Malcolm Knowles facts for kids

Malcolm Shepherd Knowles (born August 24, 1913 – died November 27, 1997) was an American expert in adult education. He is famous for helping people understand how adults learn.

Knowles is best known for using the idea of andragogy. This word was first used by a German teacher named Alexander Kapp. Andragogy is a way of teaching that focuses on how adults learn differently from children.

Knowles also played a big part in developing the Humanist Learning Theory. This theory suggests that learners should be active in planning their own learning. He believed that adults learn best when they help decide what and how they will learn.

Malcolm Knowles' Early Life

Malcolm Knowles was born in Montana. His parents were Dr. and Mrs. A. D. Knowles. When he was young, he was a very active Boy Scout.

His family later moved to West Palm Beach, Florida. He finished high school there in 1930. After that, he earned a scholarship to Harvard University. He graduated from Harvard in 1934 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Soon after college, he started working with the National Youth Administration in Massachusetts. This program helped young people find jobs during a tough economic time. While at Harvard, he met Hulda Fornell, and they got married on August 20, 1935.

His Career in Adult Education

In 1940, Malcolm Knowles became the Director of Adult Education at the Boston YMCA. He held this job until 1943. That year, he joined the United States Navy during World War II.

After the war, in 1946, he moved to Chicago. There, he worked as the Director of Adult Education at the YMCA. While working, he also studied at the University of Chicago. He earned his M.A. degree in 1949.

From 1951 to 1959, he served as the executive director of the Adult Education Association of the USA. During this time, he also continued his studies at the University of Chicago. He earned his PhD in 1960.

In 1959, Knowles became an associate professor of adult education at Boston University. He worked there for 14 years. He was given tenure, which meant his job was secure.

Later Years and Retirement

In 1974, Malcolm Knowles joined the faculty of Education at North Carolina State University. He worked there for four more years before retiring from full-time academic work.

Even after retiring, he stayed very active in the field of adult education. He continued to teach into the 1990s. He taught at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California. He also taught at the University of Arkansas.

Malcolm Knowles passed away in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 1997. He died from a stroke. His work continues to influence how adults are taught and learn today.

See also

• Adult education
• Andragogy
• Humanism (philosophy of education)
• Instructional theory