Malcolm Shepherd Knowles (August 24, 1913 – November 27, 1997) was an American

adult educator An adult educator or AE is one who practices the profession of facilitating the learning of adults by applying the principles of andragogy. The broader term of trainer is sometimes used for an adult educator when listing job categories. However, ...

, famous for the adoption of the theory of

andragogy Andragogy refers to methods and principles used in adult education. The word comes from the Greek ἀνδρ- (''andr-''), meaning "man", and ἀγωγός (''agogos''), meaning "leader of". Therefore, andragogy literally means "leading men", wher ...

—initially a term coined by the German teacher Alexander Kapp. Knowles is credited with being a fundamental influence in the development of the

Humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

Learning Theory and the use of learner constructed contracts or plans to guide learning experiences.

Biographical information

Born in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

to Dr. and Mrs. A. D. Knowles, Knowles was an avid

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in his youth. The family moved to

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, and he graduated from

Palm Beach High School Palm Beach Lakes Community High School, also known as Lakes or PBL, is a coeducational public high school located in the Palm Beach Lakes community of West Palm Beach, Florida. It is under the jurisdiction of the School District of Palm Beach ...

in 1930. He earned a scholarship to

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1934. Shortly afterwards, he worked with the

National Youth Administration The National Youth Administration (NYA) was a New Deal agency sponsored by Franklin D. Roosevelt during his presidency. It focused on providing work and education for Americans between the ages of 16 and 25. It operated from June 26, 1935 to ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, and was married to Hulda Fornell, whom he met while studying at Harvard. In 1940, he assumed the position of Director of Adult Education at the

Boston YMCA YMCA Boston (also known as "YMCA of Greater Boston") was founded in 1851 in Boston, Massachusetts, as the first American chapter of YMCA. History The YMCA of Greater Boston, founded in 1851, was the first YMCA in the United States. The organ ...

until he was drafted into the

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in 1943. In 1946, he moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

to work as the Director of Adult Education at the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

while working on his

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, which he earned in 1949. From 1951 to 1959 he served as executive director of the Adult Education Association of the USA and pursued his PhD at the University of Chicago. In 1959, he accepted a faculty appointment at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

as an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...

of adult education with

tenure Tenure is a category of academic appointment existing in some countries. A tenured post is an indefinite academic appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances, such as financial exigency or program disco ...

. He spent 14 years there. He became a member of the faculty of Education at

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

in 1974 to complete his final four years of academic work prior to retirement. After retiring, he remained active in the field into the 1990s. He taught at

Fielding Graduate University Fielding Graduate University (previously Fielding Graduate Institute and The Fielding Institute) is a private graduate-level university in Santa Barbara, California. It offers postgraduate and doctoral studies mainly in psychology, education, an ...

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

(which offers degrees in

clinical psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and persona ...

and related subjects) and at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

. He died in

Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville () is the second-largest city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the biggest city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington until ...

, of a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

Selected bibliography

During his career he authored over 230 articles and 18 books, some of which include: * *Knowles, M. S., & Knowles, H. F. (1955). ''How to develop better leaders''. New York: Association Press. *Knowles, M. S., & Knowles, H. F. (1959). ''Introduction to group dynamics''. Chicago: Association Press. Revised edition 1972 *published by New York: Cambridge Books. *Knowles, M. S. (1968). Andragogy, not pedagogy. ''Adult Leadership, 16''(10), 350–352, 386. *Knowles, M. S. (1973)
''The adult learner: A neglected species''

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

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. Revised Edition 1990. *Knowles, M. S. (1975). ''Self-directed learning: A guide for learners and teachers''. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall/Cambridge. *Knowles, M. S. (1977). ''The adult education movement in the United States''. Malabar, FL: Krieger. *Knowles, M. S. (1980). ''The modern practice of adult education: From pedagogy to andragogy.'' Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall/Cambridge. *Knowles, M. S., ''et al.'' (1984). ''Andragogy in action: Applying modern principles of adult education''.

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

Jossey-Bass John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American multinational publishing company founded in 1807 that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company produces books, journals, and encyclopedias, in p ...

. *Knowles, M. S. (1986). ''Using learning contracts''. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. *Knowles, M. S. (1989). ''The making of an adult educator: An autobiographical journey''. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. *

References

External links

Website about Knowles
* Smith, M. K. (2002)

the encyclopedia of informal education * Fiorini, Deborah (2003)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knowles, Malcolm S. 1913 births 1997 deaths Harvard University alumni University of Chicago alumni Brown University faculty North Carolina State University faculty Boston University faculty People from Livingston, Montana YMCA leaders United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II New Deal in Massachusetts American Unitarian Universalists

Biographical information

Selected bibliography

See also

References

External links