Philosophy of Adult Education: My PhilosophyThe process of adult learning is never-ending and can be very difficult. As an adult educator, teaching adult learners, you will face many challenges in the learning process. It is our responsibility to keep learners engaged and help them realize their full learning potential. In the NAVY, initially, our technical training used more behaviorist learning theory. As learners, our teachers worked to change our behaviors and shift them from a civilian way of thinking to building a strong military foundation to build upon. It was John B. Watson, an American psychologist who codified and publicized behaviorism, who said: "Give me a dozen healthy, well-formed infants and my own specified world to raise them in and I will will guarantee to take anyone at random. and train him to become any type of specialist I might choose - doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant leader and, yes, even beggar and thief, whatever his talents, his inclinations, his tendencies, his abilities, vocations and race. ancestors” (Mcleod, S. 2008). This is exactly what was happening in training camp, we were these infants. After mastering these basic skills and learning from all the trial and error, we moved on to the progressive learning philosophy. This philosophy has allowed us to pass on the knowledge gained through all our trial and error to others. We started to solve problems. When our equipment failed, we began troubleshooting and repairing equipment so that our submarine could stay en route and complete the mission. With the military downsizing, our leaders were constantly looking for new ways to do our jobs with fewer personnel and more...... middle of paper ...... part one we learned to accept our differences as individuals and we have moved on. Even if we embrace diversity, others may have huge personal blocks, which will prevent positive learning from happening. As a teacher, we must identify and remove these barriers to learning to create a positive learning environment. I researched and studied the 5 philosophies of teaching and learning. I believe that humanistic philosophy is most appropriate for adult learners. However, depending on our adult learners, to be an effective adult educator we must remain flexible and be willing to adjust our teaching style and delivery method. In doing so, we must use the core principles of each of the five learning philosophies to reach our adult learners, thereby enabling positive learning for both learner and teacher..