Is learning a lifelong endeavour and is adult education just one phase of the learning experience? London (1973) stated that “while evidence exists that nobody can complete education, the myth that schooling can be completed with high school or college graduation is still believed by many educators and  a majority of our population” (p.15). We should consider the full life cycle of education when discussing theory about the subject of education. What are the stages of educational maturity and how easily can they be differentiated?  

Driscoll (2005) noted that “Bruner, in contrast to Paiget, believed in the invariant sequence of stages through which children pass but not in their age dependency. He argued instead that influences from the environment play a significant role in amplifying the internal capabilities that learners possess” (p. 230). He went onto say that “unlike Bruner or Paiget, Vygotsky focused on the mechanisms of development to the exclusion of specific, distinguishable developmental stages” (p. 247).  These statements illustrate the complexity of the learner’s mind and how it is difficult to define specific stages of transition based strictly on age as the determining factor, between a child’s learning experiences and an adult’s. This theory addresses the issue of learning readiness and more on the environment and social interactions that we have with our family, friends, mentors and peers.

Draper (2001) goes onto say that “it is not experience alone that sets adults apart from children nor is it even accumulated experience (as this applies to children) but the kind of experience that on has. In some situations, children have far more experiences and knowledge than adults. The debate, as presented here, also ignores the immense amount of non-formal education engaged in by children, or the extent to which adults commit themselves to formal education. Both approaches span the lifetime of individuals” (p.28).

To summarize, Stewart (1987) states that “each individual, just by being alive, has a desire and a need to learn – to use experience for learning. The aim of adult education must be that of encouraging, facilitating and nurturing the desire for learning that is innate with the individual – “to put meaning into the whole life” (p.104).

References

London, J. (1973). Correspondence between Knowles and London; and Adult education for the 1970s: Promise or illusion? In Malcolm Knowles Papers, box 25, file 13, Syracuse University Archives.

 Draper, J. (2001). The metamorphoses of andragogy. In D. & A. Poonwassie, (Eds.), Fundamentals of Adult Education: Issues and practices for lifelong learning (pp. 14-30). Toronto: Thompson Publishers.

Driscoll, M.P. (2005). Radical behaviorism. Psychology of learning for  Instruction (3rd Ed.). Allyn & Bacon.

Stewart, D. (1987). What adult education means: Discovering and rediscovering the concept ofandragogy. In D. Stewart, Adult learning in America: Eduard Lindeman and his agenda for lifelong education (pp. 103-112). Malabar, Florida: Robert Krieger Publishing.