Dialoog as onderrigbenadering in volwassene basiese onderwys en opleiding

M.Ed.Traditional teaching implies the conveying of information from an active educator to a passive learner. A monologic approach such as this, does not make provision for active participation by learners. Dialogue, as an approach to teaching adults, is in direct contrast to traditional, monological teaching. A Dialogical approach does not only imply a conversation between learners and educator, but also purposeful activity by both the learners and educator. The fact that adults have accumulated life experiences and have specific needs must be taken into consideration, therefore it is important that they are recognised as partners and decision makers in the teaching and learning process. A dialogical approach is one of negotiation, where learners are active decision makers, instead of passive receivers. Based on the above assumption, this study focuses on teaching adults, and more specifically adults involved in Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET), in a dialogical manner. The focus is not only on dialogue as an approach to teaching adults involved in Adult Basic Education and Training, but also the practical implications of this approach to actual Adult Basic Education and Training situations. The perspectives of three experts in the field of Adult Education, whose approaches to teaching adults are dialogical, namely Jane Vella, Ira Shor and Stephen Brookfield, are analysed, compared and integrated, as their perspectives not only show similarities but also differences. Because this study focuses on adults as learners, and more specifically adults involved in Adult Basic Education and Training, the concept adult is defined and eventually generalised characteristics for adults as learners are identified and described. The implications of these characteristics in an ABET context are indicated. The above mentioned theory is put into practice by constructing case studies in order to demonstrate dialogue as an approach to teaching adults in Adult Basic Education and Training