Adult education for social change by DrRobbins https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192 What are your take-aways from watching this interview? en-us 2017-07-24 23:37:20 UTC 2017-07-31 04:45:18 UTC hello@padlet.com Stephanie Schafer Vieira https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179472218 I really appreciate this video. I can relate to several things Myles Horton mentioned. My favorite quote is "We try to help people become empowered so they themselves can do things" (4'38"). I feel like that is the path for adult learning. This video is a couple of decades old, so I feel like his philosophy is somewhat becoming today's reality. Horton mentioned "peer-teaching" and "sharing experiences." These are activities that are present in today's classrooms. With these activities, not only the students learn but also the teacher. The learning becomes richer and more applicable to everyone involved in the education setting. ]]> 2017-07-26 04:40:29 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179472218 Kienan Allen https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179481301 Personally, I have a degree of ADD and autism that makes for a learning style that is not receptive to long videos- I can much more effectively and efficiently absorb information through the written word. That being said, I found the portion that I did view engaging, mainly due to the facts that 1) I grew up a few hundred miles from this region of Appalachia and spent some time there on family vacations and 2) the gentleman interviewed reminds me quite a bit of my great uncle, who is a liberal actor and activist that had a bit part in Django Unchained as well as a larger role in True Detective. He lives in the shadow of my undergraduate alma mater Ole Miss, which is a beacon of Liberal ideals in a sea of unwashed white trash, Trump supporting rednecks that eschew higher education outside of vocational fields for the most part. Lastly, like Mr. Horton, I also found myself unable to integrate with the Communist Party on campus in my younger years due to an inherent contempt for authority and conformist ideology.    ]]> 2017-07-26 07:19:37 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179481301 Alex Hubbard https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179510651 I loved the quote right off the bat that describes Myles Horton's teaching as something that is "helping people to discover within themselves the courage and ability to confront reality and change it" (1'31"). I'm of the opinion that all adult education possesses this quality to some extent, or at least that it should. Less important than the actual subject of education seems to be encouraging adults to think critically and helping them find a way to do so that works for them individually. In this way, education can serve as the ultimate form of activism, as it can produce individuals more likely to question established norms, desiring to analyze why they may have become norms in the first place. This form of knowledge is incredibly powerful, as often people possess power only because of these established norms and at the expense of others. When these others learn to analyze the norms, they gain the power to influence the degree of power that these norms have imparted upon those that benefit from them. I certainly think that educational programs such as Horton's are incredibly important and fantastic things.]]> 2017-07-26 16:56:39 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179510651 Rachel Fielding https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179518927 As the clip starts, the narrator states that Myles Horton said to himself "Nothing will change, until we change" which sparked his finding of the Highlander Folks School.  I was struck by this quote because I feel it is extremely relevant to today.  We can't expect things within ourselves to change if we do not work towards making the change, and the injustices inherent in our society will not change, if we do not change as a society. Another major takeaway for me from this interview is that democratic social change will not take place without first causing upset. Additionally, change is the result of empowering others to to think critically for themselves, which I think is a key component of adult learning and teaching. I also liked Myles take on Highlander being an "idea" and thus locking up the school did not lock up the change and empowerment they were striving toward in facilitating learning. Myles states that when you learn how people learn you can help them to do so. This idea connects to something I have become passionate about in taking this course, which is the idea that adult learning (regardless of student population) starts with relationship building and the understanding of the student's unique learning style and needs. ]]> 2017-07-26 19:31:12 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179518927 Maria J. https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179594438 I enjoyed watching this video. Myles Horton discussed many of the same concepts about adult learning that we’ve been studying. His thoughts reminded me of the phrase “knowledge is power”. 

As a society we are currently seeing people with the “courage and ability to confront reality and change it” with social media. From the videos of innocent people being killed to women blogging about harassment in the tech industry. Change is slow but it’s happening. In these instances, social media is providing tools for individuals to be part of a group larger than their immediate group as Myles Horton discusses in the video. A part of education is the sharing of ideas and creating change. 

