The purpose of this essay is in the first instance to highlight the importance of adult education, as an alternative to the existing labor demands of this capitalist society; secondly, it presents an approach to the adult learning process from the perspective of Vigotsky's sociohistorical theory, through the process of internalization, a process that allows the modification of internal cultural structures through the influence of their social environment, modifying thus their behaviors and their social life.
Introduction
Adult education is understood as that which is taught to the elderly, this is the generalized conceptualization and of course minimized. It is very true that adult education is aimed at adults, what most do not know is that it is not exclusive.
Adult education includes alternatives for personal growth. Both of people inserted into the school system, who continue to update; likewise those who have not completed their basic training studies and wish to retake them. Both respond to the formation of life education, or well known as lifelong education.
Contextualization of the field of adult education
Adult education is located in the context of non-formal education, understanding the latter as a regulated educational system outside of formal (school) education. Non-formal education is an extension of formal education; covering three basic aspects:
• Responds to special needs of children and youth.
• Aimed at adults who want to finish their basic studies.
• Responds to updating knowledge and skills, complementary to the training of a lifetime, as part of the demands of the labor market.
These last two aspects define the field of adult education, that is, it is the one that is oriented to respond to merely social needs, such as the completion of basic studies (primary, secondary and preparatory) and the one that complements with updates from those who have already completed his studies of his entire training life.
Adult education. A look from Vigotsky's sociohistorical theory (1896-1934).
How do adults learn? There are definite characteristics and theoretical references on how the learning process of children is carried out and throughout their educational training, but very little is said about the learning process of an adult. The characteristics are totally different.
For adult learning there are elements such as age, sex, hours, responsibilities and economic factors that influence their learning process. These same elements help to categorize adults, for example, they are grouped between the ages of 15 - 25 years, 25-35 years, 35-45 years. In addition there are other elements of great importance that regardless of age or occupation, are as momentous as they are:
• Willingness to learn.
• Labor demands, existing in their social context.
• Personal growth.
• A search for better income from your preparation.
• Motivation.
Without these elements, the main objective of adult education will not be achieved; changes in their lives, both social, cultural and economic. Vigostky proposes two models of learning processes: the zone of proximal development (ZPD) and appropriation; The first is where the child learns through imaginary cultural situations, through games; the second takes into account that the subjects consist of a set of cultural structures.
Unlike children, adults already have a whole cognitive structure, the new knowledge will be carried out through the appropriation process. To do this, the instructor or professional in charge must create mechanisms for social interaction between adults; promote a suitable environment and the use of a different methodology than when working with children.
Appropriation in the first moment allows influencing their environment, in a second moment fosters internal change in the adult, Vigotsky calls this internalization, a process of internal reconstruction of cultural structures under the influence of something external to the subject.
The adult appropriates what is taught and thereby modifies his life, his behaviors and his environment where he operates. Adult education is an alternative that has its reason for being, since it is part of our own formation, our permanent education.
conclusion
When someone mentions the importance of this topic, our brain immediately visualizes images about it, predisposing an attitude of refusal to dialogue about it, or in the best of cases it is accepted with the intention of soon ending.
Under a framework of merely social understanding, the subject in question is not so unknown, but it is still of no importance for its practice. From its origins, adult education was born as a response to multiple social, political and economic problems in some countries such as Mexico. It was considered that it would somehow correct the historical burden of the educational backwardness, to give rise to integration into this capitalist system.
Such intentions have not yet been achieved, although as an alternative in its formation it still lacks both well-defined conceptual elements; immersed in the multiple positions to give legitimacy to their practice.
Bibliographic references
Domínguez Rodríguez, Emilia "ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PEDAGOGY». Ed. Epasa. Volume IV.
Castorina, José Antonio Y Dubrovsky Silvia (Comp). PSYCHOLOGY, CULTURE AND EDUCATION. PERSPECTIVE FROM THE WORK OF VIGOTSKY. Ed. Editions Educational News 2004.
