Here’s a radical idea: The primary responsibility of teachers and leaders is not to issue orders; it’s to release the energy of the people and manage the processes for using that energy to achieve goals. This idea was ahead of its time when Malcolm Knowles published it in 1983. It challenged Frederick Taylor’s theory of “scientific management,” which emphasized control and punishment. Knowles believed adults have a high capacity for ingenuity and creativity in solving problems, and their intellectual potential is only partially realized. Those of us who embrace learner-centered teaching practices owe a great deal to Knowle’s pioneering work.
Knowles, Malcolm S. et al. The Adult Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development. 6th edition. Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann, 2005, p. 255.