I found the story about how he was attending a seminar and he couldn’t understand the content of the seminar so he was going to drop out really relevant (about 28 minutes into video). He knew the lecturer so he told him that he was dropping out and the reason. The lecturer than asked the other attendees if they had any issues with the content and they admitted they also didn’t understand the lecture either.  I think this is a huge issue in education. It’s often not ok to admit you don’t understand something. It reminds to evaluate ways to prevent this issue as I work on my case study.
]]> 2017-07-27 18:03:00 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179594438 Kristi Mix https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179598048 I have seen this video of Myles Horton several times in my education. Every time I think about how amazing he was and how influential his thinking was when he started Highlander. He grew up in a world that he questioned and was determined to make a change. We have been talking about motivation and I have such a curiosity about how he found this calling and made it happen. He was a remarkable leader and educator and was determined to create an environment that was safe for everyone. These were ideals that no one was considering at the time. His radical belief was to believe in people. He saw his job as not to teach his students but help them learn. His belief was that if you haven't analyzed an experience you haven't learned from it and that all people need to learn how to analyze in order to become empowered. I appreciate this perspective both in the classroom and in the therapy office.]]> 2017-07-27 19:19:53 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179598048 Anna Crow https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179662965 Myles's statement that really stuck out to me was, " Individuality is enhanced as part of a group." This was in context with how he would facilitate peer learning. Experience of each individual was shared and each person was able to learn from one another. This was really revolutionary at the time because there was no encouragement of getting to know others who were different. His story of not being let into the communist party also really struck me. I think often that today hopefully we are past these very limiting ideas of people however, I think we are in the same spot in regards to individualistic ideas. It's understandable why parties don't want super individualistic radical people, the point of the party is to have a united front, not to have a democracy of ideas. Myles was very far ahead of the social organization path than many groups are today. ]]> 2017-07-28 21:43:00 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179662965 Milana Davydova https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179669256 One thing that stuck out to me from Myles' interview was when he said that "our loyalty is to people and not to institutions or structures." He then relates this statement back to better facilitating peoples learning. This quote resonated with me because while I found my time at the University of Washington to be educational, fun, and enriching, I always felt like at the end of the day the professors were there for the purpose of their research. In other words, I didn't get the sense that most of them were there for the love of teaching. When I came to SU, the social justice and advocacy piece of the school's mission statement was so intertwined into all my coursework right off the bat, it was like a breath of fresh air. I interpret Myles' quote to mean that if an institutions loyalty is to the PEOPLE as opposed to the system, there is a much better chance of generating individuals that will go out and change the world.]]> 2017-07-29 02:02:06 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179669256 Senait Tesfai https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179669649 I enjoyed watching Myle's dedication and aspiration to be the voice for those without a voice. It was incredible to watch how he continued to stand for equality and justice even though he endured so much pain, hostility, and rejection . As I was watching this interview I also realized how one individual person can impact/influnence a movement (social change). Such an inspirational interview!     

]]> 2017-07-29 02:16:26 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179669649 Megan Stevens meganmerrill25 https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179673918 There were so many statements made by Myles that stood out to me. First, I appreciated how he explained highlander as an idea and that you cannot padlock an idea. He discussed the importance of believing in people and not in structures. He stated that you don't teach people, you help them learn and in order to do that you must learn how people learn. He also discussed what the purpose of education is. He suggests that education is meant to prepare learners to fit in the system. This falls so closely with our readings this week on critical thinking and the importance of understanding the impact that societal ideologies can have on individuals. The critical thinking readings discussed how important it is to help students learn to be aware of these institutions and let them develop their own assumptions on them. I also like that Myles focused on learners experiences and the importance of experiences. He mentioned that programs should function based on students experiences of learning and we should help students learn how to analyze experiences and build on their experiences which could lead to a transformative experience. Once they have gone through this process Myles suggests that the students will then have the power they are comfortable with. I really liked that! I also liked how he emphasized learning and sharing experiences in groups. He stated that "Individuality is enhanced by being a part of a group." This is also something that has been discussed in our readings this quarter. It is so important to provide students the opportunity to share their experiences not only to benefit themselves but also their fellow classmates. It is amazing the impact that Myles's non-traditional approach has had. ]]> 2017-07-29 05:38:48 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179673918 Christina Hughes https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179686969 I really enjoyed listening to Myles. His perspective feels good. It feels real and honest and that he truly believed what he speaks of in the video and the mission of the Highlander school. In having just finished the readings in the book for this week, I noticed a bits of different critical perspectives and non-traditional learning theories. He spoke of loyalties being to people and not institutions or structures and that the universities he saw were molding and indoctrinating versus liberating people, which reminded me of the post-modernist perspective.  

