Beyond Training E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Serie: J-B ACE Single Issue Adult & Continuing Eeducation
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 218

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Widen your view of adult education by learning how it is appliedby the nation's largest adult education provider: themilitary. Woven through this issue is the common thread of sound adulteducation practice. Addressing applications specific to themilitary but relevant to civilian providers, it highlight theimportance of developing the critical thinking and problem-solvingskills essential for military leaders in an increasingly complexworld. Chapters also address the intersection of higher educationand particular military populations, including civilian employees,active-duty personnel, veterans, and spouses. Finally, thesourcebook provides a glimpse into the future of both militaryeducation and adult education, highlighting the increasing bondbetween the two and their growing importance in the lifelongeducation of all Americans. This is 136th volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterlyreport series New Directions for Adult and ContinuingEducation. Noted for its depth of coverage, it explores issuesof common interest to instructors, administrators, counselors, andpolicymakers in a broad range of settings, such as collegesand universities, extension programs, businesses, libraries, andmuseums.

Leseprobe

Contents

Editors’ Notes

Chapter 1: Evolution and Influence of Military Adult Education

History

Examining Military Adult Education—A Means to Respond to Shifting Education Needs

Expanding the Use of Adult Education Practices

Does Adult Education Methodology Have a Place in Today’s Military Education?

Back to the Future

New Implications

Conclusion

Chapter 2: Beyond Training: New Ideas for Military Forces Operating Beyond War

Adult Learning and Military Instruction: An Uncertain Link

Growing Understanding of a Need for Change

Growing Understanding of What to Change

Possible Solution: A Reasoned Preparation for the Future

Choosing What to Change

New Descriptions for an Old Approach that Works

Final Thought on the Imperative to Change

Chapter 3: Integrating Critical Thinking in the U.S. Army: Decision Support Red Teams

Critical Perspective Moved to a Full Spectrum

Red Team Schools

Structured Analytical Techniques

Implications

Chapter 4: Development of a Graduate Education Program for U.S. Army Interns and Careerists

History of Training and the U.S. Army

From Negotiations to the Virtual Classroom

Lessons Learned

Conclusion

Chapter 5: Impact of Cumulative Combat Stress on Learning in an Academic Environment

Combat-Related Stress in Academic Environments

Stress the Brain and Memories

Institutional Responses to Returning Soldiers

Why Should Adult Educators Care, and What Can They Do?

Conclusion

Chapter 6: Understanding the Importance of Life Mission When Advising Soldiers

The Soldier-Student

Theories and Approaches Influencing Advising Practices

Method

Findings

Conclusion

Chapter 7: Understanding the Military Spouse Learner Using Theory and Personal Narratives

Identifying the Need

The Military Spouse

Life Lessons and Adult Development

Implications for Adult Educators

Final Thoughts

Chapter 8: The Future of Adult Education in the Military

Index

Beyond Training: The Rise of Adult Education in the Military

Jeffrey Zacharakis, Cheryl J. Polson (eds.)

New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, no. 136

Susan Imel, Jovita M. Ross-Gordon, Coeditors-in-Chief

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Editors’ Notes

Our first real awareness of the military was in high school during the late stages of the Vietnam War and the widespread antiwar protests and riots on college campuses across the country. As impressionable high school students, we were bombarded with impassioned perspectives from every direction—from our political and military leaders; from our trusted television news anchors; and from our families, close friends, and neighbors. After a decade of involvement, most families had been directly touched by the war, many with a father, son, or brother serving in the military, often as a result of the military draft. And when our friends and brothers returned home from military service, they had their own stories to tell, further confusing the national debate. The entire country was engaged in this dialogue, creating so much noise that for many of us the din was deafening and unintelligible.

Everyone had an opinion, but to our recollection, no one ever mentioned the quality education or training they received while serving. We were, for the most part, unaware of education made available to those inducted into the military. In 1973, the draft ended and an all-volunteer military took its place. With this transition, the military evolved and eventually came to be viewed as a highly professional and educated cadre. Today’s military has little resemblance to the one we remember from 40 years ago. This issue of New Directions in Adult and Continuing Education presents some of the many ways in which adult education is being used in the military and makes the case that adult education will be integral in shaping the future of military education and training.

In order to recruit and retain quality Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen once it became an all-volunteer force, the military started investing in its talent and offering educational and quality-of-life benefits. Today the U.S. military is heavily committed to educating and training its workforce as well as supporting its families and veterans. Unlike other organizations, it cannot recruit leaders from other organizations; it must grow its own leadership, and once it educates and trains them, it must retain them. Many colleges and universities across the country have made valuable contributions to this educational process by partnering with the military. The adult education program of Kansas State University (KSU) alone has awarded over 750 master’s degrees and 15 doctoral degrees to active-duty officers and noncommissioned officers. Many of these students have gone on to serve in leadership positions and have helped shape the military’s perspective toward education and training. One important example of how adult education is shaping the future of military education and training is the Army Learning Concept for 2015 (ALC 2015; Department of the Army, 2011). Several of KSU’s students have indirectly influenced the development of this concept while others are actively involved in implementing the new learning model. Because ALC 2015 is so important to understanding how adult education is shaping the future of military education and training, Chapters 1, 2, 4, and 8 describe this document in greater detail. As you read this collection of chapters, we hope you will see the breadth and depth of how adult education in the military is still evolving. The first three chapters of this sourcebook highlight the importance of critical thinking and problem-solving skills for military leaders in the complex and ambiguous environments in which they must operate. In Chapter 1, John M. Persyn and Cheryl J. Polson provide a brief historical overview of how adult education has been used in the military and how military initiatives have contributed to adult education. The chapter traces the growing emphasis on adult education within the military as a result of key historical studies and provides an overview of the ALC 2015. The chapter includes a special focus on the contribution by Houle, Burr, Hamilton, and Yale (1947) to understanding how adult education principles not only guided our emerging field but also were utilized in military education practices during and following World War II. The chapter concludes by examining the lessons of that era with the vision of military adult education as described in ALC 2015.

