My Philosophy of Education: Combining Progressivism, Essentialism and Behaviorism Upon being faced with the task of writing my philosophy of teaching, I made many attempts to narrow the basis for my philosophy down to one or two simple ideas. However, I quickly came to the realization that my personal teaching philosophy stems from many other ideas, philosophies, and personal experiences. I then concentrated my efforts on finding the strongest points of my personal beliefs about teaching and what I have learned this semester, and came up with the following. The first and most important of the three formal educational philosophies that have been major influences on the formation of my own philosophy is progressivism. Progressivism is based on the belief that people learn best from what they consider to be relevant to their every day lives. In other words, students learn best from personal experience, hands-on experiments, and from interacting in groups with those around them. However, for these small groups to be entirely effective, they must be chosen at random; basing the groups on race, gender, sexuality, or social background will defeat their main purpose. The use of progressivism in the classroom broadens students? points of views and expands their abilities to understand differences in opinions. Furthermore, it inculcates students with a vast array of knowledge about their surrounding environment and everyone in it. Without the use of the progressive method, it is almost impossible to thoroughly educate children on complex topics such as racism, religion, and people that come from different societies, nationalities, or ethnic groups. A lack of knowledge of this sort le... ... middle of paper ... ... student?s academic career. On top of everything else, teachers must possess an irrepressible yearning to motivate and educate children. Some children receive very little praise and motivation outside of the classroom environment. This puts a new responsibility on teachers to make sure that children (especially those who are underprivileged or disregarded by friends and family) get the attention and motivation they need in order to achieve. This can make all the difference in a child?s ability to do well in school. Knowing the characteristics of an exceptional teacher, along with realizing the challenges that teachers face to become effective and respected are daily motivation for me. They inspire me to become a more educated and knowledgeable person, which will allow me to become the admirable, successful teacher I know I can be.
Another aspect of progressivism that I will incorporate in my classroom, is teaching my students about multiculturalism, including peop...
My philosophy of education is basically rooted in my thoughts on what makes a teacher valuable to his or her school and particularly his or her students. To me an effective educator is, first and foremost, someone who genuinely cares about the quality of the education a student is receiving. My memories of great teachers always involve teachers who obviously put time and thought into their lessons. They offered their time to students who wanted to imp...
My philosophy at this point is progressivism. William James and John Dewey are accredited for developing the characteristically American philosophy that is progressivism. Progressivism relies on the theory that the student should be the focal point. By adjusting the curriculum and teaching techniques to reflect the student’s needs and interests, the teacher is encouraging the student’s desire to learn. Another theory of progressivism is that of a democratic system. Students will fare better in life if they are exposed to the ideas and cultures of different ethnicities and personalities early. By encouraging group work, instead of solo work that will lead to competitions, the students will be more open minded and will be better prepared for the diverse world.
An effective teacher will excite, inspire and motivate students to be active in their learning, investigate new areas of knowledge and make connections to future learning (Whitton et al 2010). When a teacher is successful, their students are motivated, mutually respectful and ready to build on their knowledge and solve real-world problems. To be a teacher of value, one must have many skills and qualities to cater for a diversity of learners and their individual development; this includes many personal traits that are noticed students.
Do you remember the teacher that inspired you to do your best? Or maybe the teacher who believed in you when the rest of the world had turned against you? Teachers have a way of touching students’ lives, whether in a large or very minute way. I can think of numerous times that a teacher made a difference in my life. I am so appreciative of them, and I want to do for other students what many of my teachers have done for me. That is why, after I obtain, both, my Bachelor and Master degrees, I plan to enter the teaching profession.
I could go on at length, discussing all aspects of my praxis as an educator, however, that would lead to a paper of excruciating length. These aspects of my teaching pedagogy that are delivered in this praxis statement are those that I feel strongest about upholding. It is important for educators to value their students and the perspectives and cultures they bring to the classroom. Student-centered education is what I find to be the key to great teaching, and overall, is the greatest way to allow students to value and grow through their own self-exploratory and self-directed education. Valuing and appreciating each of your students is what makes teaching such an enlightening, uplifting profession.
Pursuing a career in Education has led me to different philosophical perspectives of education that will be utilized in my future classroom. Behind every educational facility and educator lies a value system and set of beliefs that influence their philosophy of education. My educational philosophy and goals are influenced by a combination of both progressive and behavioral aspects. Most imperative is the characteristics of progressivism that appeal to my values and belief system.
