My Philosophy of Education

Philosophy of Education

By: Rachael E. Davis

Personally, I do not identify with any one specific educational theory. I agree with different parts of them. I believe that truth comes from God; nothing would be here with out him. This is the thought of Perennialism that I agree with. When talking about Idealism, I agree that schools should teach wisdom and not just the text book. It is better to be wise and have personality than to be text book smart and dull. As far as Realism goes, I think that if something is tangible, then it is real. This doesn’t have to be the case for everything. If it were, then we would have no imagination and nothing to believe in. According to the belief of realism, even a scientific theory isn’t real. A person can’t physically touch a theory. I like the idea of Experimentalism. The world is always changing in some way or another. It could be in technology, medicine, or even the environment around us. Change is not limited.
When I think of Extentialsim, I think that everyone has the right to believe what they want. Everyone deserves the chance to find out more about themselves. I think that to be an effective teacher, an educator should be open to different ways of life and different ideas posed by colleagues and students.
Communicating learning goals to students accurately and clearly is very important. Teachers should make sure they explain the goals of the lesson as clearly as possible. Two ways of doing this are by writing them and speaking them. Teachers should type out an outline of the goals and give them to the students. The educator then explains each goal as it is written, and tells students to make any notes they require next to the specific goal.
Teachers should clearly and accurately communicate instructional procedures to their students. If teachers did not do this, then they would have students doing things incorrectly. An example of this would be allowing students to conduct science experiments without reading the instructions about the instruments they would need, the correct timing for the procedure, if there is one, and any other information that is necessary to the lesson. Actions such as this could result in unintentional physical harm in addition to wasted time and confusion. That is why it is so very important to thoroughly explain each step in the instructional procedures.
Creating or selecting methods, materials, activities, and resources that are appropriate for the students and that are aligned with the goals of the lesson is important. To create or select anything, the educator must be informed of what the standards are for the school and what type of curriculum is acceptable. Teachers should know how to incorporate all students in the learning activities. Knowing and acting on these requirements will help achieve the goals of the lesson.
Teachers should also represent the subject matter correctly. There are many ways to misrepresent it, so educators should be careful of this. One way to misrepresent subject matter would be to use a plethora of words the students may not understand. The students could be thinking that the teacher means one thing when he or she really means something else. Having expert knowledge in their disciplines helps teachers avoid such misrepresentations.
There are many differences between methods, activities, materials, and resources for differentiated individuals or groups. An example of this would be adjusting an activity for an individual with an IEP. The student may not fully grasp a certain concept when it is discussed in class. A student may need one-on-one time with a teacher. This is a good method for students who are not mainstreamed students or who have access to a tutor. The activities, materials, and resources should have the same idea. There should be a difference between what is used by regular education students and the accommodations that must be made for individuals who need extra help in certain areas.
The developmental aspects of the learner and the learning process must be considered when choosing methods and activities. Teachers should consider how developed their students’ minds are. For example, a teacher would not want to give a third grader spelling words that would be on a fifth grade level. The student would not know how to use them.
Establishing and maintaining rapport with students is very important. The components and rationale for rapport with students are necessary for success. To be successful students should strive to do their best in everything. Sometimes there are different reasons that students will not do their best. Teachers should be the foundation for these students who have problems and cannot overcome these trials on their own. Teachers should be open to whatever students need to tell them. Being open and friendly with students will give them someone to confide in when there could be no one else; doing this will greatly boost a learner’s confidence in himself or herself and what she or he can accomplish in life. For example, if a teacher would spend time with a student who struggles with school because that student is stuck in a home where alcohol is the beverage of choice and that student must take care of younger siblings, then that student would feel like he or she is loved enough to know that someone cares about what happens to his or her family. The student in that situation would love to talk with an adult who is not addicted to alcohol. A teacher can be that adult, that rock, that pillar in that student’s life.
Establishing and maintaining a basic level of rapport that is appropriate to the diversity of learners is essential. An example of this would be if a student were from a different country, this learner should be confident that the teacher would not refer to the student’s home country in a negative way. Another example would be if a student has a prosthetic limb. The student should be confident that the teacher would not refer to him or her as “gimpy” or “hop along.”
Caring teachers are always easy to spot. These teachers are friendly in and out of the classroom. They respect the students in their classroom and in return, the students respect them. These teachers always like to hear what is on their students’ minds. Above all, trustworthy teachers practice the “Fruits of the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT) “22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.”
The components and rationale for evaluations is to assess whether the student is grasping the content of the subject. This can be done in a variety of ways. The teacher should try to gain the student’s feedback as to how well the student understands the material being taught. Teachers should be able to evaluate if their students are bored during class, if they suffer from test anxiety, or if they have a different learning style than that of most of the other students in the class.
Appropriate, systematic, and aligned evaluation strategies should be created or selected. Teachers should come up with different evaluation strategies that work well and are appropriate for what is being taught. The reason teachers should do this is to be able to grade efficiently and correctly. It is a good idea to figure out what strategies work with what lessons.
The evaluation results can be used for instructional planning. The results show teachers what should be re-taught. This information can then be used to create learning activities where the students have goals that they should be able to meet. For example, to find out what should be re-taught to the students, have them write a reflection on how well they think they did on a quiz or test. Have the students answer questions like, “Why do you think your results were what they were?” or, “What would make it easier for students to grasp the idea of this subject?” Questions such as these will help educators re-teach what was not learned during the previous unit.
There are many ways to make the physical environment safe for all students. These would include having open walkways. Students should to be able to exit the room quickly in the event of an emergency. Teachers should always be looking out for ways children could accidentally hurt themselves. Wide-open windows, unnecessary objects on the floor, and open lockers could all contribute to the chance of a student getting hurt by the physical environment. These possibilities should be eliminated from the classroom as much as possible.
The classroom itself should be conducive to learning. The room should be warm and inviting. Posters should be at eye level, as well as bookshelves, the chalkboard, and other objects students use to learn from. With young children, the room should have color to make the environment more comfortable for them. Being in a comfortable environment will encourage learning to take place.
The environment should be used as a resource to accommodate all learners. The space that is provided should be used in such a way that all types of learners—visual, auditory, and kinesthetic—can learn. For example, to benefit visual learners, the teacher might hide an object in the classroom that deals with a subject the class is learning about. The teacher could tell the class to pay attention to their surroundings in the classroom for the rest of the day. The first person to find the object has to keep it a secret until the whole class figures out what and where the object is. For kinesthetic students, a group game that requires movement is great to use in teaching. The auditory learners could use sounds, such as reading aloud or music.
The developmental aspects of the learner and the learning process are important. Each student thinks a different way at a different age. For example, students who are younger should be listening for shorter amounts of time, depending on their ages. As the students grow older and learn more, they are able to stay focused for a longer amount of time. This is all due to brain development and how fast it grows and expands with the knowledge being obtained.