Chapter 2 by Blaise Cornell-d’Echert Jr. makes a passionate argument regarding why the military must change its education paradigm, going beyond what is already laid out in ALC 2015. Cornell-d’Echert’s thesis is that soldiers need to know why they have to learn something or do a particular thing and that they must be prepared to think and make decisions when needed and when appropriate. He contends that 21st-century service members must be adaptable and that this can be achieved only through the development of analysis and synthesis skills. One approach to reaching this goal is through outcome-based training and education.

In Chapter 3, A. Steven Dietz and Eric A. Schroeder focus on one approach that the army currently is using to promote critical thinking: Decision Support Red Teams. Red Teams are a group of trained planners and analysts who participate in a unit’s strategic planning process. The unique feature of Red Teams is that they are not part of the unit and have no personal ties or relationships with its members. Thus, they can see the problem and personal dynamics of decision making with a fresh set of eyes. They challenge planners to see beyond their immediate actions and look at unanticipated consequences in order to yield more effective and comprehensive strategic plans.

Chapters 4 through 7 address issues associated with four distinct military-based student clienteles of higher education: civilian employees of the military, active-duty military members, military veterans, and military spouses. Chapter 4 by Steven W. Schmidt and Vivian W. Mott explores the subject of postsecondary programs designed specifically for civilian employees of the military. Their thesis is that these programs are most effective when they are developed in conjunction with the objectives of military leaders. This chapter illustrates one approach to developing an adult education program for army civilian personnel who work in education-related fields. As part of the evolving literature on how adult educators can support the military, there is a need for more case studies so we can better understand the many different possibilities to develop military–higher education partnerships.

In Chapter 5, Kevin Peter Shea and Sarah Jane Fishback discuss the experiences military students have in higher education settings. This research-based chapter delves into the impact stress and anxiety have on students who enter the education environment following a return from repeated or long combat deployments. They argue that educators need to be aware of and sensitive to the transformative experiences these service members bring to the classroom and that may impact their learning. Compounding issues such as sleeplessness, the inability to concentrate, posttraumatic stress, academic stress, alcohol and drug usage, and flashbacks all affect these students’ ability to learn and succeed. As the authors point out, schools will need mechanisms to recognize and address the various forms of stress; mechanisms may include counseling and outreach programs, and veterans’ support groups.

In Chapter 6, Kristen Wilson and Natesha Smith provide new insight on how advising college-bound military students needs to focus on life mission and long-term goals, not just the immediate needs of what course to enroll in order to attain a degree. Their holistic approach to advising is grounded in adult learning theory and is based on a qualitative research that included interviews with 13 active-duty army soldiers and five academic advisors.

Chapter 7 by Ashley Gleiman and Stacy Swearengen is a personal narrative of experiences military spouses confront while pursuing education. All too often when educational programs and pathways for military service members are developed, no consideration is given to how adult education can also serve their spouses and families. These two authors take readers on a personal journey of what it is like to move every two or three years, often choosing to set aside personal dreams and aspirations. The chapter explores the challenges military spouses confront while attempting to fulfill their educational goals. As the authors note, little research describes their experience. The authors weave their narratives throughout to help readers understand adult higher education literature from a new perspective. Additionally, they remind readers that higher education campuses cannot focus energies solely on serving active-duty service members or veterans as many spouses/family members will be using education benefits that military members have signed over to them.

The final chapter by Jeffrey Zacharakis and Jay A. Van Der Werff looks at the future, at how adult education can be used to enhance critical thinking and build capacity for organizational learning. They argue that if we limit how adult education can be used in the military and with service members and their families to what we already know and espouse (adult learning theory, facilitated learning, adult basic education/literacy, and training), we may miss future opportunities to better serve our armed forces. They begin with Sherman Stanage’s (1987) phenomenological construct of how adult education is embedded in every discipline and goes to the root of how we communicate. They then explore how constructivist learning and critical thinking are and will be essential to the military services in their quest to build a learning organization. Most of all, they challenge us to be open-minded, flexible, creative, and realistic as we develop future adult education programs for the military.

Jeffrey Zacharakis

Cheryl J. Polson

Editors

References

Department of the Army. (2011). The U.S. Army learning concept for 2015. TRADOC Pamphlet 525-8-2. Fort Monroe, VA: U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.

Houle, C. O., Burr, E. W., Hamilton, T. W., & Yale, J. R. (1947). Armed services and adult education. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.

Stanage, S. M. (1987). Adult education and phenomenological research. Malabar, FL: Krieger.

Jeffrey Zacharakis is an associate professor of adult education at Kansas State University whose research is in organizational, leadership, and community development.

Cheryl J. Polson is a professor of adult education and an associate dean of the graduate school responsible for oversight of Fort Leavenworth graduate programs and outreach at Kansas State University.

Chapter 1

Evolution and Influence of Military Adult Education

John M. Persyn, Cheryl J. Polson