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Lauren Long, MSC 331

Dr. Crosby
CAE 323
27 February 2017
Personal Philosophy of Education
Introduction:
I believe that it is important for adult educators to know what they believe about adult

education in order to be effective in their teaching. Each educator will have differing views on

what is important and what is not important in education. Once these views are identified and

established, the educator can effectively grow as a teacher. It is important for educators to know

what they believe about the learner, the purpose of adult education, the content, the learning

process, and the role of the adult educator as they seek to identify and solidify their philosophies

of adult education.
My personal philosophy of education is founded in the principles of both the Progressive

Philosophy of Adult Education and the Behavioral Philosophy of Adult Education. Because of

this, I have labeled my philosophy as the Progressive-Behavioralist Philosophy of Adult

Education to show that my philosophy is a true mixture of the two philosophies. Some adult

educators associated with the Progressive Philosophy of Adult Education include Spencer,

Dewey, and Blakely. Watson, Skinner, Thorndike, and Tyler fall into the category of

Behavioralist educators.
The Learner:
I believe that the learner is the most important part of education. Without learners,

education could not exist. Knowledge would still exist, and it would theoretically be available for

people to acquire; however, without learners, there would be no one to take the initiative in such

an acquisition. Education takes place when learners, for a variety of differing reasons, begin to

take steps towards acquiring new knowledge and skills that will prove beneficial to their lives;

therefore, learners are crucial for education of any sort to take place.
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Another reason that I place such high value on the learner stems from my faith in Christ.

As a Christian, I desire to live out my faith in every aspect of my life, and, as a Christian

educator, I believe that it is my responsibility to value the learners and to serve them well

through the way in which I guide them in their learning. In order to accomplish this goal, I

believe that I must place a high value on the needs, interests, and experiences of the learner.
I believe that a big part of my role as an educator is to help learners meet their felt needs.

I value knowing what the learners need to know so that I can guide them through education to

meet some of those needs. I value the interests of the learners because learners are more

motivated to learn when they find the topics to be of interest to them. I do not want to waste my

time attempting to teach adults things that they do not need, nor are interested in learning. I value

the experiences of the learners because their experiences add a certain depth to the learning that

cannot be replicated. I want the learners to be able to actively participate in their learning, and

their experiences enhance their ability to do this, as well as occasionally providing the learners

with additional confidence.

The Purpose Adult Education:
I believe that Adult Education gives the opportunity for adults to acquire the knowledge

and skills that they need to function effectively in the various tasks that they desire to carry out

within society. I believe that learners realize their need for education when they come across

situations in which they do not possess the abilities needed for success. Here adult education

grants practical knowledge and problem solving skills that help the learners to acquire the

knowledge and skillsets they need to succeed.

I also believe that education should produce change within the learners. If true learning is

taking place, the lives of the learners will be marked by this change. This change is demonstrated

through the way that the learners use the material that they have acquired in the everyday

happenings of their lives. If studying a new language, the learners should be able to increasingly
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use that new language to help them meet their daily needs in which the new language is

involved. If studying new methods of farming that increase sustainability, the learners should be

able to implement those new methods as they acquire them to change the way farming takes

place. This principle can be applied to whatever subject is being studied by adult learners.
Within Adult Education, I value the use of guiding standards that clarify the meaning of

quality education. Quality education grants the learners with a certain mastery of the material

that is being taught. That mastery is based upon the learners meeting certain requirements that

demonstrate that the learner truly knows the material well. They must possess a certain amount

of competency in the subject matter that they are studying in order to be considered as having

truly learned it. I do not mean to imply that the learners must become experts with all of the

material that they study; I only mean to state that they must be able to meet a standard of

competency before having sufficiently completed their education.

The Content:
Having good content is crucial to successful adult education. I believe that is important

for content to be high-quality, interesting, and relevant to the students needs. Having high-

quality content addresses the need for the education to adequately train the learners to attain

competency in their fields of study. If learners are expected to meet certain standards of

competency, educators and the content of their courses must be accountable to meeting those

standards themselves.
I believe that the content being taught should be interesting because I believe that

learning should be fun. If the need to know something is great enough, it is possible to learn

regardless of how interesting the content may be. However, if the content is not interesting, it

will make learning much more difficult. As I strive to be a good educator, I want to motivate my

students to learn in every way I can. I desire to be passionate about education, and, within that
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desire, I want to provide students with content that captivates them. I highly value content that is

interesting and makes the learners excited to learn more.