Progressivists emphasize in their curriculum the study of the natural and social sciences. They believe that teachers should expose students to many new scientific, technological, and social developments, reflecting their notion that progress and change are fundamental. Students should also be exposed to a more democratic curriculum that recognizes accomplishments of women and minorities as well as white males. In addition, students should solve problems in the classroom similar to those they will encounter outside of the schoolhouse; they will learn to be flexible problem solvers.
“Education is a social process; education is growth; education is not preparation for life but is life itself.” John Dewey describes and supports progressivism, an education philosophy that I professionally identify with. Progressivism is a student centered philosophy that focuses on experiences, opportunities, and values that enhance a student 's learning and life. The role of the teacher is to act primarily as a facilitator of learning, they encourage and guide students to explore and promote individual development. As a future educator I believe it is important to involve students and allow them to take responsibility for their own learning and achieving their goals. The role of the student is to discover, engage, and express themselves.
As we know, children spend about thirteen years of their childhood (if they graduate) in school around their peers and teachers. Most children go home to busy households where parents do not spend quality time, such as; listening, and disciplining them like they need to. So when these children go into the school the next day, they need and adult to pat them on the back, listen to them, discipline them, and encourage them to keep on trying. Children need to be encouraged so they will try harder. I want to there to give them that extra push that they deserve because many teachers gave me that encouragement to me. These days encourageable, energetic, and determined teachers become evermore important in today’s busy society.
Progressivism is a theory of education that encourages students to think on their own and create their own ideas to test out. In order, for the students to figure out the answer to their new idea or concept learned with hands on experiences used in the classroom. The progressivist named John Dewey believed that people learned most when their past experiences related to the concepts they are currently learning. This allows the students to connect with their experience that happened in life to the new stuff they would currently learn in the classrooms. In which, the students would engage more to learn about the new ideas or knowledge. Progressivists also believed that education should allow students to learn from each other to create a better society. The teacher’s role in the classroom is to keep in check that the students are on task but not under mind their new ideas while doing an experiment. The methods they use are student focused or orientated such as discussion, mental modeling. The students can engage with their peers and discuss their new ideas or own opinions with other without any judgement of being wrong. Progressivism and epistemology are closed connected because they let students help each other out learn new ideas with the information given by the teachers, and can connect it knowledge they have from previous
I believe these goals can be accomplished through progressivism's approach to education. This educational philosophy emphasizes democracy, student needs, and practical activities, and assumes that children learn best in a child-centered curriculum. By focusing on concepts the child enjoys, he or she will be more likely to excel in that subject. I also believe that education should be an enriching process of ongoing growth, learning from previous experiences, problems, and changes. These experiences can be observed in the classroom -- where the student learns from his or her mistakes in difficult subjects, or learns perhaps through helping another student when no one else can to reach the student, as well as in social interaction with peers -- where the student develops his or her own ethical code of what is right and wrong through his or her own actions, as well as the actions of others. This method will provide a child wit...
The future of our nation rests greatly on how we educate our children. The children of today will soon be the driving force of tomorrow. In order to properly prepare our future citizens of society, we must provide them with an education that teaches them not only the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also social skills and critical thinking. Progressivism offers this approach of educating the “whole child.” This student-centered approach to learning applies learning in a social manner and allows students to apply what they are learning to real life. This type of learning is much more meaningful than rote learning. Curriculum and assessment are based on the child and their level of interest and ability, and instruction is varied to adjust to different learning styles. Children learn by doing, and progressivism believes in incorporating a hands-on approach to learning. The teacher in the progressive classroom is not a dictator but more of a mentor and guide to the student. She takes the children into consideration in everything she does and allows them to offer their input. The progressivist teacher also facilitates social interaction among the students and groups them together for projects so that they may learn how to work cooperatively. Progressivism is the key to a more educated, better-rounded society.
My main goal as a teacher is primarily to provide students with the knowledge that will help them further excel in their everyday lives, but also to teach students to apply the knowledge they gained and take advantage of opportunities that will enrich their lives. Many times, students learn better when they feel a certain subject is relevant in their lives. I feel that it is important to have a curriculum that is based on the student’s interest, experience and capabilities. Having a textbook integrated in a curriculum is important, but a student will have a better understanding of the subject area when experience is involved. Although there are many different techniques to education, I feel that the philosophy of progressivism and essentialism best fits my style and belief of teaching. These teaching philosophies focus around student needs, democracy, and the basics of education.
The one belief I had about teaching that has changed since I began this unit, is that all teachers, more or less, taught in the same way. Perhaps this is a belief that I had formed from my own time at school, where all my teachers taught in the same way; some were more or less effective, but I wasn’t aware of them using theories or methods as such, more that they were or weren’t kind people. This belief has changed and it has really opened my ideas to the many creative models, and instructional methods a teacher can use.