D500 Term Paper

Jessica Lee
4/30/2017
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In the beginning of the course when we were asked to take the philosophy of adult

education inventory, I found that I identified most with a progressive-behavioral education.

However, over the course of time, through learning more about each individual theory and its

application in the classroom, I have found that the theory that best influences my teaching style

is that of the humanistic learning theory with a secondary leaning towards the progressive theory.

Humanistic learning theory places the student in the center of the learning and more emphasis is

placed on the self-development of the learner as a whole rather than solely on transmission of

information. The humanistic theory stresses that learning should be self-directed by the student

and “educators are concerned with the development of the whole person with a special emphasis

upon the affective dimensions of the personality” (Elias & Merriam, 2005). The role of the

teacher is to create an environment that supports the learner and creates an open discussion

where the learner is able to achieve their highest potential. More importance is placed on the

relationship between the teacher and the learner rather than on the knowledge the teacher

possesses stating, "the facilitation of significant learning rests upon certain attitudinal qualities

which exist in the personal relationship between the facilitator and the learner" (Rogers, 1995).

The humanistic theory is centered around facilitators nurturing the intrinsic motivation of

learners to achieve their highest potential and reach self-actualization. Learners should be

supported by their teachers and self-esteem and self-concept is not at risk while students are

acknowledged for the goals that they realize through the development of a supportive

environment by the teacher. Studies have been conducted that have found that self-actualized

students are ultimately more likely to be more successful academically and it is necessary for

educator to support their students to achieve their goals and reach their higher potential (Farmer,

1984). Adopting the humanistic teaching style allows students to learn how to learn and to
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continue to develop their curiosity and explorative nature so that they will be able to continue to

grow and adapt as technology and society grows and changes. The role of the educators is not to

teach to the book or core competencies, but rather to allow learners to process the material in

their own learning style and to encourage them to explore and cultivate their desire to continue to

learn and to better themselves as individuals. Humanistic theory is distinctively suited to adult

education through its focus on growth and development and striving to reach self-actualization,

much of which occurs in adulthood for most learners. One of the main focuses of this theory is

andragogy which focuses on finding solutions to meet the needs of adults at that moment in their

overall development (Elias & Merriam, 2005).

I believe that I can apply the humanistic theory in the future through placing more of an

emphasis on developing the relationship between the learners and myself as an educator.

Students are less likely to believe there is any room for exploration or a different interpretation of

the material if they have a teacher who is simply talking at them instead of encourage them to

embrace the materials for themselves. I believe that as educators, we should encourage trust

between our learners and ourselves and to show that there is room for them to participate in the

lesson rather than just being the recipient of our acquired knowledge. I think that I will be able to

ultimately achieve better learning outcomes for my students by incorporating the humanistic

learning theory into my teaching style through empowering the student to be able to truly gain a

mastery about the subject. I can empower students to develop their own learning style while still

maintaining the integrity of the material and ensuring that they learn what they need to be able to

perform the job properly and safely.

Another adult education theory I find that I relate to in many ways is that of the

progressive learning theory. Progressive education is a learner-centered approach in which the

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goal is to use collaboration and active learning to allow learners to achieve their goals and to

ultimately create growth in the learner and enact social change. The role of the educator is to

shift from a role of imparter of knowledge to that of a helper to student in their journey to learn

about the subject as well as learning about themselves. As stated by Elias and Merriam, the

educator is a “helper guide, encourager, consultant, and resource, not that of transmitter,

disciplinarian, judge, and authority” (2005). Much emphasis in this theory is placed upon the role

of the relationship between the teacher and learner and how the establishment of a strong

relationship in which the learner feels free to engage with the material and take control of their

learning is instrumental in helping the learner to achieve their educational goals.

One of the major aspects of this theory that I agree with is the use of collaboration

between students and the facilitator to allow the learners to direct their own learning and to learn

from one another’s experiences and perspectives. Through collaboration, the student is able to

use experiential learning with each other and their environment to shape their own understanding

of the material and to therefore be more likely to be able to recall this learning in the future. I

also agree with the role of the teacher as a guide because too often when the teacher takes on the

role as the holder of information, this leads to students being disengaged in the material and

ultimately negative learning experiences. When the teacher acts as a guide for the learners, they

enable learners to own their own experience and to feel more in control of achieving the learning

outcomes that are right for their own needs and interests. By using their own experiences and

perspectives, students are better able to relate to the material and to gain a deeper understanding

of the information by being able to place it into a real-world context.

While I agree with many of the aspects of progressive education, one of the areas I find

that I somewhat disagree with is that of using the scientific method to create a more controlled
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method to shape what students are learning. The use of the scientific method in this field is

through “clarification of the problem to be solved, development of ideas or hypotheses about this

problem, and the testing of these hypotheses by an examination of empirical evidence” (Elias &

Merriam, 2005). While I do not think analyzing learning outcomes cannot be beneficial, I do

believe that by focusing too much on the empirical evidence or by making teaching an

experiment, it can be detrimental to the organic nature of students shaping their own learning.