Relevancy of the content is also of extreme importance to me, as well as to good adult

education. Adults are not motivated to learn when they feel like the content that they are studying

is not useful to their lives. It is important for educators to be well-acquainted with what the

students need to be learning, as well as what they desire to learn, so that they can provide high-

quality, interesting content that is also relevant to the needs of the students. If the content fails to

be relevant, there is a good chance that true learning will not take place.
Using integrated curriculum, a method associated with progressive adult education, is one

way to keep the content relevant. Integrated curriculum focusses on creating activities that help

the students to make connections between the content being studied within the classroom and life

outside of the classroom. Similarly, the behavioralist method of skill training can also help the

educator to provide relevant content. When an educator spends time specifically preparing

students to be able to accomplish a specific skill, the learners can clearly see the importance and

the relevancy of the content being studied.

The Learning Process:

When discussing the learning process, I believe that the adult educator must always begin

with a thorough needs assessment, and the educator should continue this needs assessment

throughout the entirety of the time spent working with any group of learners. Education should

meet the learners needs, and the learners needs are different in every context and have the

capacity to change. Educators need to keep this at the forefront of their minds as they work

alongside their students.

Another important part of the learning process is interaction. I place a high value on

discussion amongst the students, and I believe that the student needs to take an active role in the

learning process. A few behavioralist concepts that support this idea include trial and error,
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feedback, and reinforcement. These concepts pair well with the progressivist concept of problem

solving. I think that it is important to let students try to solve problems on their own, with some

guidance from the instructor. Discussion groups can help the students work out problems

together. If they cannot solve the problem on their own, the teacher should be there to give

feedback and guide them in the right direction. Reinforcement of concepts and ideas helps to

commit the acquired knowledge to memory for future use.

The environment in which learning takes place also plays a key role in the learning

process. I value the idea that educators should work proactively to create environments that are

conducive to learning. This includes anything from the classrooms set-up to the methods used to

teach. I think that one of the best learning environments is a place where the learners feel

relaxed, confident, and ready for discussion. If the educator is able to create an environment that

makes the learners feel this way, he or she has succeeded in this important step in the learning

process.
The last thing that I would like to mention in regards to the learning process is the value

of reflection in learning. Reflection takes the learners beyond surface level learning to a deeper

level of understanding the content. As the learners discuss, it is important to have them reflect on

what they are saying. If a lecture is given, the students need to participate in some sort of

reflective activity to help the knowledge sink in. Students should also be reflecting on their own

work. Journals that make use of critical reflection are particularly helpful to the learning process.
The Role of the Adult Educator:
My views about the role of the adult educator in adult education are very true to my

Progressive-Behavioral Philosophy of Adult Education. Progressivists view the teacher as an

organizer who guides learners through educational experiences. The teacher should present

concepts that initiate the learning process within the learners, and the teacher should also
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evaluate the learning process as it takes place. Behavioralists view the teacher as a manager of

the classroom. Educators are responsible to create and direct learning outcomes.
I value the order and structure that these philosophies allow the educator to bring to the

classroom. I believe that students learn well through discussion, but I also believe that there must

be a guiding force behind the discussion to keep the learners on track. I believe that students

learn well through working out problems amongst themselves, but I also believe that they need

someone to present the problem and also someone to correct them if they come to the wrong

conclusions.
I believe that educators should be professional, passionate, and full of grace.

Professionalism and expertise help to gain the students respect and also allow the educator to

carry out his or her responsibilities well. Passion is another quality of a good educator because I

believe that if people do not love what they are pouring their lives into something will be lacking

in the outcome of their work. Also, I believe that passion demonstrated in the life of the educator

helps to motivate the learners to be passionate as well. Educators that are full of grace show the

learners that they are truly cared for. This is important to me because I desire to show the love of

Christ in all that I do. I want my students to see His grace through the way that I treat them. In

my opinion, educators that possess these three qualities and who guide the classroom using the

progressive and behavioral principles of leadership are off to a very good start.
Conclusion:
Once again, the importance of adult educators having a solid understanding of what they

believe about adult education is essential to the effectiveness of their teaching. Through self-

reflection upon my own core values, I have been able to establish my Progressive-Behavioralist

Philosophy of Adult Education based on specific, personal values found within key aspects of

adult education. I believe that having identified these values and thoroughly thinking through my

personal philosophy of adult education has helped me grow in my identity as an adult educator.
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Though I am sure my philosophy of adult education may change some as I gain experience in

teaching, I am thankful that I have been able to detail where I stand right now. Knowing my

philosophy of education will help me tremendously because it gives me a foundation on which to

stand. I am excited to see how it will make itself known through my teaching style and the

methods I choose to teach within my future teaching.