As a health and sexuality educator, much of my teaching and instruction has an emphasis on behavior change in addition to an increase in knowledge. In my opinion, knowledge alone does not facilitate change. My educational philosophy is grounded in the belief that most people know better than they do, but with support and time they can make life changes. Through my interpretation of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) also known as Stages of Change, Prochaska and DiClemente have informed my belief about behavior change. This model, in my opinion, exemplifies the idea that people can make change when they are ready and with appropriate support. The TTM illustrates that people make change through different stages with a sense of self-efficacy.

 

I surmise that education at its best is the provision of information, and skills-building is paramount for behavior change and decision making. In my approach to education, I rely on the concepts of the theory of andragogy. Like Malcolm Knowles in the theory of andragogy, I find that adults engage in the learning process when they are motivated to learn and are self-directed, have opportunities to experience activities, are able to problem solve, engaged through a variety of learning strategies, and are able to apply the information immediately. Most important to my educational philosophy is creating a classroom as a safe environment for students of diverse backgrounds and experiences, reflective of the world and our campus.

 

My educational philosophy is also grounded in the humanistic approach and social reconstructivism. I teach courses in a manner in which students can enhance their personal growth and development. I provide assignments that offer an opportunity for students to develop creativity and pique their interests. In a safe environment, I tend to serve as a facilitator of group discussion and a role model for those students who will become teachers. Additionally, in my twenty years of training adult learners, I find that learning is reciprocal between the students and the instructor. While factual information is provided, I do not force my personal thoughts on the class or group.

 

I am conscious of using relevant and timely examples for students to draw on during course discussion. Most often, the student will be prompted to present the example to engage members of the class in meaningful discussion. Through guided facilitation, the students are able to link their discussion with the course content. I trust that this will increase learning through personal relevance, meaningfulness and direct application. My philosophy has developed through the experience of primarily teaching students in late adolescence through middle adulthood. During this period many students are developing their identity and experiencing some degree of repudiation. This is a great time to increase their ability to think critically.

 

In my capacity as adjunct faculty since August 2004, I have implemented two pedagogical goals for all the undergraduate courses I teach. First, I attempt to increase the students’ ability to engage in metacognition, to think more clearly, deeply and effectively. I utilize class discussion and short essay responses to enhance students’ critical thinking, analytical and reasoning abilities enabling them to provide insightful analysis when faced with a problematic health or sexual health scenario. Also, I try to improve the students’ abilities to articulate their personal views in contrast to other worldviews.

 

To accomplish these pedagogical goals, I provide students with multiple opportunities to develop their abilities through group discussion and analysis of required course reading. I believe that my classroom is where I will have the biggest impact on how students view health and sexuality. I envision that I am the conduit between students and their ability to make informed decisions, increase their autonomy and navigate internal value conflict. Like Vygotsky, I consider the zone of proximal development important for maturation and personal problem solving.

 

I consider successful completion of coursework to include the proof of knowledge gained with the ability to critically think about the knowledge through real life applications. I provide grading rubrics for assignments and evaluation is reciprocal through student course evaluations or workshop assessments.

 

REFERENCES:

Hayden, J. (2009). Introduction to Health Behavior Theory. Boston: Jones &Bartlett.

Newman, B. & Newman, P. (2012). Development Through Life: A Psychosocial Approach. Cengage Learning.