Seeking Wisdom in Adult Teaching and Learning

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxi

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Wilma Fraser

   Pages 1-21

3. From Adult Education to Learning and Skills

   • Wilma Fraser

   Pages 23-42

4. Searching for Sophia: Wisdom as Paradox

   • Wilma Fraser

   Pages 43-66

5. Epiphanies, Ontologies and Epistemologies

   • Wilma Fraser

   Pages 67-88

6. In Search of the ‘Genea-Mythic’

   • Wilma Fraser

   Pages 89-116

7. From Mythos to Logos

   • Wilma Fraser

   Pages 117-138

8. The Stories That We Tell and Those That Tell Us

   • Wilma Fraser

   Pages 139-163

9. Towards a Wise Curriculum

   • Wilma Fraser

   Pages 165-184

10. Conclusion

    • Wilma Fraser

    Pages 185-192

11. Back Matter

    Pages 193-223

    PDF

This book concerns the pursuit of wisdom in education, and the argument that wisdom – personified here as Sophia – is tragically marginalised or absent in current Western epistemological discourses. It includes a review of key historical and classical framings which have lost much potency and relevance as certain cultural narratives hold sway; these include the reductionist, technicist and highly instrumentalist discourses which shape the articulation and delivery of much education policy and practice, whilst reflecting similar troubling framings from broader neoliberal perspectives. Fraser argues that wisdom’s marginalisation has had, and continues to have, profoundly deleterious consequences for our educative practices. Through a compelling combination of narrative and autoethnographic techniques, while also drawing on philosophical and cultural traditions, the book pushes at the boundaries of emerging knowledge, including how knowledge is generated. It will be of interest tothose who facilitate the learning of adults in a variety of settings as well as to students and supervisors seeking exemplars and 'justification' for working in non-traditional ways. 

• ehtnography
• autoethnography
• research methods
• neoliberalism
• education policy
• adult teaching and learning
• autoethnograpic inquiry
• lifelong learning

“This really is the call of wise adult educators—to unflinchingly and critically examine the rising populism in the world and its deeply disturbing impact on all aspects of our lives and to also illuminate ‘ways to revivify adult teaching and learning processes which encourage communal, as well as individual rejoinders to the problems that we face’ … .” (Elizabeth Tingle and Janet Groen, Adult Education Quarterly, November 19, 2019)

“This book, however, provides more than an account of wisdom, it is the practice of wisdom in the writing. Indeed, Fraser has succeeded in creating an artefact through which the reader can explore their own ‘unknowing’, that is, the relation between something that might be ‘out there’ and their own understanding.” (James Reid, Studies in the Education of Adults, July, 2018)
“Through a sensitive, insightful composition of her own biographical awareness, aesthetic appraisal of art and poetry, deep academic knowledge from a panoply of disciplines, and thoughtful engagement with action, not least to sustain difficult processes of healing, learning and transition in a disconnected world, Fraser wonderfully explores how wisdom, however neglected by dominant discourse in education, informs every moment of human life, and fuels our efforts to live, understand, sustain transformative processes in adult education.” (Laura Formenti, Professor of General and Social Pedagogy, Milano Bicocca University, Italy)

“Wilma Fraser takes on some of the central issues in adult education and lifelong learning in our time.  In an exciting combination of narrative, auto-ethngography, and cultural critique of current events, including the Trump-Brexit era landscape and its impacts on adult education and lifelong learning, she invites with example an embrace of wisdom.   Through the use of paradox, metaphor, and poetry, along with a keen eye opening analysis, she pulls us open for an examination of teaching and a way of living an ongoing life journey that offers the glimpse of Sophia -- and learning from her Wisdom.  This is a must-read for all who want to engage with the Big Questions not only of adult education, but of living and learning in a new era.” (Elizabeth J. Tisdell, Professor of Lifelong Learning and Adult Education, Penn State University, USA)

“This is a beautifully written scholarly text. The author’s extensive experience in adult teaching and learning – and her passion for these processes - not only shine through her writing but give it a reader-friendly clarity. The book is an exemplar of how to pursue a line of inquiry by bringing an autoethnographic frame to an eclectic and well-researched range of material. Wilma Fraser has worked with and served Sophia well!” (Cheryl Hunt, Honorary University Fellow, University of Exeter, UK, and Chief Editor of Journal for the Study of Spirituality)

• Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom

  Wilma Fraser

Wilma Fraser is an independent researcher and doctoral supervisor at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, where she was previously Faculty Director of Community Arts and Education.

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