Teaching, Learning, And Transformative Learning

My teaching philosophy is centered on providing relevant, context-driven experiential education that engages each student based on their individual learning style. Experiential education is the philosophy that encourages educators to purposefully engage learners in direct experience and focused reflection to increase knowledge, develop skills and clarify values. As an adult educator I incorporate experiential education techniques into my lesson plan. I believe designing learning opportunities around life and work experiences helps to prepare students to recreate those experiences for themselves in the future My philosophy with working with adult learners is to focus on the student.

Adult learning is having a clear picture of how adults learn and how this in turn affects the program planning process. Many adults are not sure about what they want to do with their lives after high school. There are many programs that will help you to decided, what you want to do with your life. This is where adult education programs can help you decided on the importance of education. There are three content areas that connects with adult learning and planning education within the adult. Knowles state that the adult learner, learns from their experiences. Experiences is how adults live their everyday lives and make concise

"The resource of highest value in adult education is the learner's experience. Therefore all genuine education will keep doing and thinking together"¦experience is the adult earner's living textbook," so said Edward Linderman in his work The Meaning of Adult Education. For generations, education has tended to shy away from experience-based learning in favor of more structured models. However, utilizing experience within the process of education is still a powerful tool for instructors of students of all ages. Adult education students can benefit the most, as they already have a wealth of experiences and resources to bank on in their quest to adopt new learning into what they already knew and experienced. Therefore, it is true that within the context of the adult learner, experience is one of the most crucial learning resources.

Today's workers need to prepare with continuous job training, growth and development. Given the increased age, experiences and diverse lifestyles of the working population, it is understandable that adult education practices must move beyond the traditional model of teachers and learners, while new skills, working with local companies to match their needs and sending staff into factories and other workplaces to spread the word about state and federal retraining assistance. While trying to decide how to rebuild your life after loss of employment and lack of job opportunities following the current recession, or devastated from a divorce? Adult students faced with other struggles; studies have shown that older adult students face different hurdles, family problems, and poor self-image. These along with poor time management, weaker academic preparation and a need for remediation an increased focus on adult learners and their needs can help. (armour)

Adult educators must strive to understand their beliefs, the perspectives that they shape and the ethics that drive their profession. As Merriam and Brockett said, “The practice of adult education does no happen in a vacuum. It occurs in a context that manifests certain beliefs and that values certain behaviors over others. Understanding what those beliefs and values are can only lead to more informed and reflective practice.” (2007) This essay will outline what I believe about philosophy, ethics, adult education, the learner, the instructor, and the curriculum. This will ultimately help guide me and focus me to my view of this profession and myself as an adult educator.

The learning material should be relevant to their social positions and lifestyle, and because the learning material directly concerns their lives, they would want to be involved in the whole process – from the introduction of information to the outcome. Adult learners zero in to the elements that are of most relevance to their immediate needs and conditions. Those aspects that well give them the necessary knowledge and skill to resolve life-centered or problem-centered learning experiences.

The world of adult learning was changed by Knowles’ (1973) when he identified four assumptions about andragogy, meaning “the art and science of helping adults learn” (Knowles, 1970, p. 42). These assumptions are: self-concept; experience; readiness; and orientation. Knowles later added two more assumptions; the critical need to know, and motivation (Knowles, Holton & Swanson, 2015; Knowles, 1980). Knowles’ second assumption, experience, plays a significant role for individuals to create, retain and transfer knowledge based upon prior knowledge and skill, (Argote, McEvily & Reagans, 2003, p. 575). I will search for evidence on how the elements of Knowles’ theory align with the knowledge retention and engagement.

Following the ONE Decision seminar, a transformative learning shift resonated with me. Jack Mezirow, professor and leading Transformative Learning thinker describes, “Transformative learning refers to the process by which we transform our taken-for-granted frames of reference (meaning perspectives, habits of mind, mind-sets) to make them more inclusive, discriminating, open, emotionally capable of change, and reflective so that they may generate beliefs and opinions that will prove more true or justified to guide action.” Following this seminar, I began looking at my life, how my beliefs were formed and I questioned what kind of life I wanted to lead. Transformative learning took place for me following my involvement in teaching the ONE Decision seminar and I began gaining greater control over my life as a “socially responsible, clear-thinking decision maker.” I began discovering how the beliefs I held as a child were not necessarily beliefs I wanted to hold as an adult. Beliefs that I needed to please others in order to have worth and to be liked were not in line with my ONE Decision. I saw how my current view of the world was not in support of the type of lifestyle I wanted to lead. Mezirow writes that transformative learning “demands that we be aware of how we come to our knowledge and as aware as we can be about the values that lead us to our perspectives.” Through my assignments, research, writing, and coaching, I became capable of

Gadbow believes it is the duty of adult educators to instill a life-long love of learning into their students, "helping adults learn how to learn is the most important thing a teacher ever does" (p. 53). The first responsibility of educators working with adults is to help them identify their learning styles and differences as well as other special learning needs, and then provide effective strategies to adapt to these individual learning needs (53). The author's contention that all learners are special means seeing the possibilities as well as the problems or particular needs of each student as they present themselves.

"Education is life--not a mere preparation for an unknown kind of future living…The whole of life is learning; therefore, education can have no ending. This new venture is called adult education--not because it is confined to adults but because adulthood, maturity defines its limits." (Lindeman, E.1926p.6)

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:

Transformative learning refers to transforming a problematic frame of reference to make it more dependable in our adult life by generating opinions and interpretations that are more justified. Mezirow’s then continues this statement by implying that, ‘transformative learning is a way of problem solving by defining a problem or by redefining or reframing the problem’ (Mezirow 1991)

According Newman in 2014, Adult learning development is more critical thinking and self-reflective. Adult learning education is the ground work for learner to realize these capabilities by developing their skills insights and help them apply these skills. Mezirow believes teachers must help their students on their journey to learn these skills (Newman, 2014). The teacher must be Intune to the emotions of their students during their learning and pick out there speed to achieve Mezirow learning theory Newman states. The teachers must also trying to coerce their students into becoming a more of a critical thinker. The instructor must also help to discover these skills, by helping achieve their

Having had the opportunity to interview three great individuals of transformative education, this being has formed a more thorough understanding from three different perspectives. Reflecting on the interviews conducted, several pods of wisdom have materialized. The purpose of the interviews was to gather an enhanced view of honor through the lens of transformative education.

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.