Philosophy_of_Education

My Philosophy of Education My Philosophy of Education Philosophy of education is a theory of philosophic thought that defines one views and beliefs about the learner, the teacher, and the school (Webb, 2010, p. 427). Someone’s philosophy is how that person interprets, feels, and even speaks about education. There is no right or wrong answer to a philosophy because it is an opinion. There have been many famous and knowledgeable men and women that have had their own philosophy of education. Their philosophies are the fundamentals of learning today and because of the multiple philosophies of education, we are capable of providing new and better strategies every year to have the effective teaching and learning in America that we have wanted for our future generations to come. I believe that each and every child has the potential to learn to their fullest, but it takes a good teacher to be able to bring this potential out. I know that all students do not relate materials in the same way, so the educator has to be able to adapt to change in the way the student learns best. I believe that real life experience that has meaning is the best way for students to comprehend most of their learning at their full potential. I believe that all students whether of their race, ethnicity, status, religious, and/or any other type of classification deserves the opportunity to have an education that will help them be successful in their dreams and goals. I believe that all students have that potential to accomplish their goals and dreams that is set for them just as long as they have been provided with the resources and knowledge to accomplish it. My Philosophy of Education I believe my philosophy of education has a little bit of each classic educational philosophy in it but mine is closest to the Pragmatism. Pragmatism, also known as experimentalism, focuses on experience or the things that work. (Webb, 2010). Pragmatism is from experience, which is an interaction with one’s environment. (Garrison, 1994). I think the impact of the Pragmatism is a huge one because it helps teach the students how to problem solve, work together in groups, and to have some classroom discussion where everyone is involved. I believe that the students are more involved when there is a real life example in the lesson to be taught because they can actually relate to it. I also think having the truth in your lesson is something that is very important because you have proof to show. I believe it is good that teachers have that interaction discussion among the group because there may be something that is said from someone else that another classmate didn’t know. I believe once the knowledge is taught to the students we need to test on the information and once testing than we as educators should go back over the information one more time. It gives a bigger opportunity to the student that it will stick in their memory and can be recovered when needed. The philosopher that is the closest match to my philosophy of education is John Dewey. Dewey is a professor of philosophy and pedagogy at the University of Chicago (Webb, 2010). Dewey had established his own laboratory school at the University of Chicago in 1896. Dewey favored in the child-centered curriculum in My Philosophy of Education which the learning came through experience that the child has been through. Problem solving approach is something that Dewey prefers, which motivation is the center focus on the learning process (Webb, 2010). I also believe in John Dewey’s goal of education which was “to promote individual growth and to prepare the child for full participation in a democratic society” (Webb, 2010, p. 159). He also believed that not only the intellectual was important but also the social, emotional, and physical needs of the child was important as well. Education is one of the most important parts of our society. There are so many different views and theories on the process and the purpose and expectations of education. The three theories that Sociologists look at are: the functionalist theory, the conflict theory, and the interactionalist theory (Webb, 2010). The functionalist theory focuses on the benefits of education to the social and economic order. The conflict perspective focuses on the benefits of education in the perpetuation of social inequality. And the interactionalist perspective looks at the interactions in the schools environment to understand their effect on the school process and the students (Webb, 2010). The functionalist perspective believes the school purpose is to teach the students the economic, political, and cultural practices of the norm society (Feinberg & Soltis, 2004). This view also sees schools as an institution where it teaches the students the necessary knowledge and skills to become a responsible, productive individual in their society. My Philosophy of Education The conflict theory sees education as maintaining a social inequality and preserving the power of those who are from a higher class society. The conflict theoriest are highly concerned with the conflict between social classes, the workers, and the “capitalists”, the powerless and the powerful (Feinberg & Soltis, 2004). This theory sees education as favoring the higher class over the lower class too. In this theory, the higher classes have the opportunity for more up to date technology, having better teachers, and the use of textbooks. While the lower classes do not have the opportunity of having all of those advantages so therefore the students tends to drop out after high school which leads to a lower pay profession. (Webb, 2010). The third theory is the interactionalist theory and it sees education as an interaction in the social setting. It focuses on the interactional aspects of the school life, and what actually takes place among the students and their teachers. This view is based on what they directly see what is happening in the classroom and the teachers, expectations that are influenced, the students’ performance, their perception, and the attitudes among the teachers and students’. For example, Ray Rist, the publisher of Social Class and Teacher Expectations: The Self-fulling Prophecy in Ghetto Education did a research in 1970 in a kindergarten classroom where he monitored the students and teachers all year round. Come to find out that the students that are sitting closer to the teacher receive more attention than the students sitting in the back of the room. The farther away from the teacher the weaker the students performs due to the lack of attention they get from the teacher (cliffnotes.com). My Philosophy of Education My personal belief of the purpose of education would fit closer to the functionalist theory because the students need to be taught the core values along with the knowledge and skills they need for our society. The activities they would do in school would also teach them their moral behavior as well. I think education is something that needs to stay because it does help students get ready for their future as adults. I honestly believe school should exist because they need to get the students outside their comfort zone to be able to get their focus to learn at their full ability. I believe having the students learn at home or some other way will have distractions during each lesson and they will not be able to have their full