Australian Journal of Adult Learning - Volume 50 - Number 3 - November 2010 - Teaching adult education history in a time of uncertainty and hope

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine

The paper addresses the ongoing debate over the purpose of adult education amid restructuring, closures, and a shifting political economy after the global economic crisis. It argues that teaching graduate students adult education history supports more informed self-positioning through understanding diverse social contexts, traditions, practices, and practitioners. The discussion traces earlier critiques of vocationalism and market compromise, then links uncertainty and hope to how history remains dynamic and helps educators make choices and guide learners.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Teaching adult education history in a changing world

Critiques of adult education’s lost purpose

Reactions across decades and crises

History, knowledge, and educator choices

Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 50, Number 3, November 2010 Teaching adult education history in a time of uncertainty and hope Tony Brown Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences University of Technology, Sydney Adult education’s continuing purpose has been questioned by writers for over twenty years and today the re‑organisation and closure of some University departments brings this issue to the fore. This paper takes up the theme of really useful knowledge in a changing world from the standpoint of teaching adult education history to graduate students. Many enter their new field of practice unaware of the specific social contexts ofthe foundations of adult education in different places, or the genealogy of its current manifestations. Examining these different contexts, traditions, practices and practitioners can enable students to better locate themselves, connect with different traditions, understand the past and position themselves for their future. Secondly, the paper considers the idea of locating oneself in a rapidly changing political economy that has emerged from the global economic crisis and recession, the effects of which are expected to continue into the next decade. 498 Tony Brown A recurring and common criticism within adult education is that it has lost its way, forgotten its original purposes or mission, or become compromised by its uncritical service to business and its embrace of the market. Michael Welton wrote in 1987 that a paucity of scholarly analysis, a separation from activist involvement and adult education’s respectability were at the root of ‘our unease and professional restlessness’. Soon after, Jack Mezirow (1991) challenged American adult education’s ‘faded visions’ and Michael Collins (1991) lamented the crisis associated with an obsession with technique and vocationalism. Phyllis Cunningham’s 1993 call to ‘get real’and her later contention that adult education was becoming more complicitous with private business and industry (1996) was echoed across the Atlantic by Jane Thompson’s Open Letter naming how managerialism and corporatisation had permeated adult education (1993). Post-modern adult educators joined in, suggesting that there was a sense of crisis over the meaning of adult education, as there were no longer any ‘overarching narratives’ that make any sense (Edwards & Usher 1996) . As the new century dawned, Matthias Finger and Jose Asun (2001) argued that adult education was at ‘a crossroads’. The same year a paper, reporting on conversations with long-time American adult educators, noted that reactions to the evolution of adult education from 1926 to the new century ‘varied from excitement about the possibilities to frustration over the “abandonment” of earlier ideals’. The authors noted the belief that ‘the true “spirit” of adult education as a means to foster democracy and the development of an enlightened society’ was rapidly losing ground to the ‘high tech arena of HRD training and compulsory learning’(Hensley, Maher, Passmore & James 2001). Nearly a decade later, Mike Newman’s (2007) reminder of the importance of teaching choice and defiance ina time of war reflected an ongoing questioning about the purpose and future of adult education. Teaching adult education history in a time of uncertainty and hope 499 These writers lament a condition in stark contrast to the feisty beliefs of adult education’s possibilities expressed by educators among the 18th and 19th century Corresponding Societies, Chartists and Plebs League, of Thomas Hodgkin and others who contrasted the idea of‘really useful knowledge’ to the prevailing idea of ‘useful knowledge’; of the optimism of Americans such as Eduard Lindeman and Myles Horton, and later of Paulo Freire’s ‘pedagogy of hope’ in South America, among others. Today times have changed again and new conditions confront adult education as financial crisis, war, growing inequality and environmental concerns challenge dominant

FAQs

What central theme does Tony Brown address in the paper?

The paper takes up “really useful knowledge” in a changing world by focusing on teaching adult education history to graduate students.

How does the paper connect adult education history to students’ practice?

By examining social contexts, traditions, practices, and practitioners, the paper argues students can locate themselves better, connect traditions, understand the past, and position their future practice.

Why does the paper emphasize adult education’s purpose amid political and economic change?

It frames uncertainty and hope as shaped by financial crisis, war, inequality, and environmental concerns, while noting earlier critiques about adult education losing its mission or becoming compromised by market service.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine