Building Support for Adult Programs
From Adult Education
Created by RJ Gray Fall 2007, Edited by Patrick Saisi Fall 2008, Edited by Dana Bessinger Fall 2009
Contents |
Building Support for Adult Education Programs
"That none however destitute be left to droop, By timely culture un sustained, or run into a wild disorder, or be forced to drudge through a weary life, without the help of intellectual implements and tools." Wm. John Bullock
Any program that is introduced to any community must be done in a way that it embraces their needs. People centered approach is important as it involves the community members from very initial stages and they can see their problems and needs. To complement this approach, the planners of the program will be in a good position to know whether there is an adult education need and how they can involve those whom the program is supposed to serve if they can do needs assessment for the community (Caffarella, 2002). According to Essert (1949), adult education is a way of enhancing individual and group of people's skills who are over 18 years by carrying on sustained inquiry hoping to direct and organize their experiences in order to make new and meaningful ways for themselves and their environment. Therefore Adult education programs are very important especially in the area of agricultural extension. Many changes and new ideas are passed to adults for the purpose of implementation. The case studies for diffusion of Hybrid Corn to Iowa farmers gave a good example of how important adult education is (Rogers, 2003). It is because of the importance of Adult education programs that this article is looking into how best to build a very strong support for them in given communities.
Social Support for Adult Educational Programs
Social support is one of the most important factors in building sustainable adult educational programs. There is a need for the program planners to understand why adults would like to participate in this program. Some of the reasons given may include; Most adult learners want to improve their job performance, move through the business hierarchy, they have an interest in learning more about something that interest them, or they have goals they want to accomplish. In order for the community members to be ready to support the program, they have to be engaged in ways that they may see the program as a program solver for them. Current and potential learners will be ready to join the program as are the community leaders and leaders of various development agencies (Caffarella, 2002). There are two important things that will keep social support going if well used. These are communication and dissemination of information and adult learning styles. Interpersonal communication among community members brought in by an extension agent will fuel the support of the program. When institutional leaders, community members and elected leaders are appraised every time, they will feel the need to be part of the program and hence encourage others to participate. According to Rouse & Clawson (1992), interpersonal communication method is preferred in the dissemination of information to adult learners. This is a perfect example.
Adult learning styles do matter a lot for community members to support the program. For adults learning style, it has to be pragmatic in the sense that it has to be realistic in nature taking into consideration the environment and the needs of participants. According to Norland (1992)some barriers to adult learners include situational barriers such as time, money, childcare, transportation and weather. Social demographic barriers such as age, race, income, and geographical location and dis-positional barriers such as self-esteem and group participation are also factors to consider. Adult learners need to be treated as collaborators rather than students because they have some knowledge and therefore are not empty vessels. This point is strengthened by La Belle (1984) by stating that the knowledge of adults spurn from their environment and therefore influenced by their culture which cannot be wished away and so is Essert (1949)where he stresses the point that an adult learner has to be taken as a partner as he is in control of the content. To sum it all up regarding the importance learning style is to adult programs, Fordham & Fox (1989)state that "people learn best in an environment that is supportive, where the theory is organized and expressed in practical forms, where the languages of optimal communication are employed and , if they are to practice where they have an opportunity to try out and practice specific skills under conditions that are exact or similar to what they will meet" (p. 210). Support for adult programs therefore is hinged on how best communication about the program is done to the communities and also the style of transferring the knowledge to the learners. If they are well done people will be motivated to support the program.
Financial Support for Adult Educational Programs
Planning process of adult education is very crucial for its support. When the process is inclusive, transparent and accountability mechanism built in, many community members, donors and the government will be ready to support the program. Credibility of the program hinges on its process of building it to a level where there is a need for external support. The other important point that will bring about financial support is the uniqueness of the program services to the community members. If the adult program is duplicating what others are already doing then financial support for the program may be hard to come by. However if there is a unique skill the program wants to deliver i.e. carving a niche for the program, then people may be ready to support it (Caffarella (2002). As mentioned earlier in the social support sub-section, money or income was mentioned as a barrier for some community members to be able to successfully participate in adult education programs. It is therefore important for planners of the programs to consider how to solve those barriers when planning for the programs. Financial support would be defined as any gift, donation, sponsorship, item with monetary value, or in-kind efforts to help support your educational program. Caffarella (2002) describes in her book four sponsors of educational programs:
Promoting Adult Programs
The promotion of adult programs should be part of the planning. The financial responsibilities also include the cost of promotion. The promotion or marketing of an adult program touches every aspect of building support for adult programs. Determining the best way to promote a program depends on the type of program. Promoting the program is the marketing. Several examples of promoting include:
- word of mouth
- print media - newspapers, brochures, and fliers
- television and radio
- website
- e-mails
Specific organizations offer ways to promote a program. For example Lifeway, one of the world’s largest providers of Christian products and services, including Bibles, church literature, books, music, audio and video recordings, church supplies and Internet services, provides instruction to groups for promotion of adult programs. Some of those suggestions include:
- 1. Identify and equip an “education advocate” in every congregation.