attention to learn. My ideal curriculum is where we, as educators, focus on each student and their way of learning at their full potential. I believe that each student learns differently and we as teachers should be able to identify that and be able to change to give that opportunity to that student. I believe that real life situations and experiences are the best way that most students learn from due to them remembering them easily because it actually means something to them. I also believe in classroom or group discussions because the students will always be able to learn something new from another classmate no matter what the circumstance or lesson was about. I do believe that there should be certain universal truths that need to be taught in schools but depending on the universal truths is where you want to teach it. For example, if it is about something to do with the environment or a chemical on how it works, then yes it should be taught in science class. Now if you have the universal My Philosophy of Education truth about there is a God and He is the Creator of all things, then yes you need to teach that but only in your home or in Church or in a private school, if chosen. The instruction method or strategy that I would chose would have to be Social Reconstructionism. I believe that teaching students that they can dream and could be very successful in fulfilling those dreams or goals, if you put your mind to it. I also believe that the students need to be taught the knowledge of how to adapt to changes because there will be changes throughout their lives, whether they like it or not. I also believe in working as a team or group because multiple minds are better than one mind alone. I truly believe as I have stated previously that being an educator, we need to be able to adapt to change very well. I know that students do not learn all the same so we need to be able to have that ability to change courses in teaching if we want our students to be very successful in their learning. I believe, we as teachers, should always have a positive expectations from the students and parents. I believe we need to believe in each student in everything they do and all the results it has. I think we as teachers, should provide the best resources there are for our students to have the opportunity to learn at their full potential by establishing an environment that is safe, fun, and exciting. Teachers need to expect to have many roles at one time such as being supportive, nurturing mother-like figure, or a facilitator or guide to learning, and a motivator or encourager. My Philosophy of Education I honestly have not completely decided on what age group I would like to teach but I do know it will be between the ages 8 – 12. I feel this is the age group that actually has a better understanding of what is right from wrong and they seem to be able to know and understand the expectations of the teacher and the classroom rules at the beginning of each year. I believe the students need to have the understanding from the start so that they will know what to expect when they consequences come up. I believe the students are expected to give it all they have and want to be there. I want my students to be involved as much as possible so that I can know that they are learning and are having fun at the same time. I want my students to be able to know they everyone is different and we all learn differently and that is okay. I also want them to know that it’s okay to learn something new from someone that is different because everyone has a different point of view, whether we agree with it or not. I want my students to be able to feel comfortable coming to me if they have an issue, no matter what it is. I want them to know I care for their future just as much as I want them to care for it. I think if we as teachers are honest, loyal, and respectful then we will get that in return faster than we realize it. If I had an at-risk student that was having some low parental support and just finding out she was pregnant which all of this was resulting to bad attendance and some grade level problems, assuming I have already established the trust and meaningful connection between us. I would first sit her down one on one and be sure to be completely honest and direct in sharing my concerns and thoughts on her situation. I would also be sure to share my experience in being a teenager mother-to- My Philosophy of Education be and still being in school. I feel that if someone shares something about themselves than it gives the other person a little more comfort in opening up when talking about important issues like these two. In this type of situation, I would be sure to find out what kind of home environment she was living in and if she was capable of providing all the needs of being pregnant such as prenatal vitamins, parenting skills or classes, counseling, and even ask about if she is aware of the welfare programs that are offered to young mothers. I would also ask about how her parents are adapting to the change in their lives and how she feels about it. I would express my concerns about making sure she doesn’t miss school, even though it will be very hard because of the hormones that change day-to-day. I would just ensure her that I am there for her and if there is anything that I need to do for her to ensure she gets her education and to be successful please let me know because I have this open door policy and she is more than welcome to come in and talk anytime. Secondly, I would then schedule a parent-teacher conference so that I can also express my concerns and let them know I will lend a hand in any way possible to ensure that she gets her education and be successful parent. I want to ensure the parents that I am not just there for a check, I am there because I want to be and I care for my students well-being as much as they do. I want them to understand that I care for them and I want the best for their child just as much as they do. I believe if I have My Philosophy of Education good communication with the parents than I will have that communication and support back from them. Being a future educator, I feel that I would be the biggest role model there is in our next generation. I think education should be a fun, exciting, and safe place for our students to learn at their full potential. There is a lot of different opinions and views about education but it seems to me that every ones overall outcome is to be there for the students and to have them become very successful, honest, and trustworthy adults. My goal is to become a teacher that makes that happen in their lives and I believe that all teachers should have that goal. References CliffsNotes.com Theories of Education. Retrieved on August 19th, 2011 from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/topicArticled-26951,articleld-26914.html Feinberg, W., & Soltis, J.F. (2004). School and society. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University. Garrison, J., (1994). Realism, pragmatism, and educational research. Educational Researcher, 23, 5-14 Gerwin, D. & Mitchell, D., (2009). What is the purpose of school'. Lilipoh: The Spirit in Life, 14(55). Spring, J. (2008a). American education (13th ed.). New York:McGraw-Hill Webb, L.D., Metha, A. & Jordan, K.F. (2010). Foundations of American Education (6th ed.). Saddle River NJ: Pearson Education Inc.