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Philosophy of Education

Teaching the children of the future is a big responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly. I have made the commitment to myself to be the best teacher that I can possibly become. I will become a teacher that cares about what my students are learning and how they will learn it. I believe that children need to have a chance to explore and learn on their own and also in a group setting.  According to the personal philosophy belief inventory by Sadker and Sadker (1997) my teaching beliefs are strongly progressivist. I also have essentialism beliefs towards curriculum because I feel that a student should learn the academic fundamentals in order to later function at a higher level.  Students need these basics so that they will not be taken advantage of in life.  I feel that the basics should be taught in a more progressive manner so students will have both education and knowledge and also the desire to use them.

          My concept of an educated person would be someone that not only has academic skills and social skills, but also skills that make a connection to the real world.  I feel that all of these skills are required because of the many circumstances and forms of people we meet on a daily basis.  I believe that education plays an important role in developing as a person. According to John Holt (1969) children need to know “certain bits and pieces that can be called essential, that everyone should know.” When you have a combination of these three skills; academics, social, and life skills, then that person can apply their knowledge and succeed in life.  I want to teach my students that they can learn things not just from a book, but also from events that are happening all around them because knowledge can come from anywhere.  I want the students to understand that it is not the quantity of information that can be stuffed into a brain, but the depth of what they learn and how they interpret the information that is important. 

          Knowledge to me is when you can use all of the daily life lessons you have learned, academic and social, and then apply that information. According to Jane Martin (1995), the difference between “knowing that” and “knowing how” is practice.  This would be the application of education. I agree with her.  You might be able to swim to shore because you are almost drowned but that doesn’t mean you have the knowledge of how to swim. You were just lucky. Knowledge can come from anywhere and I want the children that I teach to realize this.  My grandfather had an eighth grade education, so he was not considered academically knowledgeable.  He was the type of person that always knew the right thing to say and could work out any problem.  He could show you how to do anything.  My grandfather ended up building high-rise condominiums in South Florida, because he was knowledgeable and he could apply the things he learned.

 I am not saying that children should not finish school because I think that education and knowledge are important.  The world was a lot different when my grandfather was growing up, the people, if they were knowledgeable, even in the absence of formal learning, could move up in the world. Today’s children need all the advantages that education, social, and practical living skills can bring so that they can apply this knowledge have a good life.  That is why I feel that if a child has a hands-on education where they interact with others and explore on their own they will be more receptive to learning.  Children need to be guided not strong-armed into learning.  I don’t think that anyone learns if they are forced to perform a task, on the other hand, they could have the enjoyable experience of learning through discovery. They will be more apt to retain the information and then later applying their knowledge.

          When talking about curriculum, I feel that students should have not have a set curriculum of just reading, writing, and arithmetic. I feel that these subjects are important but I also feel that connecting academic knowledge to “real life” and other subjects are just as important.  I am trying to prepare my students not just for the next grade level but also for the future and becoming a responsible person. I feel that if I present my curriculum as a voyage of discovery then the students can decide which areas interest them the most. In my progressive viewpoint I would use the utilitarian curriculum (Barrow and Woods, 1988) for technology, practical living skills, Math, Science, and English on the restrictive term because it is conducive to human happiness and useful for life’s lessons.  One area that I feel is very important in today’s world is technology.  I feel that this needs to be incorporated into all areas of the curriculum because computers and technology are the wave of the future.  Our students will need to know how to use technology to function and be happy.  Practical living skills are essential to the curriculum because many students come from broken homes or homes that have two parents working full time to make ends meet. After talking to teachers that have been in the education system for many years I feel that they believe that the parents do not have the time or the energy to show their children things that will make their life easier and happier.  Math, English and Science are fundamental subjects that students need to be able to function at a higher level, this enables them to predict things and have vision.  I feel that a rationality curriculum, which is a curriculum that “prepares the pupil for rational living, by giving him the intellectual basis of rational action (Barrow & Woods, 1988),” would work best for social studies, foreign languages, and civics.  Social studies and foreign languages would enhance the ability of living together with others in harmony and civics or government would enhance democracy and show students how to be a good citizen.  I think that a heritage curriculum (Barrow & Woods, 1988), which is a curriculum based on public tradition or culture, would be good for literature and history. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it (Santayana, 1969).” Literature and history are subjects that can help one learn from past mistakes.  The important thing to remember is that no matter what type of curriculum; heritage, rational, or utilitarian, the way I teach the subjects and how I engage the children are what matters most to me.  I want the children to be prepared for the future and become responsible adults.

          In my progressive viewpoint, I feel that teachers are “Engineers designing spaceships strong enough to carry children on their journey through life.” (Dakos, 2000)  In my classroom I want my students to feel that they can express themselves and their individuality.  I think that dealing with each other’s personal differences teaches the students how to get along in a society that is very diverse.  For example, each classroom has people from different ethnic backgrounds and children make fun of things they do not understand. As a progressivist, I feel that the students should have respect for individuality in others and this respect shows self-growth in the students. Teaching the students that everybody does things differently around the world will allow them to understand and show respect to other classmates. I will show my students how to do this by modeling the behaviors that I expect from them. This will also help to prepare them for work and life.

 I think that when students are learning new things they should be able to discover on their own how things work.  I want to use a guided teaching method to help them learn.  Guided teaching is when you give direct instruction to the students to help them master a skill, but then let them draw their own conclusions from the information and as the teacher help them connect it to the real world. 

          In conclusion, I have a progressive teaching beliefs but I also have essentialism beliefs towards curriculum.  I feel that the way I conduct my classroom will make it interesting to my students and will enhance their willingness to learn.  I want my students to feel that they are going on a great discovery hunt, to find knowledge through education.  I want them to be prepared on their journey through life using the academic, social, and practical living skills that they learned in my classroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Barrow, R. & Woods R. (1988). Knowledge and the curriculum. An introduction to the philosophy of Education. (3rd ed. pp 40-65). London: Routledge.

 

Dakos, K. (2000). “Definition of Teacher”. Instructor. (September 2000 p. 9) Scholastic Instructor.

 

Holt, J. (1969) How children fail. Harmonsworth, England: Penguin.

 

Martin, J. (1995) “On the reduction of knowing that to knowing how”. In H. Ozman & S. Craver (eds.) Philosophical foundations of education. (5th ed. pp 310-313). Columbus, OH: Merill.

Sadker, M. & Sadker, D.M. (1997). “Philosophy belief inventory”. In Teacher’s schools and society. McGraw-Hill. (pp 403-405).

 

Santayana, G. (1969). Memory. Instant Quotation Dictionary. (p.179). Bolander, D. ed. Mundelein, IL: Career Institute.