Spotlight on Malcom Knowles
Introduction: Malcolm Sheperd Knowles contributed many great works to the field of adult education. His "stamp" on the field is the subject of andragogy, of which he is considered the "Father of Andragogy." Knowles expressed and taught on his strong beliefs that students should be self-directed learners, a concept that was unfamiliar; and sometimes unacceptable during his time.
Born in Montana to Dr. and Mrs. A. D. Knowles, Knowles was an avid Boy Scout in his youth. The family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, and he graduated fromPalm Beach High School in 1930. He earned a scholarship to Harvard University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1934. Shortly afterwards, he worked with the National Youth Administration in Massachusetts and was married to Hulda Fornell whom he met while studying at Harvard. In 1940, he assumed the position of Director of Adult Education at the Boston YMCA until he was drafted into the United States Navy in 1943. In 1946, he moved to Chicago to work as the Director of Adult Education at the YMCA while working on his M.A. at the University of Chicago, which he earned in 1949. From 1951 to 1959 he served as executive director of the Adult Education Association of the USA and pursued his PhD at the University of Chicago. In 1959, he accepted a faculty appointment at Boston University as an associate professor of adult education with tenure. He spent 14 years there. He became a member of the faculty of Education at North Carolina State University in 1974 to complete his final four years of academic work prior to retirement. After retiring, he remained active in the field into the 1990s. He taught at Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, CA (which offers degrees in clinical psychology and related subjects) and at the University of Arkansas. He died in Fayetteville, Arkansas, of a stroke
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Conclusion: He also believed that his role in adult education was not one of being a "teacher," but rather one of being a "facilitator of learning." He also wrote extensively throughout his career, always wanting to share his theories and pass them on to new learners. Although having his critics, Knowles never waivered from his passion and his character of being a leader of students to gain more understanding and knowledge of andragogy.