Personal Philosophy Of Adult Education

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY

Introduction

For the past 18 years as an educator, I have been involved in adult learning, either as a facilitator or a participant. I incorporated several of the principles of adult learning into my own work, although at the time I didn’t clearly understand their relevance. However recently, I have begun to formulate a more intricate view of adult learning or andragogy. It is clear that the processes involved in adult learning are intricate and requires multiple theories, models and principles for one to develop a greater understanding of this phenomena (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2011). Many of the main principles revolve around an understanding of the learner, the process of how adults learn, the role of the instructor,

It is also significant to note the differences between the role of the instructor and the facilitator. Knowles, et al., (2011) contends that moving from the role of a traditional instructor to the role of a facilitator occurs in large part when shifts from self-concept principle to one involving the use of prior experiences occur in the learner. Moreover, Knowles, et al., 2011 argue that although the facilitator may appear to be less visible, their role requires increased attention to the learners and the learning

According to Meriam, et al. (2007), andragogy is the most recognized theory of adult learning (p. 104). While much of my work as an instructional coach takes place side by side with teachers in classrooms and during informal conversations throughout our daily work. This type of learning is closely aligned with informal learning described by Merriam, et al. (2007), “the spontaneous, unstructured learning that goes on daily in …the workplace… and through various mass media (p. 35)”. Albeit, there are many other models and frameworks that explain ways adults receive and participate in learning including self-directed learning and transformational