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Rethinking adult learning for social justice reform.
Keywords
Social Justice, learning and development programs, adult learners
Session Abstract
2020 was filled with civil unrest, situations impacting social justice, equity and diversity. Organizations quickly developed training programs to educate their employees about these important topics. This interactive presentation will lean on andragogy and adult learning theories to demonstrate educational sessions that can help to change their workplace
Session Description
As the recent civil unrest continues to grow, organizations seek learning opportunities for their employees to understand better social justice, equity, and diversity. Many programs that aim to educate adults are one dimensional and pedagogical. They consist of an expert speaking for a couple of hours, summarizing marginalized populations' historical injustices, then sending everyone home to magically adopt a new way of knowing. A fundamental misunderstanding of adult learning theory and the design of effective adult learning programs is one of the most significant issues preventing social justice reform from occurring. It is important as adult education leaders, we are the change agents that will lead the way for social justice reform. By innovating, organizational leaders and human resource development leaders can both educate members of their organization and employees. Rather than delivering content and expecting change to happen overnight, adult learning theory can form the foundation to bring social justice, equity and diversity change as the norms of operating in the organization. This timely session will reflect on 2020 and offer ways to guide change for 2021.