Radicalizing Learning - 9780787998257

Radicalizing Learning Calls For a total rethinking of what the field of adult education stands for and how adult educators should assess their effectiveness. Arguing that major changes in society are needed to create a more just world, Brookfield and Holst set out to show how educators can help learners envision and enact this radical transformation.

Nothing that the traditional project of adult education is creating and extending a genuinely participatory democracy, the authors focus the book on the purposeful learning adults undertake in pursuit of political and economic democracy, whether in formal programs, community movements, or in self-directed efforts. Having proposed the importance of this kind of learning, they then go on to explore how best to encourage it.

The book outlines the functions of radical teaching and identifies elements of a radical curriculum. Using many illustrative examples, in particular spotlighting temporary, fluctuating, independent, and seasonal workers as a new focus for adult educators, it maps out what radical teaching looks like and discusses its central practices. The authors consider how diversity can sometimes be used to blunt progress even as it appears to be revolutionary and offer three projects for radical diversity. In addition, Radicalizing Learning proposes key questions that can guide radical participatory research.

Offering an overview of the theory and practice of adult education from the particular perspective the authors call "radical," the book is designed as an alternative introduction to the field, covering the traditional topics of adult learning, adult development, program planning, training, teaching, and research. In conclusion, Brookfield and Holst look to the future for adult education to create a just world.