Leading Adult Educators Project

Sean Commented on Group2 and Group 3's Adult Educator Projects
Introduction

Throughout time, a large number of people have emerged as “pioneers” in adult and community education. Those numbers get smaller when the field is narrowed down to women who helped shape and influence the field. Break those educators down geographically and there are even smaller numbers. Yet, two women from Illinois emerge as educators who have impacted the field of adult and community education significantly. Jane Addams and Dr. Patricia Cross have impacted the field in their own unique ways. Both women, although from the same state, have had different contrasting contributions during two different time periods of the U.S. Jane Addams made her impact in the late 1800’s through her efforts in social work, poverty awareness, and other philanthropic efforts. In contrast, Dr. Patricia Cross made her impact in the late 1900’s through her efforts as a professor and researcher of adult education. Both women have left their mark with innovative adult education theories as well as legacy worthy improvements and indicatives. Whether it is the Hull House or The Cross Endowments, their mark and legacy can still be felt in adult and community education today.

Jane Addams
At the turn 20^th Century, Progressive reforms abounded. In the White House, President Roosevelt was initiating industrial, economic and international reforms. At another house, the Hull House in Chicago, Illinois, Jane Addams began reforming social welfare and adult education. The culmination of both of these efforts would gain national and international attention. In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt would become the first American to win a Nobel Peace Prize, and in 1931, Jane Addams would become the American woman to win the prize. Jane Addams's influence would felt in the worlds of social work, woman's rights, children aid, public health, peace advocacy, and education. This part of the report will concentrate on her influence on adult education. The report will be biographical, establishing the reasons for advocacy, and it will also give her philosophy on the area of adult education.

Unlike many who are drawn to social work, Addams did not grow up in an impoverished family. Her father, John Huey Addams, was a successful miller, who also served as a bank president. He also served as an Illinois State Senator for 16 years and helped establish the Illinois Republican Party. John also was a close friend and strong supporter of Abraham Lincoln. On September 6, 1860, in Cedarville, Illinois, John would welcome his eighth child into the world, Laura Jane Addams. Jane Addams would later cite her father as a major influence on her life (Fox and Kloppenberg, 1995, 14).

Not growing up destitute did not mean that Jane Addams did not face challenges. Her mother, Sarah Weber Addams, would die shortly after the giving birth for the ninth time when Jane was two years old. At age four, Jane would be diagnosed with Pott's Disease, a form of spinal tuberculosis, which meant she would suffer lifelong pain. Also, only she and two of her eight siblings would reach adulthood (Hassencahl, 1993, 1).

At the age if seven, John Addams would remarry Anne Hadleman. Hadleman, was a lover of culture and introduce Jane to music and theater. Both Jane's father and stepmother were avid readers, a trait that Jane would pick up from them. Jane especially loved reading the stories of Charles Dickens, which would later compel her to visit England. This to Europe trip that would greatly affect her life. Before that trip, Jane would seek an education. Jane had noticed the discrepancy between the way that men and women were taught. Although all the Addams children were taught the same subject matter, only the men were propelled to pursue careers. Jane wanted to pursue medicine, as she saw this as a way to help other people. Jane's father compelled her to study instead at Rockford Female Seminary, where he served as a board member. Jane would graduate valedictorian, and when the school changed to Rockford College, Jane would be invited back to matriculate for an additional year, becoming one of college's first graduates (Butler).

After graduating, Jane would go back to her plan in pursuing medicine. She would pursue this goal in Philadelphia, but her spinal problems would resurface and nearly cripple her. After an operation, she would spend six months recuperating, and she never returns to her studies. During this period, her father would pass away unexpectedly. So in 1883, after a period of morning, Jane and stepmother would spend two years traveling Europe. This traveling proved not to have much effect on Addams, and she returned to the United States greatly depressed. Still, in 1887, her college friend, Ellen Gates Starr compelled Addams to visit abroad once again.

This trio would prove to be more life changing. While in London, Addams and Starr would visit an experimental project which attempted to fix the problems of poverty through community service and education. This was Toynbee Hall, run by Canon Samuel Barnett. Barnett's vision included providing the poor with education, meeting rooms for clubs, a gymnasium, and areas for crafts. Barnett would become a lifelong adviser to Addams.

Addams returned to the U.S. in 1889 with a new found goal in life. She would attempt to end the problem of poverty, by establishing her own settlement house. She and Starr would spend most of the year trying to find an appropriate place. They would find it in downtown Chicago, an abandon mansion that had been owned by real estate mogul, Charles J. Hull. The mansion was being used as storage by a nearby factory, and much of the house was in disarray. Still, Addams and Starr saw the possibility behind the house and began work on it. Soon Hull House would open.

