The concept that drove my learning when starting this course was cultivating confident, competent, and capable learners. That concept has stayed the same. However, my tactics to cultivate confident, competent, and capable learners have changed to a more empathetic training style. I now place a greater responsibility on myself as a trainer to consider learning styles and create a more diverse lesson plan.

 My thoughts originally stayed the same for the most part but I did expand more to be more inclusive by fostering a growth mindset and encouragement. Relating more to feelings of being overwhelmed and understanding that time is valuable to adult-learners is a big change for me. 

My personal philosophy of adult learning is deeply rooted in communication, intentional collaboration, and highlighting individual strengths. I believe that organizations in harmonious continuous learning communities with each other are better able to serve their clients, any individuals they work with, and ultimately themselves. I draw on the importance of previous knowledge and making the information transferable and applicable to the learner.

When I wrote my first journal entry about my learning philosophy, I saw some parallels. For example, in week one, I highlighted the concept that an organization is a vehicle for learning as well as referencing the modern learner. In my philosophy, I now place more importance on and expand on understanding previous knowledge, where learners are now in our rapidly changing world, and skills that learners bring to the table.

Throughout the first week, my understanding of adult education has changed. Ideas like the importance of hands-on learning and self-directed learning have become more well-known. The significance of customizing material to meet the requirements of each individual and offering chances for analysis has increased. These ideas now have a bigger influence on how I approach adult learning.

I definitely grew and learned more over the eight weeks though my concepts remained essentially rooted the same. I had forgotten my use of the analogy (I do love my analogies!) to Driver's Ed, providing the vehicle and the knowledge to get them to where they want to go safely and successfully!

At the beginning of the course, I anticipated that the concepts to drive my philosophy would be related to the adult learning theories themselves.  My philosophy was still inspired by these theories, but less than I had expected.  They are still very valuable and found a home in this space.  As noted above, I discovered that I place tremendous value on the leadership aspects of building a culture of learning.  This was the catalyst for the development of my philosophy.  I emphasized this because I believe it is foundational to ensure effectiveness for your learner.

Concepts that drove my learning when starting this course was asking questions and understanding the importance of an intimate learning environment. Through this course I feel that not only did my stay the same but there were enhanced week by week.

From week one until now, I am reflecting much more on individual employees and how they can be involved in the development of their learning opportunities.  I am also reflecting on the involvement of leadership and how a leader’s support is demonstrated and communicated throughout the organization. 

In week 1 I talked about the value of being a lifelong learner. Over the last 8 weeks I realized that my initial frame of reference for learning was just adding more facts and figures into my brain. The application of information is what makes learning worth while. I also gained a new appreciation for being part of a group, even a virtual one. Reading other student's ideas and passions helped keep me going through this class and for that I say thank you.

Concepts that have since shifted my initial beliefs regarding learning have been the idea that we are able to improve upon learning styles that we may be weaker in. Initially, I believed that there was a sort of fixed-mindedness when it came to the way in which we learn best and I'm glad I have been able to change my initial assumptions.

Initially I spoke on the motivation and patience of adult learners and the added challenges that brings to adult learning. Now, I believe that is just a product of failed attempts at learning and meeting learners where they are. I feel patience and motivated can be less of a challenge if we are creating a more interactive learning experience that what we used to know.

The most significant change in my personal learning philosophy is having more of an emphasis on the differences in students learning styles, and providing a learning experience that can be changed for each student depending on their needs and preferences.

When using this approach for organizational success, I feel that experience has a profound impact on skill retention. When you get to practice a skill and reflect on what you learned and experienced, that skill will stick with you better than if you just read about it.

I am honestly not sure that I really described the concepts that drove my adult learning philosophy in week one. There was a lot going on in my life at the time. I do think that experiential learning has always been very important to me, and what I view as an extremely functional approach to learning. I am excited now to look for ways to incorporate experience into more of what I teach.

