience, and practical, problem-solving methods. The progressive educator serves principally to facilitate learning processes by organizing, guiding and evaluating learning experiences while engaged in such experiences him or herself; though not fully egalitarian, the teacher and learner relationship is codependent and collaborative. According to Dewey (1916), "the less consciousness there is, on either side of either giving or receiving instruction, the better" (p.160). Finally, progressives view adult education as an instrument of social development. …