1. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION: GAIL BENTLEY, Ph.D., M.Ed., LPC-S
Gandhi once said, “A man is but the product of his thoughts, what he
thinks, he becomes.” This quote is meaningful to me because I do not think of
education as the mere acquisition of facts, rather it is the ability to use
knowledge in deliberate, beneficial ways. My personal intention as both a
student and a teacher is to focus attention on thoughts that help me and my
students to address practical problems of development across the life span. As
all knowledge is related to its context I approach the classroom with three main
priorities; critical thinking skills, relevance to life outside the classroom, and
honoring multiple learning styles.
Critical thinking skills are vital for integrating facts into knowledge. This
level of thinking leads to ideas for solving problems through cooperation and
involvement, rather than simply committing facts to memory. The value of
lifelong learning is the development of skills related to course work, thus
leading to the development of problem solving strategies. These skills can
develop through class discussions, small group work, or individual reflexive
writing. Any of these methods can lead to convictions based on the critical
thinking process. This process helps one to “own” their convictions which are
now based on informed opinions. The ability to analyze unfolding social events
develops as creative and critical thinking skills are enhanced, creating the
capability to use new knowledge in beneficial research or interventions in
professional life.
One of the primary goals of education should be relevance. What is
learned in the classroom should be applicable to the life of the student, and the
life of the student should be valued in the classroom so that a blending can
take place. In this way the information discovered in the class has a much
greater potential to alter the personal developmental trajectory of the student.
For myself, I want research and theory to guide the intervention strategies that
I use in my work. In order for this to happen, my core therapeutic knowledge
must be integrated in the context of my personal development and then
expanded to the developmental experiences and contexts of my clients as I
incorporate new knowledge from the classroom and personal study. This
process requires time and opportunity for feedback, evaluation, and revision to
achieve an acceptable level of mastery. Mastery of the subjects studied can
mean the difference between a fulfilling career and just a job.
Learning style differences can create considerable difficulties for
educators. I believe any subject can be interesting, and that any interesting

2. subject can be boring. Classroom presentation can have a huge impact on the
student’s experience with the subject. Yet I do not think the teacher holds sole
responsibility for being the classroom “entertainer”. Scholarship carries with it
a responsibility for both teachers and students. Teachers who are able to
address multiple learning styles can certainly make a class more interesting
and thus make the material more relevant and easier to learn. Students
however also have responsibilities in the learning process, to take the time to
discover how they best learn, and determine ways they can adapt the
classroom format to support their learning styles. As an educator I hope to find
ways to enable students to put the course content in the context that they find
the most stimulating. This give and take process with learning styles
represents a mutual respect between the teacher and the student.
The term “second half” is used in business and chess to describe the
point when an exponentially growing factor begins to have a significant impact
on the overall strategy of the game. In the second half of my life I am finding
that teaching and learning are having an exponential impact on my knowledge
base. As I learn new things I have a lifetime of experience to relate it to and my
understanding of various elements spreads out and integrates across those
experiences. I anticipate that this process will continue to have a significant
positive impact upon my developmental trajectory.
March 2014