Initially, Addams and Starr, who was from an affluent Chicago family, had little idea what to do. Neither of them had any training in how to help the poor. Luckily, the community had no problem telling the Hull House co-founders what they needed and wanted from their new neighbors, and Addams and Starr were very good at listening. The initial service that Hull House offered was a daycare center, which was soon followed by a kindergarten. Addams and Starr would move up age groups, with clubs for teenagers and holding social gatherings for young adults. Eventually, the Hull House would establish programs serving all ages. By the end of the first year, Hull House was serving over 50,000 people. (Furious, 2010).

Addams and Starr were tireless fundraisers, advocating the benefits of their programs to the Chicago's areas most affluent citizens. Addams would not only convince the local wealthy to donate money, but also to volunteer their time and efforts. Especially interested were the wives and daughters of rich families. Women who were educated, but had no venue to share their talents and abilities, as women didn't have much opportunities in the workforce. So, unlike the community settlement houses in England, which were exclusively run by men, the Hull House was a majority female ran organization.

Theories

Butler (2014) notes that Jane Addams had a firm belief that to make a change in the community, all members of the community should be served. Addams felt that under-educated adults were being under-served. She thought the best way to serve the community was to serve all the groups involved in the community, which included women and men, immigrants and natives, men and women. A list of courses taken from a January newspaper listing show classes offered in everything from arithmetic, art, music, and law.

According to Hammington (2006), one example of Addams commitment to adult education was the formation of The Plato Club, which was a weekly philosophy reading and discussion class that often brought together debaters from differing social classes. Famed education philosopher Thomas Dewey sometimes lectured to the group. There was also the Working People Social Science Club which provided an opportunity for discussions of social and political philosophy. In The Second Twenty Years at Hull-House, Addams describes developing particular pedagogical techniques adapted for adult students. These included the need for a peer-level collective atmosphere and using current events as a learning opportunity (Lewis, 2014).

In addition Addams developed her philosophy on education which she termed her 3 Rs. Addams’ 3Rs were:

Residence – It matters where you teach and help people. To truly make a change you have to live with and around the people you want to help and establish relations with them. She believed in “sympathetic knowledge” or the theory that knowing one another better reinforces the common connection of people increasing empathy and morality toward others (Hammington, 2006).

Addams thought that teaching in the community where people lived was especially beneficial to adults, who would have reservations about seeking out educational opportunities in the first place. By establishing the educational facility in the community, the

Another way to teach the community was to make the education more accessible than it had been in the past. Addams entered into an agreement with the Chicago Public Library to provide a branch at the Hull House. Addams was able to get this extension by offering the area rent free to the library. Addams also established an agreement with the University of Chicago to run an extension program at the Hull House and also with her alma mater, Rockford College, where many Hull House residents went for summer school.

Research – Residents of the Hull House conducted research in the areas of housing, midwifery, fatigue, tuberculosis, typhoid, garbage collection, cocaine, and truancy. The results of this research help lead to changes in these areas. The residents doing the research were adults which included both the residents living there and the instructors. This model of collaboration between student and instructor for research purposes continues to be mirrored on research projects today.

Reform – Addams was a believer in true reform for the underprivileged and not just relief of their conditions. Addams believed in changing people, changing how they lived and changing how society interacts with people.

Her impact on adult education can be easily overlooked. After all Addams was involved in so many causes from social reforms to pacifism that adult education can just get thrown in the mix. Especially considering that Addams is considered the first “modern” social worker. Still, her vision for adult education was important. For example, Addams’ commitment to lifelong education resulted in pioneering work in adult education. From the access of education in the community, to the diverse subject matter taught, to the collaborative efforts on research, and to the development of the students and the educators, the Hull became a prototype for future adult education procedures and techniques. Some observers have claimed that Hull-House was the birthplace of adult education (Hammington, 2006).

K. Patricia Cross

There are times in history that certain people excel and there are those who do exceptional things. One of those people is Dr. K Patricia Cross. Dr. Hiemstra once said, "Although Cross is not trained nor making a career out of adult education, she has made an impact to the field of adult education with her publications. She was involved in publications that provide support to develop adult non-traditional study opportunities in the US."(2006) The way she shows in her writings is an innovative perspective on adult education which makes her one of the top researchers, speakers and writers in her field.

