EDUARD CHRISTIAN LINDEMAN – LIFE CREATIVITY AND INFLUENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADULT EDUCATION IN THE USA
Abstract
The study analyzes the prerequisites of the formation of the andragogical concept in the USA within the framework of the basic theoretical currents of the development of adult education theory. It identifies the sources and determinants of the establishment of the andragogical concept in the USA. It is highlighted the work of Eduard S. Lindeman (1885-1953), a leading exponent of adult education theory and practice, who was the first in the USA to use the term «andragogy» in relation to adult education methods in 1926. He characterized adult education as a cooperative activity in non-formal learning, the main purpose of which is to find meaning in experience, to search for ideas directed toward the essence of the judgments that shape behavior, and to find adult learning techniques that connect learning to life. Such an orientation in adult education was termed «andragogical» in 1927. With his new conception of education and specifically adult education and learning, he created the space for the creation of the andragogical conception of adult education in the United States. The scientist described the links between education, social sciences and social problems, and was able to combine the concepts of social sciences with natural sciences and philosophy, proving that adult education is a means to change lives. He proved that the most valuable resource in adult education is the experience of the learner. E.K. Lindeman focused on the contextual approach to adult education, emphasising the importance of taking into account the individual life situations of each person. The educational process should be closely linked to the everyday roles of adults: professional, family and community roles. Curricula should focus on the real needs of learners, not on abstract theoretical material. In the work «The Value of Adult Education», the scientist formulated the following assumptions for adult learners: adults are motivated to learn because they are needs and interests that are satisfied through learning; there are individual differences between people that increase with age; the orientation of learning and the choice of curricula for adults is basic on the demands of real life.
Key words: andragogy; adult education and learning; non-formal learnig; methods of education; E.C. Lindeman.
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References
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