Adult Education Programs and Activities in the United States: Toward a Balanced History

What 'should' be included in adult education histories?

The historical field continues to be looked at in a less favourable way as its purpose is not understood well, but also because historians often fail to present all elements and sides to a historical event. In this order of ideas, the adult education histories should contain vast references to all participants to an event, recollections from various sides, a wider coverage of the occurred events, and most importantly, all these must be presented in an unbiased manner. In other words, the adult educational histories should contain more than the "big trees."

How is the purpose behind writing a history related to ideas about the purpose of the field?

The purpose of writing history is to let people know about the most important events of the past, that have helped shape the state or the world as we now know it today. The purpose of the historical field is to identify those particular events and analyze them from various perspectives. Historians are interested in a multitude of forces of influences that have led to the creation of the present status-quo and the history professors are focused on presenting those particular forces in a way that is understanding and relevant to the citizens of the contemporaneous society.

3. Does knowing our history even matter?

Definitely yes! In the words of the author, "Because human development is a continuous process in which the present is informed by both the known past and the projected future, adult education professionals must have a knowledge and understanding of the history of their field" (Thompson). Otherwise put, in order to best understand and adapt to the world today, we need to be familiar with the features that have influenced its past, how have certain conflicts become resolved and are certain situations prone to occur again or have they been eliminated for good? In all, we need history to make more informed decisions.

Reference:

Thompson, Adult Education Programs and Activities in the United States: Toward a Balanced History