Synthesis statement
One of the most valuable things I have gained as a student in the CCE/AHE program is a better understanding about how education, as a social enterprise, functions. There are many parts of the education system that I have simply taken for granted. Understanding the foundations of adult and higher education has helped me better understand why it functions the way it does, which will ultimately be of value to me as I am professionally intertwined with higher education. For example, knowing how humanistic approaches to education work, including its strengths and weaknesses, helps me better understand how I can borrow from it to improve my own educational practice.
The artifact I have chosen to represent my knowledge in this area is my critique of a syllabus in liberal education tradition called American Literature and Culture: The Power of the Page. It is just one example of how I have learned to look for characteristics to indicate differing approaches to teaching, learning, and ultimately knowing. In this case it demonstrates a connection to the liberal tradition, as described by Elias and Merriam (2005), in a number of ways. It frames the content in terms of a "systematic grasp of a subject matter, a discipline or an area of study" (Elias & Merriam, 2005 p. 28), it has a focus on great books and writers, a heavy focus on reading and writing for coursework, and asks students to synthesize ideas of the past with those of the present, which Livingstone (1995, p. 6) identifies as another characteristic of the liberal tradition.
I found it beneficial to be exposed to the basic traditions in education early on in the CCE/AHE program so that I would be able to refer back to them as a progressed through the various classes. Initially, I strongly identified with the humanistic tradition because of its emphasis on the person in education. The idea of working towards Rogers’ goal of a “fully functioning person” (1962, pp. 21-33) resonated with me. However, as I learned more and reflected on modern educational practice during the program and thought back to my own educational experiences I have come to more strongly identify with the postmodern educational tradition. We live in an age where change is rapid and technology is upsetting old assumptions and the demographics of students are becoming more diverse, including at Western Washington University (Shepherd, 2014). The postmodern impulse to downplay assumptions and get past linear thinking makes a great deal of sense when I reflect on how diverse learners, educators, and educational settings are. The strong focus on appreciating context where there are no “absolute and certain starting points” (Stangage, 1995, p. 271) allows me as an educator to be an advocate who empowers students to question the status quo and be “critical co-investigators in dialog with the teacher” (Freire, 1995, p. 144).
With that last quote I am also borrowing from the radical education tradition, but that makes sense given that one of the concepts emphasized in the CCE/AHE Foundations course was how borrowing from the different traditions can be useful. So while I now predominantly identify with the postmodern tradition I also see humanism and the radical tradition as a core components of postmodernism. In practice, I like to think of my work as being postmodern up until the point where I am getting to know a student and their particular situation, at which point my approach to working with them would probably more closely resemble the humanistic tradition. Being mindful of the context, in addition to the individual, is essential.
The artifact I have chosen to represent my knowledge in this area is my critique of a syllabus in liberal education tradition called American Literature and Culture: The Power of the Page. It is just one example of how I have learned to look for characteristics to indicate differing approaches to teaching, learning, and ultimately knowing. In this case it demonstrates a connection to the liberal tradition, as described by Elias and Merriam (2005), in a number of ways. It frames the content in terms of a "systematic grasp of a subject matter, a discipline or an area of study" (Elias & Merriam, 2005 p. 28), it has a focus on great books and writers, a heavy focus on reading and writing for coursework, and asks students to synthesize ideas of the past with those of the present, which Livingstone (1995, p. 6) identifies as another characteristic of the liberal tradition.
I found it beneficial to be exposed to the basic traditions in education early on in the CCE/AHE program so that I would be able to refer back to them as a progressed through the various classes. Initially, I strongly identified with the humanistic tradition because of its emphasis on the person in education. The idea of working towards Rogers’ goal of a “fully functioning person” (1962, pp. 21-33) resonated with me. However, as I learned more and reflected on modern educational practice during the program and thought back to my own educational experiences I have come to more strongly identify with the postmodern educational tradition. We live in an age where change is rapid and technology is upsetting old assumptions and the demographics of students are becoming more diverse, including at Western Washington University (Shepherd, 2014). The postmodern impulse to downplay assumptions and get past linear thinking makes a great deal of sense when I reflect on how diverse learners, educators, and educational settings are. The strong focus on appreciating context where there are no “absolute and certain starting points” (Stangage, 1995, p. 271) allows me as an educator to be an advocate who empowers students to question the status quo and be “critical co-investigators in dialog with the teacher” (Freire, 1995, p. 144).
With that last quote I am also borrowing from the radical education tradition, but that makes sense given that one of the concepts emphasized in the CCE/AHE Foundations course was how borrowing from the different traditions can be useful. So while I now predominantly identify with the postmodern tradition I also see humanism and the radical tradition as a core components of postmodernism. In practice, I like to think of my work as being postmodern up until the point where I am getting to know a student and their particular situation, at which point my approach to working with them would probably more closely resemble the humanistic tradition. Being mindful of the context, in addition to the individual, is essential.
Artifact
Liberal Education Artifact from CCE/AHE 571
References
Elias, J. L., & Merriam, S. B. (2005). Philosophical foundations of adult education (3rd ed.). Malabar, FL: Krieger.
Friere, P. (1995). Pedagogy of the oppressed. In S. Merriam (Ed.), Selected writings on philosophy and adult education (2nd ed., pp. 137–146). Malabar, FL: Krieger.
Livingstone, R. (1995). Cultural studies in adult education. In S. Merriam (Ed.), Selected writings on philosophy and adult education (2nd ed., pp. 1-6). Malabar, FL: Krieger.
Rogers, C. R. (1962). Toward becoming a fully functioning person. In Perceiving, behaving, becoming: A new focus for education (pp. 21–33). Washington, DC: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED096575.pdf#page=29
Shepherd, B. (2014, January 28). What do you mean by saying, "If we are as white in ten years as we are today, Western will have failed as a university? Retrieved from http://www.wwu.edu/president/blog/posts/24.shtml
Stanage, S. M. (1995). Lifelong learning: A phenomenology of meaning and value transformation in postmodern adult education. In S. Merriam (Ed.), Selected writings on philosophy and adult education (2nd ed., pp. 269–280). Malabar, FL: Krieger.
Friere, P. (1995). Pedagogy of the oppressed. In S. Merriam (Ed.), Selected writings on philosophy and adult education (2nd ed., pp. 137–146). Malabar, FL: Krieger.
Livingstone, R. (1995). Cultural studies in adult education. In S. Merriam (Ed.), Selected writings on philosophy and adult education (2nd ed., pp. 1-6). Malabar, FL: Krieger.
Rogers, C. R. (1962). Toward becoming a fully functioning person. In Perceiving, behaving, becoming: A new focus for education (pp. 21–33). Washington, DC: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED096575.pdf#page=29
Shepherd, B. (2014, January 28). What do you mean by saying, "If we are as white in ten years as we are today, Western will have failed as a university? Retrieved from http://www.wwu.edu/president/blog/posts/24.shtml
Stanage, S. M. (1995). Lifelong learning: A phenomenology of meaning and value transformation in postmodern adult education. In S. Merriam (Ed.), Selected writings on philosophy and adult education (2nd ed., pp. 269–280). Malabar, FL: Krieger.