Abstract
M.Ed.
Traditional teaching implies the conveying of information from an active educator to
a passive learner. A monologic approach such as this, does not make provision for
active participation by learners. Dialogue, as an approach to teaching adults, is in
direct contrast to traditional, monological teaching. A Dialogical approach does not
only imply a conversation between learners and educator, but also purposeful
activity by both the learners and educator. The fact that adults have accumulated
life experiences and have specific needs must be taken into consideration, therefore
it is important that they are recognised as partners and decision makers in the
teaching and learning process. A dialogical approach is one of negotiation, where
learners are active decision makers, instead of passive receivers.
Based on the above assumption, this study focuses on teaching adults, and more
specifically adults involved in Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET), in a
dialogical manner. The focus is not only on dialogue as an approach to teaching
adults involved in Adult Basic Education and Training, but also the practical
implications of this approach to actual Adult Basic Education and Training situations.
The perspectives of three experts in the field of Adult Education, whose approaches
to teaching adults are dialogical, namely Jane Vella, Ira Shor and Stephen
Brookfield, are analysed, compared and integrated, as their perspectives not only
show similarities but also differences.
Because this study focuses on adults as learners, and more specifically adults
involved in Adult Basic Education and Training, the concept adult is defined and
eventually generalised characteristics for adults as learners are identified and
described. The implications of these characteristics in an ABET context are
indicated.
The above mentioned theory is put into practice by constructing case studies in
order to demonstrate dialogue as an approach to teaching adults in Adult Basic
Education and Training.