My understanding of Adult Learning has grown significantly over the course of this session, and the biggest change might be the "scale" in which I see things. At first I thought that effective learning would mean an efficient lesson or a new skill you could teach someone, but now I see that being able to help a learner achieve something new may be one of the most rewarding things you can do!

(P.S., that gif was too cute, had to contribute one of my own!)

Initially, I asserted that trust in oneself was the most essential leadership philosophy, and I still hold that belief. However, through the course of this class, I have come to appreciate how recognition serves as a powerful motivator, creating a positive and inspiring atmosphere for continuous learning. The impact of acknowledging and appreciating one another's efforts cannot be overstated in cultivating a sense of motivation and inspiration within a learning and working environment.

During the first week I said, "I hope to gain a better understanding of how to build an organizational culture of change…I would like to learn tools and skills on how to do that during this course." I have absolutely learned these skills, I learned a lot from this course that I will be able to take with me.

This concept has changed throughout this course from a focus on how specific trainings are provided to focusing on the environment in which training is hosted, and even more broadly thinking about adult learning as a continuous endeavor and not just in the context of a specific training.

How have my learning concepts changed? I have a better understanding of how people learn most effectively according to their intelligence and learning style. I learned how to use artificial intelligence before and during learning. Has their importance increased or decreased now that you learned more about adult learning? The concepts of experiential learning that I held at the beginning of the course have only strengthened. What especially emerged in the learning and became clearer to me over the course was the importance of social learning and the many ways to facilitate it.

During week 1, I mentioned how balancing life and being an adult learner can be A L O T! So when I explored the topic of how essential the tool of motivation can make a difference as an adult learner, that concept has increased significantly. Establishing inclusion in a virtual classroom, setting expectations, encouraging students to take control, showcasing the meaning behind the concepts and implementing confidence, all help in overall success.

One key concept that I mentioned in week one, was making certain that the learning is high quality. For a learning environment to be high quality t must be collaborative, authentic and constructive. I think by the end of this course I feel even more strongly of the importance that a learning experience start with these ideas in mind. Adult learnings can be easily distracted and easily lose interested. If we want to provide learning environments in which we maintain everyone’s attention, and we all go home at the end of the day with new knowledge, we must work hard while design the class and lesson plan.

Lifelong learning and individuality are the core of my philosophy, and that didn’t change at all since week 1. What did change was the “why” behind the “how.” I formed an understanding of the theories behind the various practices and methodologies and developed a keener interest in learning more.

Over the course of this session, my understanding of adult learning has grown to include more of the important theories behind adult learning. I look forward to taking these tactics and ideas into my organization's training department to improve the learning experiences we offer internally.

During the first week of class, I mentioned that my adult learning style was driven by motivation and encouragement. I have gained a better understanding for different types of motivational ideas as well as encouragement factors based on the adult learners own needs. The importance of both of these ideas has definitely increased as I've learned about the importance and necessity of them in the role of adult learning.

Adult learning has profoundly shaped my understanding of how adults engage with experience-based learning. This course was a key insight into creating more effective training and development programs that respect and build the unique strengths of adult learners.

I was very focused on the concept of microlearning at first, mostly because this is my preferred way of learning but as the course has gone on, I have moved more away from this focus. I think it is still a very effective method of adult learning, but I think there are better ways of going about the goals I want to achieve. This course has also taught me how little I actually know about education from the side of the educator and not just the learner, something I hope to change going forward as I gain more experience.

At the beginning of the course, I said that motivation is going to be a key concept in adult learning. This is still true in my eyes, as motivation and flexibility go together in making sure an employee is open to learning.

Since week 1, I've added the growth mindset and the power of yet to my person philosophy. Every step, success or failure, is one step closer to the goal.

Since the start of the course, my view has shifted. I now place even more value on self-directed learning and peer collaboration. Their importance has increased, as I’ve learned that adults are more engaged when they actively shape their learning journey.

Since the start of the course, my core beliefs haven’t changed but have deepened. I now understand how theory supports these practices and feel more confident applying structured models to enhance learning outcomes. This course has also reinforced my commitment to designing learning experiences that are personalized, practical, and immediately applicable.

