Philosophical Foundations of Adult Education

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Philosophical Foundations of Adult Education

• Unlock Your Teaching Skills with a Working
  Philosophy of Adult Education

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Introduction

• How many of you are going to teach adults?
• How often do adult educators teach something
  without thinking about why they are teaching
  it?
• Formulate your own working philosophy before you
  enter the professional field.

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A Working Philosophy

• Dont be fooled, this is not an easy task. You
  must be willing to think seriously about why
  you are teaching, rather than what you are
  teaching.

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Quick Review of the isms

• Naturalism Nature is reality.
• Idealism Mind is reality.
• Realism Objects are reality.
• Representative realism real objects are
  perceived by direct experience.
• Neo-realism real objects are dependent upon the
  mind.
• Pragmatism Practical knowledge is reality.

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A Brief Comparison
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Aims and Objectives

• Cultivation of the intellect.
• Individual self-actualization.
• Personal and social improvement.
• Social transformation.

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Cultivation of the Intellect

• Education for its own sake.
• Transmission of knowledge that is educationally
  worthwhile.
• Focus is on the subject matter, rather than the
  learner.

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Individual Self Actualization

• Human beings are inherently good.
• Development of persons open to change and
  continued learning.
• Focus is on the learner, rather than on the
  content.

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Personal Social Improvement

• Education should bring about social change.
• Promotion of individual growth and maintenance
  and/or promotion of the good society.
• Focus is on societal maintenance, rather than the
  learner or the subject matter.

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Social Transformation

• Education should bring about a new social order.
• Challenging established economic, political and
  social assumptions.
• Focus is on societal reform, rather than societal
  maintenance, the learner or the subject matter.

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Philosophic Beliefs in Extension

• What are the guiding values of Extension?
• What are Extension professionals key beliefs
  about the nature of reality?
• What do Extension professionals believe about
  knowledge and learning?
• How is knowledge transmitted to and acquired by
  the adult learner?

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Guiding Values of Extension

• Empowerment of the client.
• Importance of rural life.
• Faith in the future.

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Empowerment of the Client

• Provide adult learners with the knowledge that
  will give them control of their world.
• Clients are viewed as active partners.
• Measurable change is the ultimate measure of
  Extensions success.
• Focus is on long-term problems rather than on
  immediate crises.

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Importance of Rural Life

• USCES evolved from a society that highly valued
  rural life.
• Extension professionals work merits respect and
  attention.
• Acceptance of the learners values, beliefs, and
  lifestyles.

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Faith in the Future

• Extension professionals have faith in the
  possibility of improvement.
• A belief in the benevolence of scientific and
  technological knowledge.
• Both of the above lead to planned
  change--application of education, research and
  practice.

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The Nature of Reality

• A systems perspective.
• Rational and nondeterministic.

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A Systems Perspective

• Reality is a network of systems (conceptual or
  physical entities) that consists of interrelated
  parts.
• Extension is interdisciplinary.
• Development of systemic linkages.
• Incorporation of feedback for continual
  monitoring and adjustment to the system.

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Rational and Nondeterministic

• The natural world is rational in which humans can
  control their own lives.
• Decision making is a structured process of
  conscious choices.
• Collaboration is necessary.
• Problem-centered action implies the difference
  between current and desired states of affairs.

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Knowledge and Learning

• Teach people how to assess their needs and solve
  their problems.
• Help clients acquire knowledge and understanding.
• Inspire people to action.
• Teach people how to think, not what to think!

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Learning is Context Bound

• Learning occurs when materials are presented
  within the learners context.
• Culture affects the learning process.
• Learning occurs when one recognizes a personal
  need and the possibility for change to meet that
  need.

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Learning is an Active Process

• Learning is an active process between learners
  and their environments.
• Extension education stresses learning by doing
• What a man does, he believes in.
• A process of adopting new knowledge and
  behaviors.
• Building on an existing knowledge base.

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The Top Ten Tenets ofExtension Education

• 10. Extension education is a continuous cycle of
  collaborative events.
• 9. Extension professionals must concentrate on
  people.
• 8. Programming is a rational, deliberate process.
• 7. Extension professionals must be idealistic in
  their work.
• 6. Clients trust is a necessary component of the
  teaching-learning relationship.

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The Top Ten Tenets ofExtension Education

• 5. Technical knowledge is combined with skill in
  the process of planned change.
• 4. Extension work is a human enterprise.
• 3. Knowledge is not imposed, only introduced.
• 2. A learners sociocultural context is
  fundamental to effective programming.
• 1. The primary concern is helping people help
  themselves.

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References

• Blackburn, D.(ed.) (1989) Foundations and
  Changing Practices in Extension. Uni. of Guelph,
  Ontario, Canada.
• Darkenwald, G. S. Merriam. (1982) Adult
  Education Foundations of Practice. Harper Row
  Publishers, NY.
• Beck, L.W. (1953) Philosophic Inquiry An
  Introduction to Philosophy. Prentice-Hall, Inc.
  New York.
• Elias, J. S. Merriam. (1980) Philosophical
  Foundations of Adult Education. Robert Krieger
  Publishing, Co.