Fringe alternatives in the mainstream

Some educators are bringing spirituality learning out of religion to help individuals make meaning of experience. Non-western perspectives like those found in the spiritual traditions of eastern religions and indigenous cultures worldwide are becoming increasingly popular as alternatives to traditional education in the United States. In addition, critical theory, postmodernism, feminism, sexual politics, and racial politics are increasingly influencing adult education practice. Alternative philosophies provide western adult educators with new ways to consider the nature and purpose of learning. This leads to teaching approaches that can build more dynamic learning environments that help learners and educators navigate the cultural dynamics that influence learning and meaning-making [6].

This rich array of traditional, nontraditional, and emerging philosophies beneath emerging practices in adult learning provide different perspectives and approaches. However, each seems to represent only a portion of a massive dynamic system that remains undefined.