Reconciling the tradition of liberal education with adult literacy

Liberal education dates back from Ancient Greece, and its tenets form the basis of university education all over the world. However, one field it is less associated with is adult literacy. One reason for this concerns the context liberal education was born in. Elias and Merriam point out that its first students were not raised to be workers. They were born to lead, while slaves and servants toiled away (2004, 19). Is liberal education destined to rely on class division to prosper?

This divide is also visible when examining the idea of a literary canon- who decides what the essential texts are for students? For adults only just starting to read, the linguistic complexity of these texts might be extremely intimidating. Given that much of the liberal canon is over a hundred years old, how relevant are they for literacy learners today?

There is evidence of liberal education acting as a transformative force, however. Malcolm X is an example of someone who “read deeply in history [and] philosophy both of the West and of the East” (Elias & Merriam, 2004, 48). In fact, some of his deepest beliefs are echoed in the classic texts of liberal education. Listening to a reading of Plato's 'Allegory of the Cave' last semester certainly evoked images of one person being enlightened, a process that may well have taken place for Malcolm X through this grounding. In modern day learning, there are a few programs that are strongly influenced by liberal education. The Elderhostel provides no barrier to literacy other than a minimum age of 60. There is a focus on music, but the core belief that learning is truly lifelong gives purpose to those who thought they may never become literate.

The age of the liberal education movement itself means that some of the newer philosophies are more tailored to reflect the realities of modern life. John Dewey believed that the nature of its foundation means that it is prejudiced against those who study purely for economic reasons, or work in an essential but less mentally taxing profession like plumbing or construction. (Elias & Merriam, 2004, 19). This is difficult to counter given that Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle were all great thinkers and thus a movement fueled by their work posits the intellectual as an ideal. Students who left school without being able to read are justified to think that they do not belong in this model.

They are also entitled to believe that their illiteracy shuts them off from literature especially when liberal education places a strong emphasis on core texts. Key texts can be simplified- for example, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has been adapted into a play script by Philip Pullman, intended for high school students- but the very nature of a list of set texts removes the ability of students to direct their own reading. If students believe that nothing but great literature is worth reading, but they have severe difficulty reading it, their efforts to become literate may be abandoned.

However, other parts of liberal education can and should be utilized to help adult literacy learners. For example, Socrates was very passionate about the right to question everything in search of the truth, and he saw education as a beacon against ignorance. While liberal education has sometimes been criticized for training socially myopic academics, Plato himself believed that the truth could only be found outside of the self. (Elias & Merriam, 2004, 18). I also believe that some of what is attributed negatively to liberal education applies to other educational philosophies- any philosophy can be undermined by human faults. Conversely, I am familiar with Evergreen State College as a good example of liberal education- students receive assessment cards with detailed comments rather than grades and thus there is no grade point average. This is even more evident for Elderhostel- no examinations, tests, or even homework are required (Elias & Merriam, 2004, 47)

Finally, with the advent of the internet, it has become easier for adult literacy students to access and get assistance with key texts. Sites like Project Gutenberg provide free classic literature so literacy learners can read without physical or logistical restrictions. The library has been available for many years yet funding has been cut- New York Public Library has certainly suffered, but this is a nationwide and global issue. As a physical library needs this funding to keep books available, fewer adults will be able to use this channel to get access to texts. Their time may also be restricted as a higher circulation is required- as libraries store fewer books, demand rises for the books that the library does have (and can afford to maintain/replace) and thus they will get less time to understand and appreciate a classic text. If liberal education is complimented by computer literacy, its relationship with adult literacy may well improve through technology.

References

Elias, J. & Merriam, S. (2004). Philosophical foundations of Adult Education, 3rd ed. Malabar, FL: Krieger.

Project Gutenberg website. Accessible at http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) (April 1, 2010). APA formatting and style guide. Retrieved

from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01

Wollstonecraft Shelley, M. (1990). Frankenstein. Pullman, P., (Ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.