Life transitions and adult learning, what gives?
When we think of adult learning, very rarely do we associate it to transitions and changes in the life of people. Most of the time, our attention is drawn to the theoretical musings of theorists in the psychological or sociological schools, that see learning as either an individual cognitive activity or an activity situated in and dependent on the social context. However when we take a closer look at contemporary society, we find that rapid change, transitions and ambiguity are becoming the norm. The field of adult education in general and adult learning in particular is continually being shaped and reshaped by evolving phenomena like demographics, globalization and technology (Merriam, Caffarella and Baumgartner, 2007). These phenomena have played a large role in shaping adult learning. Making questions like who the adult learner is, where the learner is situated and how best to facilitate learning more prominent in adult education discourse. These changes have led to a philosophical shift, from the conception of knowledge as an immutable truth that can acquired using scientific methods, to a post-modern notion of knowledge, consisting of multiple truths. The point to note here is that, transitions or change is no longer considered something to be resisted, but in most western societies, transitions are seen as the modus operandi of development and growth. The notion that the life world is defined by change and is in constant flux is not a new in western philosophy and dates back to the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus. What becomes evident from this is that now more than ever before in human history, the convergence of changing demographics, globalization and technology (all involving some form of transition) means that transitions have assumed a critical role in shaping adult learning activities.The video illustrates this by showing how transitions have and continue to shape learning in everyday life.
The video shows how policy makers attempt to set up institutions, which would help individuals in their countries cope with the changes highlighted by the convergence of globalization, shifting demographics and information technology. The propose lifelong learning as an important way people can cope with the rapid and sometimes bewildering transitions occasioned by these factors. There is however a need to gain insight into the way transitions are experienced concretely by individuals to better understand how learning occurs in transition. The next video offers a glimpse of an instance of a transition and will lead us into further discourse into what a transition is.