To have a better understanding of why Dr. Cross did what she did and why, you can look at a personal interview I had with her. In that interview Dr. Cross states, "My academic interests were largely influenced by the job and the times. I wrote about adults as learners because at the time I was at Educational Testing Service and they were initiating "credit by examination" in response to the growing interest in academic credentials of adults competing in an increasingly educated workforce. I had enormous freedom at ETS to shape my job and, of course, the more I learned about adults, the more fascinated I became. So, a product of the times, my unique opportunity, and my conviction that the more you know about a topic, the more you shape your own questions and seek answers."(2014).

Dr. Cross was born in 1926 in Normal, Illinois. An article from the Graduate School of Education, UC Berkeley, states that "Dr. Cross earned her B.S. in Mathematics from Illinois State University in 1948. Her father was also a professor at the Illinois State University. She then attended Illinois University where she earned her M.A. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology, both in 1951 and 1958 respectively. Dr. Cross is a Professor of Higher Education, Emerita and has had a distinguished career as a University Administrator(Assistant Dean of Women, University of Illinois and Dean of Students of Cornell University), Researcher (Distinguished Research Scientist at Educational Testing Service and Research Educator at the Center for Research and Development in Higher Education, UC Berkeley) and Teacher (Professor and Chair of the Department of Administration, Planning and Social Policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Professor of Higher Education (David Pierpont Gardner Endowed Chair, UC Berkeley)."

Achievements

The article from the Graduate School of Education, UC Berkeley states, "Dr. Cross is an author of eight books, (including Beyond the Open Door: New Students to Higher Education and Adults as Learners: Increasing Participation and Facilitating Learning) and more than 200 articles, monographs, and chapters. Dr. Cross has been recognized for her scholarship by election to the National Academy of Education, receipt of the E.F. Lindquist Award from the American Educational Research Association, the Sidney Suslow Award from the Association for Institutional Research, and the Howard Bowen Distinguished Career Award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education."

The article shows that she was voted one of "the most influential voices" in higher education in a Change Magazine pole in 1975, and when the poll was repeated in 1998, she was again selected as a national leader. Elected Chair of the Board of the American Association of Higher Education twice (1975 and 1998), she has received many awards for her leadership in education, among them the Leadership award from the American Association of Community and Junior colleges and the Outstanding Service Award from the Coalition of Adult Education Organization. She is listed in Who's Who in the World, America, International Who's Who of Women and Who's Who in American Education."

"During her career, Dr. Cross gave more than 250 speeches about critical developments in higher education. She is a member of the National academy of education and twice served as chair of the board for the American Association of Higher Education. She served as a board member of the Carnegie Foundation for the advancement of teaching, the Berkeley Public Library, and elder hostel (now known as Road Scholar). Dr. Cross has lectured on American higher education widely in the United States and abroad in England, France, Denmark, Germany, the Soviet Union, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Holland.

Theories

One thing to look at with Dr. Cross is her theories. An example of such theory is Adult Learning. As found on the website, instructionaldesign.com, "Dr. Cross (1981) presents the Characteristics of Adults as Learners (CAL) model in the context of her analysis of lifelong learning programs. The model attempts to integrate other theoretical frameworks for adult learning such as andragogy (Knowles), experiential learning (Rogers), and lifespan psychology."

"An example would be if you had three adults, all different ages, different phases of their life, all different in terms of situational characteristics. All three people were about to take a course on child development. According to the CAL model, a different learning strategy might be necessary for the three to accommodate the differences in personal and situational characteristics."

From the University of South Alabama, Online Learning Laboratory website, "Another theory is brought to our attention by Hiemstra (2006). According to Hiemstra, Cross developed two conceptual framwork for adult learning:

Chain - of-Response (COR) model: According to Hiemstra (2006) this model pertains to adult’s participation in learning. Dr. Cross discusses the idea of motivating participants (positive and negative), their personality types (self-esteem), self-actualization of participants, and expectations of reward are all important for motivation (Hiemstra, 2006).

Endowments and Fellowships

Another aspect of Dr. Cross is the Endowments she is a part of. One such Endowment is The Cross Papers Fellowship as stated on the website of League.com. "The fellowship continues and builds on the outstanding success and renowned usability of The Cross Papers. Each year the K. Patricia Cross Fellowship names a scholar/practitioner of community college teaching and learning as The Cross Papers Fellow. Since the release of the inaugural issue of the cross papers in 1997, community college educators have used these monographs as tools for stimulating discussion, providing orientation and training to new faculty and staff, rejuvenating veteran employees, and designing successful practices and strategies for reaching the diverse groups of students who come through the open doors of community colleges every day."

