Philosophy of Education
I am convinced that teachers make a contribution
to student achievement in specific ways. I intend to help students develop
a realization that they are equally responsible for educational achievement.
I am a strong believer that students and educators need to work together to
ensure that the highest quality education in received and maintained.
An important value of education that should
be focused on by both teacher and student is real-world experiences of everyday
life. It is obvious that we learn from life experiences, whether planned
or unplanned. The student should be given opportunities to lead his/her
own learning experience, while the teacher acts as facilitator. For
example, allowing students to plan field trips or scientific experiments,
gives the students the responsibility and willingness to succeed.
I do believe that core curriculum plays an important
role in the classroom. However, the way in which the curriculum is taught
makes the difference in how meaningful the lesson will be to the students.
There is no substitute for hands-on experiences. I know for a fact that
the lessons I remember from past educational experiences have been lessons
that allowed myself to be an active player in the classroom. The lessons
that I distinctly remember were planned by my favorite teachers as well, coincidence?
I don’t think so.
I never seemed to learn much from the teachers consistently
lectured from the front of the classroom. To this day, I still seem
to work and perform better when I am placed in small groups, pods, etc.
I believe that most students learn better from social interaction with their
peers in the classroom. More ideas are generated and several perspectives
are taken into account when students are allowed to work together.
I am also a strong believer in mainstreaming. I believe that
all students benefit from interaction with others, no matter what their physical
or mental state may be. All students learn differently and at different
rates. A student does not need to be labeled with a disability to benefit
from working with another student. Part of preparing students to live
comfortably in the world is preparing them to live with each other.
John Dewey was the main educational leader for the
progressivism philosophy. I agree with a lot of what Dewey valued educationally.
For this reason, I believe that I am a true progressivist. I value education
as a meaningful attribution to life. The reason education is meaningful
to me is because I have played an active role in where my experiences have
taken me.
Consequently, my philosophy for education
is that all students are active socially aware citizens. The teacher
and student work together in order to reach the highest educational achievement
possible for each student. This is accomplished by allowing the student
to experience the real world, which in turn prepares them for their future.
