My evolving philosophy of adult education.

The first thing that has to be stated in this, my final post, is that the learning for me in this course has been exponential, and has elicited in me more than the occasional sense of disequilibrium. Never before have I pondered issues of power in education - whether that power was related to gender, race, social class, age, or culture. These ponderings have disturbed my sense of self in that I now question where I fit (in my social reality and lifeworld) in terms of my own power, or lack thereof (heaven forbid!). Additionally, I have a heightened sensibility towards those with whom I have contact - whether they be my students, my teachers, my colleagues - and even my husband. Being considerate of others is, I believe, a requirement for anyone in the business of education. However, being considerate of where students fit in power hierarchies is a different angle from which to approach an individual's situation. It is also, I have come to realize, extremely important. This knowledge informs teaching practices and can have a significant effect on the learning outcomes of our students.

All that being said, my purpose in this post is to attempt to verbalize my own evolving philosophy of adult education. I would not dare to lay down a crystallized philosophy since, first of all, I consider myself still very much in the process of learning. Secondly it seems to me that the field of adult education is itself an area of perpetual development. As society becomes increasingly globalized, as technology continues to (excuse the pun,) virtually mushroom around us, as gender and other inequities become increasingly scrutinized in a world that is moving faster than ever before in human history - so too does the need to explore how human behaviour is evolving to adapt to this new world. Therefore, I would contend that our understanding of learning, both adult and child, is in a state of evolution.

Before trying to explain my philosophy, I feel it is of foremost importance to consider the adult learner since it is the learner who, I believe, drives the learning in an ideal situation. Educators of adults should therefore accommodate their students by moulding, or adapting their role and even perhaps their philosophy to meet the learners' needs and interests, and to acknowledge the impact on their learning of the prior experiences, lifeworlds, and cultural contexts within which the learner exists. 

Additionally, it is important to recognize the various reasons for adults to engage in formal, informal or non-formal learning. According to Marsick et al. (2001), while formal learning is often institutional and highly structured; informal learning is "not typically classroom-based or highly structured, and control of learning rests primarily in the hands of the learner". (Marsick et al. 2001, p.25). Incidental learning (Marsick, 2001) is another mode for consideration, as is the learning that takes place in the homeplace (Gouthro, 2005), better understanding of which may lead to greater emancipation of the female learner. One must also consider learners for whom education is a means by which to escape oppression or to gain power (as per Freire). It is possible, in the case of an average North American white male, that perhaps the reason for engaging in driving lessons is merely driven ('scuse the pun again) by a need to facilitate transportation - I do not want to consider this type of learning in my post. Why? Because in most other cases, this course has shown me that learning can, and should, lead to transformation, freedom from oppression, and/or the levelling out of power in some form.

Gloria Ladson Billings, in her TedTalk (I think it was?) spoke of the importance of culturally relevant pedagogy and advocated for three propositions to support this: 1. To support student learning; 2. to develop cultural competence; and 3, to encourage socio-political consciousness. Her talk resonated with me as she expanded on her ideas. Too often, the focus is on what teachers cover rather than what students learn. Courses are like sieves rather than what should exist in a culturally relevant pedagogical environment which results in teachers creating a net to catch all students and to focus on mastery rather than coverage. Additionally, she spoke of the desire to help a student to be firmly grounded in his/her culture of origin as well as fluent in at least one other culture. "All students should leave school multiculturally competent"(Ladson Billings). She then asks a provocative question: "What if our teachers are culturally incompetent?". The idea of helping students to engage directly in the social and civic concerns of their schools, communities, localities, the nation, and the world seem beyond the scope of most classroom teachers. Therefore, knowing more about the culture of our students makes one better able to reach them, to help them to learn, and to engage them in the pursuit of their own cultural competence (and that of others). 

Among the adult learning theories we have explored are the liberal, the behaviourist, the progressive, humanistic, and radical. Beginning with Knowles' principals of andragogy, and moving from Freire's transformative liberational ideas of education to develop autonomous thinking; to reflective practice and the theories of Dewey and Schön, to the principals of self-directed learning as espoused by Brookfield, we then considered the implications of cultural context, policy, gender, colour, and other factors affecting power, hierarchies, privilege and oppression. 

