ADULT EDUCATION AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

ED 3102

LECTURE SERIES

PHILOSOPHICAL ORIENTATIONS OF EDULT

EDUCATION04/21/23 1

PHILOSOPHICAL PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF AEFOUNDATIONS OF AE

An adult education philosophy, or philosophical orientation, is the categorization of an individual's beliefs, values, and attitudes towards adult education and what the purpose and outcome of adult education should be.

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Why Philosophy?Why Philosophy?• Philosophy provides us alternative

approaches to programme planning, curriculum designing, teaching, budgeting, evaluation, etc.

• It also helps us to develop our own working philosophy and free us from any kind of dependence on somebody else’s principles and ideologies in a dogmatic manner.

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A Working PhilosophyA Working PhilosophyA ‘working philosophy’ refers to ‘an

individual adult educator’s system of beliefs, which is an outgrowth of the sum of our personal values, experiences and lifestyles and it is related to the way we do things.

A working philosophy also gives us greater control and deeper interest in things that we do or would like to do and over our decision-making powers.

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PHILOSOPHICAL PHILOSOPHICAL ORIENTATIONS OF AEORIENTATIONS OF AE

There are five basic principles of adult progressive education.

They are:BehavioristLiberalHumanisticProgressiveRadical

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1. Liberal Philosophy1. Liberal Philosophy• It stresses the development of intellectual

powers, and seeking of knowledge.• It believes that:"the educated person possesses the four

components of a liberal education: wisdom, moral values, a spiritual or religious dimension, and an aesthetic sense" (Elias & Merriam, 1995.

Freedom comes through a liberated mindAll human beings are endowed with a

reasoning ability to liberate themselves. It stresses the development of intellectual

power of the mind04/21/23 6

• It emphasizes liberal learning, organized knowledge, and the development of the intellectual powers of the mind.

Stresses philosophy, religion, and the humanities over science.

Employs heavy promotion of theoretical thinking.

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Role of the teacher:An expert/authority, and where

information (knowledge) flows in one direction, which is ‘top-down’

directs the entire learning process.must be well-versed in many

intellectual interests.

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2. Behaviorist Philosophy2. Behaviorist PhilosophyAims towards individual and societal

survivalEmphasis is put on skill acquisition and

learning how to learn.Teacher must create an environment

that is optimal for bringing about behavior that ensures survival.

• It emphasizes the importance of the environment in shaping the learner.

• Behaviorist concepts include mastery learning and standards-based education.04/21/23 9

• The teacher:The manager, controller who predicts

and controls the learning outcomes and desired behavior.

• Teaching and Learning methods:Teaching methods include behavioral

conditioning, feedback, drill and practice.

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• Role of the learners:Learners are active and able to

demonstrate a measurable, learned behavior.

• Evaluation is valued in assessing the attainment of the behaviors being taught.

• Vocational training and teacher certifications are both behaviorist practices.

• Practitioners:Skinner, Thorndike, and Steinberg were

believers in the behaviorist philosophical tenet. 04/21/23 11

3. Progressive Philosophy3. Progressive PhilosophyThe progressive tradition stresses an

experiential, problem-solving approach to learning

Emphasizes experience of learner as the main determining factor in seeking solutions and change

Believes in the social reform role of education.

Goal of education is improvement rather than survival, which is achieved through liberating the learner.

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Teacher-learner relationship that is interactive and reciprocal.

Education is an instrument for preparing learners to change society.

Learners need problem solving skills and practical knowledge.

They learn by doing, inquiring, being involved in the community, and responding to problems.

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The educator:An organizer who guides learning

instead of directing learning and evaluates the learning process.

Teaching methods:Include problem solving, the scientific

method, and cooperative learning.Proponents include Spencer, Dewey,

and Lindeman. 04/21/23 14

4. Humanistic Philosophy4. Humanistic Philosophy• The humanistic philosophy of adult

education follows some basic principles such as the following:

human nature is naturally good; freedom and autonomy influence behavior;

individuality and potentiality are unlimited and should be nurtured;

self-concept leads to self-actualization;perception of the world explains

behavior. 04/21/23 15

Foundations of humanistic education lie in the following:

the notion of self-concept - that the adult defines himself in terms of the accumulation of a unique set of life experiences;

adult's readiness to learn is linked to developmental tasks unique to a stage in life;

Adults desire an immediate application of knowledge. 04/21/23 16

• The humanistic adult education philosophy seeks to facilitate personal growth and development.

• Humanists are highly motivated and self-directed learners; responsibility to learn is assumed by the learner.

• The teacher: facilitator and /or a helper who promotes but

does not direct learning.• Humanistic teaching methods contain group

discussion, team teaching, individualized learning, and the discovery method.

• Rogers, Maslow, Knowles, and McKenzie are facilitators of the humanistic philosophy.

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This tradition also emphasizes experiential learning, freedom, individuality, self-directedness, openness and cooperation.

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5. Radical Philosophy5. Radical Philosophy• The radical adult education philosophy

promotes extreme social, political, and economic change through education.

• The educator and learners are equal partners in the learning process.

• It embraces concepts such as noncompulsory learning and de-schooling.

• Effective teaching methods include exposure to the media and people in real life situations

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• Holt, Freire, and Illich are proponents of the radical adult education philosophy.

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