His discussion of adult learning prompted by the interviewers question about teaching people to have radical ideas was one of my favorite segments. Myles said that "you don't teach  people who are adults, you help them learn, insofar as you learn how people learn, you can help.  As someone who really enjoys the coaching aspect of adult learning and helping people come to their own conclusions I resonate with this 100%.  Excited to watch the rest of the video!

]]> 2017-07-29 18:17:11 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179686969 Bianca Galam https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179707840 The first thing that stood out to me from Myles Horton's interview was when he said that our loyalty was to people, not institutions or structures. Rather than teaching adults, you help them to learn, make sense of their prior experiences, and possibly transform their experiences. Because adult learning institutions more often than not teach adults to "fit the mold," I found Horton's ideas refreshing and significant to adult education. As he mentioned, people are creative and that implies learning environments must be creative as well. Traditional lectures and tests do not help everyone to learn. We want people to think critically, challenge institutions, and develop themselves as leaders for change. Horton's perspectives and approaches to learning certainly have an impact on social change, and they resonated me a lot. I look forward to watching the rest of his interview.]]> 2017-07-30 14:51:43 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179707840 Carmenlydia Reggans reggansc https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179713980 I enjoyed watching Myles Horton's insights on how  we should value adult learners diverse perspectives and experiences. The key to sharing our personal experiences is being able to analyze our experiences authentically, honestly, and use them as learning tools with each other. One quote that struck me is when he said individuality is enhanced a group experience." I think is successful if we create a safe place to be vulnerable, and usually this is created by the facilitator modeling this for the group. Critical thinking strategies should be encouraged to question assumptions that we make about each other, cultures, and how this affects us and our students. ]]> 2017-07-30 19:31:22 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179713980 Matt Posner https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179714543 Our job as teachers naturally shows the progression of thought and our strive for furthering our own knowledge along with that of our students. Naturally, this learning should allow for the challenging of convention and for teaching others to think for themselves. Not every classroom experience always does this, but this video is a great example of the power we hold as educators. "Individuality is enhanced by being part of a group," says Myles Horton at one point of this video. What a great way to sum up each of our quests as learners and as citizens.]]> 2017-07-30 20:06:25 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179714543 Kristopher Shultz https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179719862 I greatly appreciated Myles Horton's perspective on the role of individual within a collective to create social change as it relates to knowledge and learning. Horton's perspective connects beautifully to collectivist and humanist learning theories in that people are shaped by society vice versa. I strongly appose the dominant ideology of individualism as it isolates communities and maintains the status quo. There is immense power in a unified collective because it has the potential to dismantle inequitable institutions and methods of social control.

]]> 2017-07-30 22:52:05 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179719862 Kirstyn Tubb tubbk https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179731871 I Think Myles Horton said it best when he said that he was not trying to upset people, but rather, he wanted to "help people grow and be creative and fulfill themselves as people." What a beautiful way to describe what it means to be an educator. I think that there is a huge potential for adult education to be a form of activism. If more educators, like Horton, adopted the idea that we don't teach, but rather help people to learn, then we would have the potential for more social change. Like Horton, it is important to be involved and stand up to fear. People need someone to facilitate and help the grow. Presenting people with facts, providing a safe space to learn through discussion and encouraging them to argue for something that they believe in is a great start. ]]> 2017-07-31 01:53:34 UTC https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179731871 David Turnipseed https://padlet.com/robbinst6/o4fb9cn3o192/wish/179744693 I grew up in a small town with family exactly like Myles Horton and I strongly relate to ideas of stretching oneself beyond their limitations (intellectually and culturally) while still avoiding fancy jargon and actually listening to people around you. For example, he says they made the mistake at Highlander in the first year of trying to tell people they have the problems that the teachers have the solutions for, rather than actually listening to what problems they have and adapting and creating new solutions (37:30). My students right now at SPIPA do not relate to fancy academic speech and the way that I acknowledge fancy speech with humor has created rapport between us. Also, the structure of HS 21+ allows me the flexibility to be radical myself and do what is right for the students rather than “fearing rewards and punishments” as Horton discusses (16:20).   
I also agree that one has to have economic democracy at the same time as political democracy. He discusses the example from a conversation with MLK that it is not enough to protest segregation by eating a hamburger with white folks, the black man has to be able to afford the hamburger too. Education is a catalyst for democratic social change, because it gives people the power to organize, collaborate, and resist exploitation from industries and other institutions. He makes it clear that education is not about training people to do things, rather liberating them so they can train themselves and become organizers (34:01).   
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