Cancel Culture – Cogitate and Percolate

I love to dwell in both theory and research. Both are fascinating to me.

But how do I balance theory and research when they conflict with each other?

I share an example and I know this is stormy waters ahead for some readers because I’m going to create waves.

Photo of waves set against a cloudy sky.

First, the theory; Andragogy or Adult Learning Theory credited to Malcolm Knowles and to smaller degrees to other theorists. Before I go any further, I have to acknowledge that in 2022, there is a STRONG movement to discredit Knowles and Adult Learning Theory. More than I can count, it’s currently cool to disrespect this around instructional design. It’s quite ugly.

Examples:

Screen capture of post from Learning Scientists.org called: Pedagogy vs. Andragogy: What's the Difference with a comment, Spoiler alert: Nothing really.

I find this trend really disturbing and an example of cancel culture. Realistically, I find that IDs that put no mental effort into truly studying Andragogy dismiss it out of hand as unreal based on their surface understanding. Said another way, they believe that they know what Andragogy is and then they say it does not exist. BTW, LinkedIn comments have become hot when I’ve described that THE MOST COMMON COMPLAINT against andragogy is that “children occasionally display these adult traits too, so, therefore, adult learning as an exclusive or separate thing does not exist.” Heads-up: Classic logical fallacy of composition.

Once in a while someone will ask “What is an adult anyway?” which I find to be at least a cognizant thought and then explain “Yes, defining an adult is the first exercise in an Adult Learning Theory class.” Duh. It’s actually really hard to define an adult because there are so many different standards.

In summary, using a logical fallacy of composition argument is already weak.

Additionally, I find that Andragogy is well-respected, research-supported part of education around for over 30 years. What’s next to pick apart? Gender studies?!? 2022 does seem to be the Year to Attack Women. What about Black Cultural studies? How about studies about any particular group?? Or should I be saying “Any particular group that isn’t White Mainstream?” See? That’s where cancel culture gets you eventually; no one is good enough. I reject all of this.

Rinse & repeat on Brain-Based Learning.

Photograph of Salem-like harvest table with autumn colors

Photo by Erica Marsland Huynh on Unsplash

What do the Salem witch trials and woke cancel culture have in common?

Both established rogue thoughts as truth.

I’m sorry to report that over the past few months, cancel culture has arrived in Instructional Design.

Personally, I’ve seen “Andragogy” and “Brain-Based Learning” attacked and discarded on public LinkedIn posts, threads, and some blog posts. I’ll be collecting them here below as I find them. However, if there get to be too many (and already collecting these was depressing and exhausting. In one case there were 30 replies and that was not even to me!) I’ll stop collecting.

It is as if a newer ID hears of brain-based learning, says to
themselves “huh, where else is learning supposed to happen?” and then
calls brain-based learning stupid because of the name.

I’ve
tried to point out that what’s happening is that less educated
Instructional Designers are approaching these concepts as words only or
with very little in-depth research and are tossing out the concept
entirely.

In
the case of Andragogy, I tried defending it. It’s an established
section of education with a depth of history of more than 50 years (in
popular Education studies, longer in lexicon). Attacking it, to me, is
the equivalent of attacking Black History. Why would you do this? It
makes no sense. The arguments against andragogy always seem to equate little children with adults.

For example:

According to andragogy, adults want to know why.
My child asks why.
When doing so, my child behaves as an adult.
My child is not an adult.
Therefore, andragogy does not exist.

Rinse & repeat with a lot of cognitive elements (my child can do this, my child can do that…) Always exceptions. Piaget gets dragged into this (he does below). Perhaps then begin the “Well, if one part of false, then all parts are false” arguments…which themselves are logical fallacies. Duh.

It’s tough out there. Note in this first example, the author is the post is ALSO the author of the article hosting place called The Learning Scientists— which is a point that I make; that the OP is putting on a aura of authority that is, perhaps, inappropriately authoritative to the audience. Said another way, readers might not understand that the writing, all inclusive here, was opinion.

Andragogy

Category: Cancel Culture

How to Balance Theory and Research

The Salem Witches of ID OR Cancel culture has arrived in Instructional Design

Andragogy