Our own expectations or biases as educators can lead us to focusing too much on fulfilling all of

the objectives of the hypothesis to create the experiment rather than allowing learning and

motivation to develop naturally. I also agree that social change can be a positive byproduct of

learning and assisting learners in the personal growth, but I do not think that creating social

change should be an overall objective in developing a teaching style. Again, I think by focusing

on social change as an outcome teachers can be shortchanging their students by not allowing

them to come to their own conclusions or to find their own path in life. A student may grow as a

person and as a learner but not necessarily feel drawn to engage in changing their society and

may simply feel content in changing the way that they interact with the existing society as a

whole.

I believe the positive points of progressive education theory that can be incorporated into

the classroom is that of creating a sense of community in the classroom in which the student

feels comfortable with exploratory learning. This can be done through creating an open forum

atmosphere in which the student feels that they are directing their learning based upon their own

interests and needs as well as allowing them to learn from one another collectively. I also think it

is important to embrace the idea of teaching less from the book or “teaching to the test” that has

become so popular in the current educational system. This type of education does a disservice to
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learners by not allowing them to develop their own relationship with the material based upon

their needs and ultimately can lead to students not retaining much of the material in the long-

term.

Another theory that I agree with certain aspects of is that of radical education theory. This

theory seeks to challenge society norms and ultimately create a dramatic impact on society

through changes in ways of political, social, and economic thought. Radical education puts an

emphasis on asking questions, solving problems, and eschewing complacency with the students

taking an active role in their education by being “no longer docile listeners-are now critical co-

investigators in dialogue with the teacher” (Friere, 1995). Learners are the keys to their own

success through asking questions of accepted norms and investigating possible solutions to

problems by expanding their understanding of society as a whole. This theory seeks to grow

learners as human beings by challenging traditional views and by asking them the create

alternatives to society’s problems which will lead to them enacting significant social change.

One of the aspects of this philosophy that I agree with is that of the idea that self-

reflection leads to overall improvement as an individual. I think that it is very easy for both

educators and students to become complacent with the traditional way of doing things and

ultimately can lead to many students not having a positive of impactful learning experience. I

agree that by questioning that which is accepted both in education and in society, human beings

are more likely to grow and to develop a better understanding of the world and their place in it.

By being willing to question the accepted way of doing things, students are able to explore the

idea that just because something has always been done a certain way, does not mean that is the

best or most effective way of accomplishing one’s goals. I also agree with the idea of using

problem solving to help teach ideas and to engage learners in their own education. By
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empowering learners to be able to find their own solutions to issues, it enables them to further

their understanding of the material as well as being more likely to retain the knowledge because

they are able to relate it to a real-world application.

One of the main areas I disagree with radical theory is the idea that the roles of the

teacher is simply to sit back and observe while the learners ask questions and use critical

thinking. I value the role of allowing learners to shape their own experience and to learn from

their own insights, but I do feel that the teacher should play a useful role as a guidepost for

learning. Without having some type of input and direction from a teacher, it can be easy for

learners to get off track from the ultimate goal of their education and not achieve the

competencies they may need to be successful in the future. I also think that by allowing students

to only learn through asking questions and challenging accepted beliefs it can lead to them

missing the point of the course itself by not being able to stay on topic and by overly dissecting

the ideas that they have been presented.

Ultimately I agree with the importance of incorporating this theory into the classroom by

questioning that which is accepted because it keeps humans from becoming complacent and

opens up the channels of creativity to be able to find unorthodox solutions to problems. It also

encourages creative thinking in learners and shows them the importance of participating in their

education which empowers them to embrace continued learning in the future. The use of

problem-solving as a teaching method allows learners to gain a real-world understanding of how

to use the material and enables them to work together cooperatively to create an alternative

solution.

I also find that there are certain aspects of the behavioral education theory that I relate to

and can incorporate into my teaching style to create a better learning experience for my students.
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The behavioral education theory focuses on the idea that educators can shape learners’ behaviors

through the use of conditioning to create observable competency or performance based results.

The goal of behavioral education educators is "to design an environment that elicits desired

behavior towards meeting these goals and to extinguish behavior that is not desirable" (Elias &

Merriam, 2005) and to educate students to respond in the preferred fashion to those situations in

which they are most likely to get positive results. Through operant conditioning, the educator is

able to reinforce positive outcomes and punish negative outcomes to create tangible results in

which the student is more likely to recreate the response in a similar situation. It is in human

nature to act in a way that allows them to fit in best and “given the chance to observe and

practice in situ the behavior of members of a culture, people pick up relevant jargon, imitate

behavior, and gradually start to act in accordance with its norms” (Brown, Collins, & Diguid,

1989).