- 2. Encourage celebration of educational achievement at every level.
- 3. Create coalitions with other groups to promote educational issues.
- 4. Encourage college students to serve as “educational ambassadors” .
- 5. Provide training opportunities in cultural competency for program leadership.
- 6. Offer summer intern programs to provide speakers for conferences to address educational opportunities/resources.
- 7. Support parent involvement and parenting education programs in local communities.
- 8. Honor teachers and tutors for their work.
- 9. Encourage youth to enter the teaching profession and to volunteer as tutors.
- 10. Tap into the desire for biblical literacy to motivate adult participation in literacy programs.
- 11. Encourage teaching of basic character, civic virtues, and civic involvement.
- 12. Advocate for health education and health literacy in your community.
- 13. Support thoughtful reform of public education.
- 14. Encourage mentoring of at-risk children, youth, and families.
- 15. Advocate for adequate funding of public education.
- 16. Advocate for lifelong access to education as a basic human right, rather than an “extra” to fund through alternative revenues such as gambling.
- 17. Create motivational experiences for adults and children together (family literacy).
- 18. Support preschool and family literacy projects such as Books for the Border.
- 19. Use your church’s library in nontraditional ways.
- 20. Begin an English as a Second Language ministry.
- 21. Begin an adult literacy program.
- 22. Help adults earn their GED.
- 23. Provide citizenship education.
- 24. Sponsor computer literacy classes.
- 25. Host financial literacy instruction.
- 26. Develop family literacy programs.
- 27. Provide parenting classes.
- 28. Affirm churches who are creatively and successfully advocating educational attainment.
- 29. Develop networks and partnerships among congregations to address educational issues.
- 30. Assist high school dropouts in re-engaging in school through networks with schools and adult education programs.
- 31. Encourage dropouts to consider an adult education program to prepare for vocational training or further education.
- 32. Build partnerships between churches and at-risk schools.
- 33. Build a collaborative partnership with a local adult literacy program that has access to government funds for literacy.
- 34. Support or begin a Reach Out and Read program in partnership with a local pediatric clinic. (See [1]
- 35. Support local libraries including those in churches and schools.
Adult education programs are frequently offered due to popular request. The people themselves - the prospective students- request their needs be met. Whether these students enroll in the adult education courses and remain enrolled depends on how accurately educators perceive their needs, what courses they offer, and how well they promote or publicize the program. The California State Department of Education provides a monogram, Publicizing Adult Education Programs. This monogram offers many suggestions for promoting an adult program. Word-Mouth-Policy is explained, "The most believable form of information is that received through personal contact. Enrollment in new classes gained most surely when enthusiastic students tell their friends and acquaintances about the class"(Cambell). Word-of-mouth policy is generated through three basic relationships:
- 1. Students and non-students in the community
- 2. Non-students and educators
- 3. Non-students and former students
Suggested Help in Promotion
The following sites offer help in promoting adult educational programs from basic reading skills to Bible studies:
Conclusion
Building program support must be part of the planning process. Building support is part of the promotion and marketing process. The process of inclusiveness in the planning stages must be part of the working ethic of any given organization if it needs both social and financial support for its programs to succeed. There is strong need for effective communication among community members for the program to be heard, seen and then implemented by all stakeholders.The stakeholders may include but not be limited to the community members, development agencies and the government representatives. Community members are learners and therefore must support the program while development agencies have the money for development hence must be seen to be part of the planning team for them to fund the programs. The government has to provide an enabling environment where its institutions and civil servants must embrace the program for it to succeed. Therefore social and financial factors must be part of building a very strong support for adult educational programs.
References
Caffarella, R.S. (2002). Planning programs for adult learners: A practical guide for educators, trainers, and staff developers (2ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.
Davis, D.W., DelBono, X.A., & McCune, D. Promoting adult education programs, a leadership monograph. California Department of Education. Sacramento, CA.
Essert, P.L. (1949). Adult Education in the United States. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 265, 122-129.
Fortham,P., & Fox, J.(1989).Training the adult educator as professional. International review of education, 35 (2). 197-212
La Belle,T.(1984).Liberation,development, and rural nonformal education.Anthropology & education quarterly, 15 (1). 80-93.
Norland, E. (1992). Why adults participate. Journal of extension, 30, 1-5.
Prize Essay on adult education and how to promote it. WM. JOHN BULLOCK, M.R.C.R, First-dais Government Certificated Schoolmatter,Jrom UK Normal College, Cheltenham
Rogers, E. (2003). Diffusion of innovations. Free press, New York