If I have learned anything, it is this: Adult educators should strive to understand "how their beliefs (i.e., their contextually adapted philosophies), associated learning objectives, and learners’ needs interact to impact the process of student transformation and emancipation, particularly in the practice of andragogy (the art and science of helping adults to learn)." (Wang, 2009). In attempting to consolidate my learning, I came across this article which truly does the job for me! Wang presents a model that illustrates the fact that even though adult educators may cling to one ideology, they necessarily assume various roles and employ various methods according to the needs of their students:

We have come a long way from the assumption that to teach is to transmit information. Rather, we (well, I) consider learning as socially constructed (as per Dewey) and the role of the teacher as that of facilitator. The teacher cannot treat all students equally in order to be either equitable or effective since each individual “exists in a continually changing world of experience of which he is the center” and “the organism reacts to the field as it is experienced and perceived” (Rogers, 1951, p. 1441, in Wang, 2009).  So once again, the focus is on the student rather than the teacher. Just as Ladson Billings pronounced that the teacher should be culturally competent and know her students, so does Brookfield in his ideas about self-directed learning focus on the requirement that the student drives the learning. Similarly, Knowles' ideas on andragogy have been labelled "the most learner-centered of all patterns of adult educational programming" (Henschke, 2010). In Rodgers' (2002) article on John Dewey and reflective thinking, she states that, according to Dewey "A reflective teacher who possesses an attitude of directness might well ask, "Where was the learning in today's work?" This is a very different question from "what did I teach today?"(Rodgers, 2002, p.860).  Again, the focus is on the learner not the teacher or the teaching. Tisdell (2006) in her article on spirituality, cultural identity, and epistemology cautions educators to "consider that learners construct knowledge in different ways. The construction of new knowledge not only is related to the rational and intellectual domains typical of higher education but also is a spiritual pursuit, related to learners' cultural identity, their personal experience, history, and relationship to the community (Dillars, 2000 in Tisdell, 2006, p. 23). Once again, the learner is the focus, not the educator. The educator is advised to know his/her students in order to maximize the learning experience.  In Tisdell (2013), a study of teacher beliefs and pedagogical practice, she notes that "successful FLE (financial literacy education) must address the beliefs and emotions that are part of the context of people's cultural lives" (Tisdell, 2013, p.342) and "one needs to take into account both the sociocultural context of the learners and the emotions that are attached to financial issues and money in teaching" (Tisdell, 2013, p.345). Among the teachers interviewed in this study was Vera whose opinion was reported as emphasizing "the importance of genuine caring and in learning about the community in trying to be culturally responsive" (p.350). Another teacher was quoted as saying: "I let the culture drive the lesson" and "I learn about the community" (p.350). Within Tisdell's concluding remarks are statements alluding to the need for educators to consider the cultural context that informs the financial realities and life circumstances of learners' lives in attending to curricular and pedagogical issues. "Indeed, such a concern is a hallmark of culturally responsive education in any setting." (Gay, 2010, Sealey-Ruiz, 2007, in Tisdell, 2013). The "culturally responsive" educators in the study made sure to adjust existing curricula, or to develop their own curriculum, in order to accurately reflect the lived experiences of their students. Once again, the focus is on the learner's experience rather than on the transmission of "canned" knowledge. 

In conclusion then, what is my philosophy of adult education? I have much yet to learn but in an effort to be succinct and quite possibly over-simplistic...

• To know our students informs practice in deep and meaningful ways.
• We must allow the knowledge we are privileged to glean about our students to lead us to adapt our espoused philosophy of education and our preferred teaching methods in order to maximize the learning potential and inherent success of our students.
• Succeeding in the above requires culturally relevant pedagogy which in turn should lead us as educators to help our students to become knowledgeable about other cultures.
• This should encourage students to think critically, indeed we must help our students to do so.
• All of the above would be impossible with reflection in, of, and as action (as per Dewey, Schön, and Day.

I will end with a final, full paragraph quote from Wang, 2009, whose article in its entirety sums up my thinking far more eloquently than the rambling meanderings that I've just subjected you to Laura!

"Adult educators are faced with the complex task of adjusting teaching to learning, often with little knowledge of teaching philosophies. Brookfield (1990) posited that flexibility could facilitate learning by better meeting the needs of the adult learners. Flexibility in adapting different philosophies could further facilitate learning by best meeting the needs of the adult learners.

With different philosophies in the adult education field as guiding principles, the role of adult educators as facilitators of self-directed learning must be redefined in this age of transformative learning. If educators of adults seek to transform adult learners, then humanistic and progressive adult educators themselves need to first adapt their individual philosophical perspectives. One’s philosophy needs to be adapted because it is determined by a plethora of factors. No single philosophy of adult education should dominate the field. Factors such as learner needs, learner styles, learner experience, and learner motivation all contribute to a working philosophy of adult education. Understanding the complex interaction of their students’ characteristics and their own personal philosophical perspec- tives will facilitate this transformative process." (Wang, 2009, p. 213).