Another endowment comes from an article from the Office of the Cross Chair, Illinois State University, it states, "Dr. K. Patricia Cross has generously endowed the Cross Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) at Illinois State University. SoTL work is implicitly part of, and can help us implement, our strategic plan, Educating Illinois. The Cross Chair is a five-year term and the incumbent is selected via a national search."

Even though Dr. Cross dealt more with higher education Dr. Hiemstra sums her integration with adult education up nicely. "Although Cross is not trained nor making a career out of adult education, she has made an impact to the field of adult education with her publications. She was involved in publications that provide support to develop adult non-traditional study opportunities in the US." With her vast knowledge, she has an amazing ability to understand what it takes to help out students and educators alike. In a personal interview with Dr. Cross, she stated, "Her parents were a HUGE and very positive influence. They encouraged the message in the book, Reasonable Adventure by Roy Heath."(2014). She also stated, "my academic interest were largely influenced by the job and the times. I wrote about adults as learners because at the time I was at Educational Testing Service and they were initiating "credit by examination" in response to the growing interest in academic credentials of adults competing in an increasingly educated workforce."

Dr. Cross stated, "I was a career woman and had no family which gave her the freedom to do anything and go anywhere that interested her. Her jobs shaped her interest and vice versa."(2014)

Her lesson and a great one to follow: "Don't be afraid to venture into the unknown and unexplained, go ahead and "try it"."

Conclusion

Jane Addams emerged in the late 1800’s and left her mark on adult education through her philanthropic work in poverty awareness and social work. She left a legacy of theories as well as the Hull House, the innovative social work settlement in Chicago in 1889.

Dr. Patricia Cross dedicated her life to adult education early on and left her mark through her work as a professor and researcher. She also left a legacy of theories along with endowments to help future adult education professors.

Both women, although different eras and historical time periods would not let their gender or backgrounds deter them from their goals. Through perseverance and dedication, the field of adult and community education is improved and impacted by their contributions.

SUMMARY OF ADULT EDUCATORS

Category	Jane Addams	Dr. Patricia Cross
Time Period	1880-1900	1958-1998
Background	Daughter of Illinois state Senator	Daughter of a professor at Illinois State University
Profile	Philanthropist and social program developer	PH.D in Social Psychology, Lecturer & Researcher in Adult Education
Perspectives	Poverty and Education perspective	3 R’s of Adult Education
Contributions	Hull House	Cross Endowments
Impact	Social work and poverty	Adult Education theories
Implications	Legacy of impact on social work and poverty	Legacy of impact on adult and community education

References

Adult Learning (K. P. Cross). (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2014, from

www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/adult-learning.html

Butler, M. (2014). Jane Addams - Biographical. Retrieved October 3, 2014, from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1931/addams-bio.html

Fox, Richard Wrightman and Kloppeber, James T. (1995) A Companion to American

Thought. Boston,MA :Blackwell Publishing.

Furious, L. (2010, December 8). Badass Ladies of History: Jane Addams | Persephone Magazine. Retrieved

October 3, 2014 from http://persephonemagazine.com/2010/12/badass-ladies-of-history-jane-addams/

Hamington, M. (2006). Addams, Jane. Internet Encyclopedia Of Philosophy. Retrieved from

http://www.iep.utm.edu/addamsj/#SH3b

Hassencahl, Fran.(1993) “Jane Addams.” Women Public Speakers in the United States, 1800-1925: A

Biocritical Sourcebook. Karlyn Kohrs Campbell (ed.). Westport, CT; London: Greenwood Press.

K. Patricia Cross (2014). Retrieved from www.southalabama.edu/oll/mobile/theory_workbook/cross.html

Lewis, J.J. (2014). Jane Addams - Biography of Settlement House Reformer. Retrieved October 1, 2014, http://womenshistory.about.com/od/addamsjane/p/jane_addams.htm

Laura Jane Addams. (2014). The Biography.com website. Retrieved October 2, 2014 from http://www.biography.com/people/jane-addams-9176298.

Pruitt, W. (2011, April 7). Jane Addams and John Dewey. Prezi. Retrieved October 1, 2014,

from http://prezi.com/fnfzvimmk7kx/jane-addams-and-john-dewey/

The Cross Paper Fellowship. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.league.org/crosspapersfellow/

Special Thanks To:

Dr. K. Patricia Cross for her personal correspondence and participation.

Contributors:

Joseph Haynes – research and writing K. Patricia Cross section

Troy Rector – editing, table summary, writing introduction, conclusion,collaboration

             Sean Rodgers- research and writing Jane Addams section