I agree with the idea that people learn the most from their results in previous experiences

that they have had, and that they are more likely to try to recreate the behavior that led to the

receiving a positive result in the past. Alternately, for learners experiencing negative results, the

more costly the results are, the more likely it is that they will not repeat the behavior that led to

them originally being punished. I also agree that the environment that students find themselves in

is instrumental to the level of motivation that they will have for their learning. If students find

themselves in a supportive and engaging environment they are more likely to take an active role

in their education and will ultimately gain more from the learning experience than that they

would if they were in an environment with a disinterested teacher and a lack of potential to

explore their own opinions and perspectives. As educators, it is necessary to understand the role
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of the environment in how the student participates in their learning and for us to shape the way

we approach educating learners based upon the effects of their surroundings.

My main issue with the behavioral theory is that is does not take into account an

individual’s needs or interests, but rather maintains that people’s behavior is simply a reaction to

their environment and is not a product of introspection and conscious thought. I believe that

while environment does play a large role in motivating people to behave a certain way, that is far

from the only factor in determining behavior. I think by discounting the internal processes of

human beings as unimportant, we are doing a disservice to our learners by not encouraging them

to engage in self-reflection and truly understanding and developing themselves as a whole. I also

think that by labelling behavior as merely a reaction to the environment it disempowers people to

be able to take control of their direction and goals in life and makes it harder for them to be

motivated to be their best selves.

The behavioral theory can be useful to incorporate into the classroom as an educator by

periodically analyzing behavior from a purely observable standpoint because at times emotions

or personal biases can distort our perception of reality which can encourage self-awareness both

for the educator and the learner. It is also important to understand the effect that positive results

have upon learners and the idea that behaviors that have been positively reinforced tend to have a

higher level of recall for learners. By embracing this as an educator we can use positive

reinforcement to assist in creating a supportive environment in which learners can reach their

highest potential. Another idea it is important to incorporate from this theory is the idea of being

direct with learners about expectations from the beginning so that they can better understand

what their roles should be in the classroom and deter them from engaging in negative behaviors.
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The theory I found myself disagreeing with most is that of the liberal arts education

theory. In this theory, emphasis is placed upon using philosophical teachings to provide learners

with a moral compass to guide them through life and to help them to grow as individuals. The

goal is not simply to accumulate information, but rather to teach learners how to think by

building upon the foundation set forth by the Great philosophers of the past (Elias & Merriam,

2005) and to encourage a desire for lifelong learning. One of the major areas I do identify within

this philosophy is that of using these teachings to empower students to be self-directed and to

think for themselves instead of accepting what they are told as facts. By encouraging students to

embrace the teaching of these philosophers and integrate these principles into their own

behavior, we can motivate students to grow as individuals and to foster an innate curiosity and

desire for knowledge that will enable them to question and explore their surroundings throughout

their lives.

The main downfall that this theory has is that too often emphasis is placed upon learning

the theories of the philosophers while neglecting to place importance on translating this into

actions of the learners. As Robert Coles stated, “our schools and colleges these days don’t take

major responsibility for the moral values of their students, but, rather, assume that their students

acquire those values at home” (1995). It is easy to fall into the idea that simply by teaching

philosophy, students will embrace it and incorporate it into their behavior, when in actuality, this

goal often fall short with students learning the theory but not connecting it to their everyday

lives. The theory also places the capacity for human growth and development to be shaped by

learning these philosophies within the confines of a classroom and often in a higher education

environment. This is an outcome that is unobtainable for many disadvantaged people who cannot

afford this type of education or do not have access to resources to get it on their own. The liberal
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arts education also does not take into account individual’s different learning needs and interests

and allows the educator to change their style for what would best help their students achieve their

goals, but rather teaches a broad moral viewpoint and depends on students to internalize this

based upon their own interpretations of the material.

While I find there to be many drawbacks to the liberal education theory, one way in

which this can be beneficial to incorporate in the classroom is the idea that educators can use the

past experiences and wisdoms of others as a basis from whence to expand on their present

teachings. Educators can also empower students to participate in their learning through

encouraging them to use practical application of these philosophies which will help them better

understand the theory itself as well as to internalize the moral teachings of the philosophers. The

biggest takeaway from utilizing the liberal education theory is the idea of incorporating the ideas

of philosophers to help foster a desire for lifelong learning. By using these teachings, we as

educators can helps students to become their best selves through encouraging them to continue to

grow and increase their knowledge which will help them along their journey to self-actualization.
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References
Brown, J.S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning.
Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32-42.
Coles, R. (1995). Point of View. The Chronicle of Higher Education, A68.
Elias, J. L. & Merriam, S. B. (2005). Philosophical foundations of adult education (3rd Ed.).
Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing
Farmer, R. (1984). Humanistic education and self-actualization theory. Education, 105(2), 162-
173.
Freire, P. (1995). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. In S.B. Merriam (2nd Ed.), Selected writings on
philosophy and adult education (pp. 137-146). Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing
Rogers, C. R. (1995). The interpersonal relationship in the facilitation of learning. In Merriam, S.
B. (Ed.), Selected writings on philosophy and adult education (pp. 89-92). Malabar, FL:
Krieger Publishing Company.