I was struck initially by how little scholarly material there is on the topic of gender. I am aware that there is a great deal of focus on gender and how gender bias impacts secondary students, elementary school students. I wonder if there is an assumption that adult education, as a pedagogy, already incorporates a feminist approach because of the definition of the adult education student as an adult learner, individuals who are engaged in “activities intentionally designed for the purpose of bringing about learning among those whose age, social roles, or self-perception define them as adults” (Merriam and Brockett, 2007).
What caused me to reflect the most?
The item that struck me the most was that my learning partner, Maria, brought up an interesting point. She was concerned that utilizing a critical feminist approach, ironically to increase inclusion, may alienate the few male learners in her field. She and I discovered that we are in very different fields: the dental field is dominated by women and the technology field is primarily predominantly comprised of men. Her comments resonated with me because I hadn’t even considered this, which is typical when you’re entrenched in a viewpoint. As a minority in my field, I am more preoccupied with equity, and inclusion, rather than alienating anyone. It was refreshing to be made aware of this, and a reminder that various age groups and careers may be served by various pedagogies and approaches to learning.
This reticence to the concept of a feminist approach validated the author’s comments regarding barriers and criticisms of a critical framework regarding gender. Younger generations of women may have difficulty embracing the concept because it conjures an activist, radical approach. Not understanding the critical framework fully in that there exists nuance and that it serves the entire community, and addresses equity for all learners. This was the biggest aha moment in my conversation with my learning partner. An intersectional and fluid teaching and curriculum development approach may be integral to developing reflexive teaching practice. I may adjust my teaching practice at the moment, depending on the audience, and using various lenses may serve students best, rather than a unilateral approach.
Interestingly, the articles seemed to be rooted in different historical contexts, one concerned with the future of learning, while the other preoccupied with equity, and power differentials, that seem to remain a part of the past. However, going forward, both concerns for pedagogical transformation are integral: shifts to inclusion, equity, and intersectional lenses being used depending on the specific audience in the classroom.
References
English, L. M. (2019). Re-Infusing Adult Education with a Critical Feminist Framework: Inspiration from Mary Parker Follett. In Power and Possibility (pp. 97-105). Brill Sense. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004413320_009
Merriam, S. B. & Brockett, R. G. (2008). The profession and practice of adult education: An introduction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
