the role of adult education in community development
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When you ask people "what is adult education?" most reply immediately - night classes. Others will indicate that literacy or day time classes are what is meant.
To me this suggests two things: Firstly, it is a recognition of how important the traditional VEC provision has been in providing courses and classes over many years for adults. This is the positive! Secondly, it indicates that the full potential of adult education may not have been grasped in the popular imagination and the public debate about education. And this is the negative!
I am going to frame what I want to say in these combinations of positive and negative; the for and against; the affirming and the critique. The organisers have asked me to say some words and share some thoughts with you on the role of adult education in Irish society.
I would like to choose just three ideas and talk about these for a few moments:
1. In this year of life long learning and in the age of second chance education we have these two ideas which have become buzz words. They fit easily into our vocabulary and have wide acceptance and support.
2. I will take a brief look at Irish society to see what is happening that is relevant to this discussion of the role adult education in Irish society.
3. Finally, a look at what adult education offers beyond the slogans and taking account the real Ireland in which we live.
Adult education is to a great extent a critique of schooling, the education system and even society in general. What do I mean by this? Well, for many people their time in school was not happy, they did not learn and in fact frequently they emerged damaged, with low confidence and poor self-esteem, unable to shine and reach the peak of their abilities. Schooling left many unprepared for life and work. Where in school, for instance, did we learn to be parents?
Adult education grows out of this dissatisfaction and provides for many a way of reclaiming lost possibilities. A second chance!
Adult education also grows out of the realisation that at school, even if we were among the successful ones and full of learning, this knowledge was not enough to last all our lives in a very fast changing world. Our knowledge and learning becomes out of date and redundant in a few years. So lifelong learning is now essential!
We do of course appreciate having these new phrases in adult education. They give us a new language with which to encourage people to participate and just as importantly to attract funding. These new ideas and words help us and students identify with the possibilities implied in them. Second chance is a totally modern concept and fits they way we think in our modern Irish society. The divorce referendum was sold on this idea of giving people a second chance.
To me this suggests two things: Firstly, it is a recognition of how important the traditional VEC provision has been in providing courses and classes over many years for adults. This is the positive! Secondly, it indicates that the full potential of adult education may not have been grasped in the popular imagination and the public debate about education. And this is the negative!
I am going to frame what I want to say in these combinations of positive and negative; the for and against; the affirming and the critique. The organisers have asked me to say some words and share some thoughts with you on the role of adult education in Irish society.
I would like to choose just three ideas and talk about these for a few moments:
1. In this year of life long learning and in the age of second chance education we have these two ideas which have become buzz words. They fit easily into our vocabulary and have wide acceptance and support.
2. I will take a brief look at Irish society to see what is happening that is relevant to this discussion of the role adult education in Irish society.
3. Finally, a look at what adult education offers beyond the slogans and taking account the real Ireland in which we live.
Adult education is to a great extent a critique of schooling, the education system and even society in general. What do I mean by this? Well, for many people their time in school was not happy, they did not learn and in fact frequently they emerged damaged, with low confidence and poor self-esteem, unable to shine and reach the peak of their abilities. Schooling left many unprepared for life and work. Where in school, for instance, did we learn to be parents?
Adult education grows out of this dissatisfaction and provides for many a way of reclaiming lost possibilities. A second chance!
Adult education also grows out of the realisation that at school, even if we were among the successful ones and full of learning, this knowledge was not enough to last all our lives in a very fast changing world. Our knowledge and learning becomes out of date and redundant in a few years. So lifelong learning is now essential!
We do of course appreciate having these new phrases in adult education. They give us a new language with which to encourage people to participate and just as importantly to attract funding. These new ideas and words help us and students identify with the possibilities implied in them. Second chance is a totally modern concept and fits they way we think in our modern Irish society. The divorce referendum was sold on this idea of giving people a second chance.
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