Project Summary

Project Summary EDAC 655

The purpose of my project was to study the knowledge base and history of continuing professional education.  In order to do this, I elected to compare two historical periods in which adult education took place, evaluating the content and access.  The periods I chose were clearly very different.  The first was the antebellum period, which was most significantly noted for the presence of slavery in the southern states. The second period is the postmodern period, which is the period we currently live in.  The project involved completing a literature review, an investigation into these two different periods, an envisioning CPE paper, and evaluations of this paper.

The problem with examining adult education in these two periods is the way in which access to this education was used to limit access, creating marginalized people groups.  This limitation to access was a demonstration of the concept that knowledge is power, and a knowledge base evolved which was dynamic based on culturally acceptable ideology.

An example of the culturally acceptable ideology occurred in the antebellum period included the existence of slave codes which legalized the marginalization of slaves.  These codes were a part of the accepted ideology of the dominant culture, which saw the education of slaves as a dangerous activity.  In the free north a proposed joint effort to educate former slaves was derailed following the Nat Turner rebellion in Virginia.  The joint effort was derailed by the fear of the dominant culture involved in educating African Americans.

In the post-civil war era a condescending paternalism developed, which was equally destructive to the efforts of former slaves to become educated, because this approach now dictated the kinds of content that was considered acceptable for the former slaves to learn.  This concept meant that slaves were taught elements of education which were considered to be practical and that which could be applied to agricultural occupations which would make them more productive.  While not embracing the control, Booker T Washington promoted the concept of education based on practical application.  W.E.B. Du Bois opposed this concept.  It was argued by the dominant social group that the classical education for African American’s would be a wasted effort.  The dominant culture considered African Americans a more primitive and less developed race.  This is an example of a circular argument in which the cause of the lack of development was slavery imposed upon the African Americans by dominant white culture, and the restriction of education by the slave codes.

In the postmodern period, slavery no longer exists, and examples of successful individuals from all ethnic and racial segments of the population are widely known.  However, there are still a number of things which remain unchanged.  Attitudes by many white people are that racism is a thing of the past, particularly when successful individuals are representatives of so many different ethnic and racial groups.  Many individuals from marginalized groups are confused because they cannot understand why white people cannot see the racism which attempts to impose their ideology on all ethnic and racial groups.

This evidence is witnessed in the efforts to pass civil rights legislation, however, the passage of laws on a macro level cannot cause change on a micro or individual level.  The example given was the effort to include an anti-lynching law in response to some southern states refusing to prosecute hangings which targeted African Americans.  While supporting the legislation, many of the lawmakers still personally opposed it.  This is an example of passing civil rights legislation while retaining racist ideas and thoughts.

In order to change this imposition of ideology, the dominant culture must be willing to relinquish its control and recognize the benefits it can receive from embracing diversity.  It also must focus on the value of individuals and embrace collaboration across any artificially constructed boundaries.  It must also be recognized that the future CPE educators will connect with their students, be involved in the communities where they work, and teach with commitment and caring.

The change to be implemented is to focus on educators who identify, draw out, and encourage the positive traits of their students.  Additionally, this approach recognizes the innate value of every student and encourages them in the discovery of their positive traits which are considered strengths.

The evaluation of this paper was conducted by two colleagues who were very supportive and constructive in their evaluations.  The first commenter suggested that the strengths of the paper were the citation of resources which covered a span of considerable time.  I was also cautioned about the baggage that some students bring to the classroom.  Other comments included that the paper was correct in that equal access is not the same thing as getting an education which is of equal quality.

I appreciated the comments and feedback, and the time spent researching this topic. While I have learned a great deal, I felt that I also gained a great deal from the interaction on the topic with others in this class and other colleagues outside this class.