Adult Education- Foundational Philosophies

Table 1 Liberal Behaviourist Progressive Humanistic Radical

(Classical,
Traditional)

Purpose To develop To bring about To transmit To develop To bring about

intellectual behaviour that culture and people open fundamental,
powers of the will ensure societal to change and social, political,
mind; to make survival of structure to continued economic
a person human species, promote learning; to changes in
literate in the societies, and social enhance society through
broadest individuals; to change; to personal education; to
sense-- promote give learner growth and change culture
intellectually, behavioural practical development; and its structure.
morally, and change. knowledge to facilitate
spiritually. and problem- self-
solving skills; actualization;
to reform to reform
society society.

Learner "Renaissance Learner takes Learner Learner is Equality with

person"; an active role needs, highly teacher in
cultured, in learning, interests, and motivated and learning process;
always a practicing new experiences self-directed; personal
learner; seeks behaviour, and are key assumes autonomy;
knowledge receiving elements in responsibility people create
rather than feedback; learning; for learning history and
just strong people have and self- culture by
information; environmental unlimited development. combining
conceptual; influence. potential to reflection with
theoretical be developed action.
understanding. through
education.

Teacher The "expert"; Manager, Organizer; Facilitator; Provocateur;

transmitter of controller; guides helper; suggests but
knowledge; predicts and learning partner; does not
authoritative; directs learning through promotes, but determine
clearly directs outcomes; experiences does not direction for
learning designs that are direct learning; equality
process. learning educative; learning; sets between teacher
environment stimulates, mood for and learner.
that elicits instigates, learning; acts
desired evaluates as a flexible
behaviour. learning resource for
process. learners.
Table 2 Liberal Behaviourist Progressive Humanistic Radical

Source of The Western The Situations that The Socio-

Authority canon environment learner finds self/learner economic and
him/herself in; socio-political
culture imbalances

Key Liberal Stimulus- Problem- Experiential Consciousness-

Words/ learning, response; solving; learning; raising; praxis;
Concepts learning for its behaviour experience- freedom; non
own sake; modification; based feelings, compulsory
rational, competency- education; individuality; learning;
intellectual based; democracy; self- autonomy;
education; mastery lifelong directedness; critical
general learning; learning; interactive; thinking; social
education; behavioural pragmatic openness; co- action; de-
traditional objectives; knowledge; operation; institutionalizat
knowledge; trial and error; needs authenticity; ion; literacy
classical- skill training; assessment; ambiguity; training.
/rational feedback; social related to
humanism. reinforcement. responsibility. existentialism.

Methods Dialectic; Programmed Problem- Experiential; Dialog;

lecture; study instruction; solving; group tasks; problem-
groups; contract scientific group posing;
contemplation; learning; method; discussion; maximum
critical reading teaching activity team interaction;
and discussion. machines; method; teaching; self- discussion
computer- experimental directed groups.
assisted method; learning;
instruction; project discovery
practice and method; method.
reinforcement. inductive
method.
Table 3 Liberal Behaviourist Progressive Humanistic Radical

People/ Socrates, Plato, Skinner, Spencer, Erasmus, Brameld,

Practices Aristotle, Thorndike, Pestalozzi, Rousseau, Holt, Kozol,
Aquinas Adler, Watson, Tyler, Dewey, Rogers, Reich, Neill,
Friedenberg, APL (Adult Bergevin, Maslow, Freire,
Kallen, Van Performance Sheats, Knowles, May, Goodman,
Doren, Houle, Level); Lindeman, Tough, Illich,
Great Books; competency- Benne, McKenzie; Ohliger;
Lyceum; based teacher Blakely, encounter Freedom
Chautauqua; education; community groups; group Schools;
Elderhostel; behaviour schools; dynamics; self- Summerhill,
Centre for the modification cooperative directed Freire's
Study of Liberal programs extension learning literacy
Education schools; projects; training; free
schools human schools.
without walls, relations
participation training; Esalen
training. Institute.

Time Oldest Founded by Origins can be Roots go back Origins are

Frame philosophy of John B. Watson traced to 16th to classical found in the
education in in 1920s. c. Europe. China, Greece, 18th c.
West. Roots in Based on and Rome, but anarchist
the Classical empiricism became a tradition,
Period of and movement as Marxist
ancient Greece. pragmatism we know it in thought, and
(1870s U.S.). the U.S. in the Freudian
Began as a 1950s-60s Left. Modern
serious through work movement
movement in by Maslow and began in
U.S. in early Rogers. early 1960s
1900s with in Brazil with
Dewey. Freire.

These tables are based on those presented by Lorraine Zinn in Chapter three ("Identifying
Your Philosophical Orientation") of Adult Learning Methods: A Guide for Effective Instruction
(1990). The tables were edited and expanded during a discussion in ADE 5080 Spring 1997.