Education Philosophy
In preparation to become teachers, we discuss the different education philosophies that exist. We do this in order to develop our own educational philosophies that we will implement within the classroom.
My Education Philosophy
Within the United States school system there is a diverse population of learners and diverse teaching methods and strategies applied to meet their needs. As a teacher, I will have to find a way to integrate all learners and promote their success. My lessons will need to address the needs of all learners, including those that learn best through visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic means.
Aligning with the views of John Dewey, I think that student interaction is essential within the classroom, however I feel a teacher should be guiding and monitoring interactions in order to support and assess learning. The teacher must show the students the areas that they should focus on and then allow them to explore and learn on their own to reinforce what has been taught to them. Also, within my content area, social studies, many students do not see the need for the classes when in reality they are vital to society in order to learn how we developed as a nation and what mistakes and corrections have been made. However, in order to make students understand that social studies classes are important, a connection between the classroom and real life must be made.
The students need a firm foundation of basic facts that demonstrates a connection to the people and events that have shaped the world and how it operates today. Field trips and hands-on experiences should be used as a teaching method to involve all learners and connect the classroom lesson to a broader web of knowledge. Also, whenever applicable, teachers should connect current events around the globe to the lessons in the classroom in order to stress the importance of the material while providing students with real life connections and allowing for better retention of knowledge. Real world connections allow for a broader base of knowledge that will enable the student to generalize and apply information learned.
However, the student must still be assessed on the learning that is taking place. As much as I disagree with standardized testing due to the fact that it leads to less creativity within the classroom and promotes teaching to the test, I also feel a standardized method of assessment is needed to ensure that the proper level of learning is taking place. The education system just needs to find a proper system of assessment that does not lower standards or lower the importance of student involvement and interaction between peers and the teacher.
Education should be a positive experience for all students. Teaching applicable information is what will enable students to retain information. Greater retention and generalization of knowledge are essential to overall character development of students since they then benefit from a wider range of knowledge. Also, the application of these methods within a social studies classroom teaches the students their duties as a citizen, what is going on in their world, and how the democratic process works since it is applied within their learning experience, making them an informed citizen. Applying these methods will allow for student and teacher success alike, and will promote relationship-building. It is my intention to not only guide students but to have an impact on their lives as well.
My Education Philosophy
Within the United States school system there is a diverse population of learners and diverse teaching methods and strategies applied to meet their needs. As a teacher, I will have to find a way to integrate all learners and promote their success. My lessons will need to address the needs of all learners, including those that learn best through visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic means.
Aligning with the views of John Dewey, I think that student interaction is essential within the classroom, however I feel a teacher should be guiding and monitoring interactions in order to support and assess learning. The teacher must show the students the areas that they should focus on and then allow them to explore and learn on their own to reinforce what has been taught to them. Also, within my content area, social studies, many students do not see the need for the classes when in reality they are vital to society in order to learn how we developed as a nation and what mistakes and corrections have been made. However, in order to make students understand that social studies classes are important, a connection between the classroom and real life must be made.
The students need a firm foundation of basic facts that demonstrates a connection to the people and events that have shaped the world and how it operates today. Field trips and hands-on experiences should be used as a teaching method to involve all learners and connect the classroom lesson to a broader web of knowledge. Also, whenever applicable, teachers should connect current events around the globe to the lessons in the classroom in order to stress the importance of the material while providing students with real life connections and allowing for better retention of knowledge. Real world connections allow for a broader base of knowledge that will enable the student to generalize and apply information learned.
However, the student must still be assessed on the learning that is taking place. As much as I disagree with standardized testing due to the fact that it leads to less creativity within the classroom and promotes teaching to the test, I also feel a standardized method of assessment is needed to ensure that the proper level of learning is taking place. The education system just needs to find a proper system of assessment that does not lower standards or lower the importance of student involvement and interaction between peers and the teacher.
Education should be a positive experience for all students. Teaching applicable information is what will enable students to retain information. Greater retention and generalization of knowledge are essential to overall character development of students since they then benefit from a wider range of knowledge. Also, the application of these methods within a social studies classroom teaches the students their duties as a citizen, what is going on in their world, and how the democratic process works since it is applied within their learning experience, making them an informed citizen. Applying these methods will allow for student and teacher success alike, and will promote relationship-building. It is my intention to not only guide students but to have an impact on their lives as well.
High Stakes Testing and Common Core
As educators, the new standards and forms of assessment will influence your education philosophy. My colleagues and I made a presentation on No Child Left Behind, High Stakes Testing and Race to the Top. Below is our presentation and the basic information on the topics.