Shelly K. Repasky

AED 5000; Fall 2002

Learning Activity #5 Personal Philosophy Statement

PHILOSOPHICAL BELIEFS

My Philosophical System: I draw on progressive and humanistic beliefs as the bases for my practice as a professional community mental-health nurse, and as an educator/facilitator. These beliefs are also consistent with my actions as a parent, family member, friend and member of my community.

Meaning: I believe that the ability to think, feel, remember, grow and learn is the essence of being a human-being. I believe that any human-being who is provided (or has an acceptable way to provide for) basic necessities and safety/security is both capable of and interested in growth as an individual and productivity as a member of society.

What is Reality?: Reality is the sum of one’s subjective life experiences and certain concrete, unchanging facts (such as those in science, nature, and mathematics). As such, each person’s reality will have certain similarities, but may also have vast differences.

Nature of Being Human: Each human-being is a product of three separate but related realms. Realm #1 is our experiences that come before today; realm #2 is our personal beliefs, values, and hopes that shape our goals for tomorrow; and, realm #3 is the interplay between our environment and our needs/desires of today. Our greatest challenges and most satisfying accomplishments are in negotiating these three components to benefit ourselves, our families, and our community/world.

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE VALUES

Educational Aims: The aim of all education is to develop the learner’s abilities to function in one or more areas of life. On an individual level, education can increase personal satisfaction and facilitate accomplishment of personal goals. On an interpersonal or group level, education can improve the person’s ability to function within his/her family, workplace, or social group. Education can also be aimed toward expanding one’s ability to function as a citizen/community member/member of humankind.

Educational Methods: My preference, in teaching/learning situations, is to support learner self-identification of learning needs (areas of weakness, what needs to be learned), goals for learning (skills or concepts to be learned in the experience), and activities for learning (how to accomplish the learning goals). I prefer to use methods that utilize things familiar to the learner and past successes in the learner’s experience to facilitate transfer to the new learning area.

Educational Content: Typically, the general subject/content area of the learning I facilitate has been predetermined, or assigned, by someone in a position of authority, in response to established standards of care or best practices guidelines (research). My professional and continuing education and work experiences serve as a knowledge base for working with participants to identify and negotiate expectations and goals for involvement in the learning. My work as a facilitator focuses on drawing out current strengths, creating new experiences, and promoting discussions that allow the expectations and goals to be met.