1. How does class status affect adult learning?



2. Rubenson, K. Social class and adult education policy. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, VOL 106.

3. The main points of the article, including the main conclusions of the article.

The article gives a brief overview of the changes that are currently taking place in the society. Those changes are concerned with shifting political platforms on which they are building a new social ideology. This new thinking is based on the massive appeal of the political parties to a different sector in the society. From workers and the disadvantaged politics have moved their attention to the growing middle class as they are acting in terms of capital industrial circumstances. The author of the article argues that global trends have led such notion as governmental responsibility for adult education to a mere disappearance. Nowadays governments are basically leaving the problem of adult education and lifelong learning to individuals and claim that economic movements and free international markets are taking control over such things as education. Basically, the commentary claims that there is no problem of social class being an obstacle to adult education, but there are macro forces influencing it, such as technology changes and economic competition. Therefore one can conclude that people are solely responsible for their own education if they want to stay an active part of the work force, although in reality government has to take care of providing certain programs to those who need them. Evidently this does not happen and those who are dependable on welfare programs, are not getting enough education and training to obtain a job in a well-paid place with opportunity of career growth. On the other hand, workers who are already trained and considered highly skilled are getting more training that is provided by their companies in order to guarantee a decent future performance. The only positive critique in the article was given to the Nordic practices that are employed to help working class obtain training and participate in educational processes. Labor-market policies are the major factors taken into consideration when educational and training programs are drafted in Sweden for instance. The author agrees with such system of taking care of unemployed as it provides for the country more educated labor force that in turn will support economy as a whole.

4. What the article meant to you, why it had an impact on you, what insights did you discover?

This article in general is a useful piece of information with logical structure and conclusions. It has revealed important findings through works of many researches that state that society nowadays looks different than in the 20th century however the change in social attitudes did not alter trends in adult education for certain classes. This conclusion allowed me to think in a new direction for I realize that lifelong learning has to be approached in a new way in order to be effective. As an adult educator I recognize that motivation is one of the most important factors of successful learning process and knowing what motivates people of different working class/position will lead to more effective results.

5. What you could personally use and specifically apply from the article to help you become a better adult educator? Describe what is relevant to you and how you may practically apply the information.

Knowing that people in a modern world are driven by the idea of equality in social classes, and at the same time view education as a measure of status is essential to approaching students in a right way. Personally I will be more confident in a group where initial status of the students does not bear a psychological barrier to obtaining knowledge. As educator I have to pay special attention to the economic tendencies in the country and in the entire world and provide training with the perspective for the future development and growth. Workers who are not highly skilled or unemployed have to be approached with particular attention as they are a big part of the society, successful education of which will affect the entire nation. As Nordic system proves, educators must teach with respect to country's requirements and also individual needs, as hard as it seems to accomplish such method will yield maximum positive results. Democratization of education has to be a core concept in lifelong learning process allowing students to actively participate and shape their education as they believe it will benefit them. According to Nordic approach, trade unions play an important role in forming workers? individual and collective identity. As an adult instructor I would appreciate cooperation with trade unions to help workers shape their individual and collective identity that in turn brings up productivity levels and satisfaction. Obviously satisfied individuals are more eagerly learning and working, increasing their educational abilities and economic status. I would have to apply complex educational method based on individual and societal needs of a specific group in order to suit students best.