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Art Lynch paper on Millennials 1
Running Head: Millennials“Millennials”Arthur LynchSchool of EducationProfessional Studies in EducationCapella UniversityFebruary 13, 2009Createcom@mac.comC 2009(702) 454-1067
 
Art Lynch paper on Millennials 2
Ready or Not: Adult Education and Millennial GenerationThe Millennial generation is presenting challenges andopportunities to education generally and adult educationparticularly. Adult education, with the growth of technology andthe array of choices seems, at first glance to be particularlywell matched to the needs of this rising generation, withnumbers that nearly match that of Baby Boomers. However thisgeneration appears to have well defined expectations ofeducation, and theories of andragogy may not necessarily beadequate to the task of meeting this generation’s needs. Adulteducation has been through changes before, and should be in aposition to adapt. Given the growth and professionalization ofadult education, with an emphasis on standardized formatsparticularly in online classes (such as Web CT basedcurriculums) the challenge will be keeping up with studentexpectations.There was a time, which seems almost quaint now, when adulteducation was viewed as a specialized field, not in the
 
Art Lynch paper on Millennials 3
mainstream of education. Adult educators were arguablymarginalized out of the Academe, and adult students were putinto set categories: high school drop outs trying to get acertificate or diploma, students trying to attain vocationaltraining, or people seeking life enrichment (Jarvis, Griffen,(2003). This was the state of things in the 1960’s. But theculture was changing fast with the onslaught of the babyboomers, who by their sheer numbers, attitudes and aspirationsshaped all aspects of social and economic life, includingeducation. Malcolm Knowles refined a theory of androgrogy asBaby Boomers came of age. Knowles developed a theory that iscompelling and seems to reflect the aspirations of thisgeneration. However, does the andragogy theory of Knowles andother adult education researchers still apply to the generationnow coming of age, the so-called Generation Y or Millennials?Using an ecological framework, this paper will compare andcontrast prior generations of adults learners with currentlearners, examine assumptions about Millennials, while linkingprinciples of andragogy to the needs of this generation.AndragogyAdult Education theories have focused on the followingconcepts: a) student centered learning b) empowerment c)critical reflection. Building on the seminal work of Thorndikeand associated scholars in the 1920’s, Knowles was able to
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