My understanding of diversified approaches and of the various learning styles has been enhanced through the teachings of this course. I feel better prepared to competently provide continued development trainings to my team in the future.

Adult learners value their time and any lesson has to make sense. Understanding the “why behind the what” is key to successfully delivering any new concept to adult learners. Adult Learners want to feel valued and understood, and that their time is respected. At the beginning of the course, this was my philosophy, and it is still one of the most important concepts for me. Being respectful of time and approach will go far with adult learners. We all work very hard on our careers, and no one (I hope) wakes up every day wanting to do badly at work. Remembering that when offering new concepts, feedback, and assistance, makes us good leaders and not just "bosses." I plan to continue to treat the adult learners around me with the same kindness, respect, and professional courtesy that I hope to receive when I am in the learning seat.

My teaching philosophy centers on delivering relevant, efficient, and experience-driven learning for adult professionals, especially in the rapidly evolving IT and conferencing technology space that is grounded in Andragogy, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and Social Learning Theory.

I can confidently say that since the first week of this course, my ideas and philosophy surrounding adult learners have become much more well informed, as I haven't had much experience teaching/participating in adult learning. This was a great opportunity to get up to speed from square one on this subject.

Since the beginning of the course, my thinking has shifted. I now place even more value on social and collaborative learning, especially with the support of AI tools that help people learn while they work. These ideas have grown in importance as I’ve learned more.

As the course progressed, the importance of experiential and transformative learning increased for me! I now better understand how reflection and application deepen learning. While my core concepts remain, they’ve evolved to include a stronger emphasis on critical reflection and the emotional dimensions of adult growth.

The concept that drove my personal adult philosophy was the “why”. A key principle in Malcolm Knowles theory of andragogy is the idea of "the need to know”. This didn’t change it was only supported by Knowles and other theorists that the adult learning responds better to understanding the purpose or reason behind what they are learning

Andragogy, experiential learning and transformative learning theory that this course reinforced are now my guides. I am a firm believer that adults bring rich and valuable life experience into every learning activity and space. (like we all did, as learners in this course😊). Honoring these life experiences is important. Whether I was mentoring new nurses in a high stress correctional facility or now completing a lesson plan for underserved women in the Philippines, I was and still is cognizant of the fact that relevance, respect and application to real life situations matter the most.

Andragogy, experiential learning, and transformative learning theory which this course has helped emphasize serve as my guideposts. It is true that adults bring rich and valuable experiences to every learning activity (much like we did as learners in this course), honoring that makes all the difference. Whether I was mentoring new nurses in a high stress correctional environment or as I complete a learning blueprint for underserved women in the Philippines, I was and will always be cognizant that relevance, respect and real- world application matter in facilitating learning.

The first concepts driving my learning philosophy were autonomy and personalization. I was very into the idea that learners should learn what they want and went they want. Their importance has only increased as the course progressed, and I learned more concepts. My philosophy is very much derived from what I want to see when I learn.

I believe that learning is personal, relational and transformative. This is what grounds my philosophy of adult learning. After 35 long years in nursing, much of it in correctional and community health, I can attest that adults do not just absorb facts- they learn best when what they are learning connects to who they are, what they have lived through and what they value.

Andragogy, experiential learning, and transformative learning theory which this course has helped emphasize serve as my guideposts. It is true that adults bring rich and valuable experiences to every learning activity (much like we did as learners in this course), honoring that makes all the difference. Whether I was mentoring new nurses in a high stress correctional environment or as I complete a learning blueprint for underserved women in the Philippines, I was and will always be cognizant that relevance, respect and real- world application matter in facilitating learning.

- Judy

Since Week 1, my understanding has deepened. I now see how adult learning also requires flexibility and reflection. While my strengths remain central, I’ve learned that creating psychological safety and supporting autonomy are just as important. Their importance has grown through this course.

I still think how you teach them is important. But with enough of those three, you can overcome some of those barriers created by styles not jiving.