Personal Philosophy Of Adult Education

The theory of adult learning is the assumptions about how adults learn. Emphasizes the value of the process of learning in adults ("Adult Learning Theory," 2007). Malcom Knowles and American practitioner and theorist of adult education defined is as an art and science of helping adults learn ("Adult Learning Theory," 2007). Knowles also defined six adult learning principles as adults are internally motivated and self-directed, adults bring life experiences and knowledge to learning experiences and are goal orientated. They also relevancy oriented and are practical learners who like to be respected when in the classroom ("Adult Learning Theory," 2007). As educators, we need to foster the adult learner’s internal motivation to learn. Develop a rapport with the adult learner, encourage them to ask questions and explore concepts. Some adult learners come with years of experience and knowledge, with this as an instructor or teacher we need to harvest this information and have them apply it to their

Education has played a major role in my life. Growing up I was fortunate enough to have been taught and guided by some truly inspirational teachers, and I appreciate the effect they have had on my life and the choices I made subsequently. My passion for working with students extends from my desire to emulate these role models and inspire others the way I was. This passion for being an educator/mentor has resulted in me having gained a lot of experience in education that will help me in this role as a UW Academy TA.

I always thought I would be a teacher and I would make differences in lives and it would be the greatest experience in the world for me, yet being a teacher wasn’t enough, I had a need to expand my education. I decided that perhaps I needed a new career, however, I felt certain education remained my passion. I began to explore new areas of education and I realized I still want to be a member of a classroom, a school and curriculum. I aspire to guide those leading our classrooms.

I am someone who is passionate about learning and education. I enjoy the challenge, interaction and success of the learning experience. My career has allowed me to combine my passion for education and sharing those learning with the people I work with. I often find opportunities to help my colleagues and customers learn new skills or information to enhance their overall job success.

First, adult learners, see education as leading to a deeper understanding of oneself and therefore as intrinsically valuable (Weathersby, 1981). They have a great desire to be treated equally and respected as students. Their expressionism of independence is translated as the adult learner makes choices in the design, functionality and progression of their college career.

My impression of adult education has changed immensely. First and foremost, the first lesson learned that teaching adults are a separate, intensive, and long debated process. Portions of certain theories learned illustrated below. I have extended knowledge about Meizrow (Transformational Learning) and Knowles (Andragogy). The six key features of Adult Learners are:

I was inspired to follow a career in teaching through my own experience of working in various teaching environments. Having been able to experience first-hand how great of an impact a teacher can have on the minds of young people, made me realise this is a career I wanted to pursue.

My passion runs deep for education. Currently as a principal, creating a culture of career and college ready students is a necessity for me. Preparing our youth to be studious, independent critical thinkers and resilient is a big task. Assessing areas of weakness then providing the right teacher, curriculum supplements, and a safe and conducive learning environment is a challenge in my school.

When we prepare children for life. We have to bring lot of changes to the teaching methodology. My personal philosophy is to create positive learning environment through active learning. Teaching and learning are the two sides of a coin... Students can learn best when they are motivated. To motivate them for learning teacher need to be well prepared and motivated him/herself. Students enjoyed learning if the activity is fun. Therefor an effective strategy can help students to get involved in the lesson and they get to know what they learn best.

The learning experience should be that of a collective nature where students are able to indiscriminately relate to the information, re-teach the information and have a balanced incorporation of all the learning centers in society; including the home and the church. The goal of this incorporation is to create a balanced learning environment that facilitates holistic development in the young mind. As professionals entrusted with the shaping of young minds, teachers must facilitate learning and personal, spiritual, ethical and academic development. My philosophy for education is a multi-part philosophy that encapsulates the idea of holistic and inclusive learning. The philosophy caters for the overall shaping and development of the young mind and includes aspects of balanced training, incorporated teachings and it generally focuses on training students to become teachers.

Teaching is not just a job that I perform because I expect a reward at the end of each month; it is my passion and I feel extremely satisfied with every successful lesson. I like to help the society, and teaching gives me a great opportunity to do so. I am passionate about educating my students, so I work with them and motivate them to lead them to find inspiration in learning. I use different strategies to engage them and share with them the knowledge.

My passion is to not only teach students in a creative and positive way that they are actually learning but also to inspire them to learn and make something great of themselves in their future. The reason being when I was younger I did not take my education that serious. If I would have known then how serious an education was, I feel that I could have accomplished more in middle and high school. After school I wouldn't care about actually learning about my homework. For this reason I want to inspire kids to want to learn at a young age and for them to see that their education and work ethic is very important even at their age. Most importantly I want my future students to want to learn.

Not a tertiary-trained teacher, life experiences along with formal training during 20 years of military service involved working with young adults combined to provide an interesting mix of different methodology, using a mix of ideas, methods, and unorthodox motivators. There are few experiences in life better than watching people achieve something new for the first time. Young learners are sponges for information (as well as pre-learners) and given the right motivation, they seem to be capable of almost anything. Passing down the passion is about passing down to the generation. Educationalists see in their leaners tiny reflections of themselves and educationalist are teaching their passion. There are many diverse kinds of Educationalists in the world and most educationalists have a passion. They recognize all the potential for greatness that lies in the generations. Therefore, educationalists desire to pass down what they know best - the love for learning, (Leslie, I. 2015).

Adults seeking to complete their undergraduate or graduate degrees bring a unique perspective to the college classroom — life experiences. For many adult students’ life experiences delayed the ability to attend college but valuable learning occurred by having careers, raising families, and traveling. Schooling in the traditional sense is void of knowledge unless academic teachings can be experienced and practiced in real-life (Carroll, 2015). While not all life experiences can be classified as college-level learning, an adult brings a level of maturity to their studies that are not often seen in the traditional college student. The value of experiential learning can be quantified not only in the adult learner but also in those that choose a second career in teaching.

Through the classes I have taken at Wilmington University and my experiences in the classroom, I have developed a personal teaching philosophy that will be implemented into my future classrooms. I chose the teaching profession because I understand the challenges and responsibilities that come with teaching young minds. Children are our future and I am confident in my ability to help students reach their potential both inside and outside of the classroom.