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My Philosophy of Education

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My passion for teaching began at an early age. I have gained experiences and knowledge through my own education and the time I have spent working with students. These things have contributed to the development of my own ideas about education, and my future as an educator. I had some wonderful teachers during my K-12 years that showed me what it means to be a good teacher, and I have kept in contact with many of them. I have also worked with some great teachers that have contributed to my personal philosophy of teaching.
I believe that students should take ownership and feel as if they are a part of their classroom. Building a strong community is important for a classroom to maintain organization and cohesiveness. Having students take part in setting goals and guidelines for the classroom helps them feel as if they are an important piece of the whole. I think that making it a point for students to understand that they are not only in a classroom to learn, but they are also there to teach. This idea is important, because I think a child’s peers can offer different perspectives that, as a teacher, I may not have even seen. As a result, I become a student as well.
Along with community building, I think that students should be able to give input on their learning. Students should have choices in some of their assignments, so they can construct their own learning. This construction can stem from a student’s interests, experiences, and/or curiosity, and therefore drive the student’s will to learn. If the student is able to connect with what they are learning on a deeper level, they will have more interest in learning and retaining that information. I do not know if I will be able to fully facilitate student-directed learning, even though I think that students learn the best through this method. Unfortunately, I have not seen a model of this, as my mentor teachers are required to teach out of the textbooks for most of the subjects. They are strongly encouraged to only teach to the standards because the students’ test scores will suffer if the required material is not learned by the time of the test. At this point, I think my own class will be in the middle of teacher-directed and student-directed learning, just because this is what I have grown up knowing, and this is how schools are generally structured today.
To me, the overall goal of education is for students to learn and for the student to be successful. I think that a successful student is one that does not just memorize information, but is able to apply that knowledge to a certain situation or task. Learning should also be fun, because if a child does not have fun while they are learning, they will not value the process or have a high regard for learning. I think that learning can take place in an exciting environment, and that child will enjoy learning more if it can be made enjoyable for them. Along with this, it is important for a teacher to be enthusiastic about the subject they are teaching. If a teacher does not value a topic, then the students will not value it either.
I do not believe in standardized testing because I believe that every child learns differently and it different ways. It is not fair to administer a multiple choice test to students who have test anxiety, students who can explain things better when applying concepts to real life, and students who have different learning abilities. Some students are not good test takers, and having them compared to other students who may be good test takers is not a valid way to measure the knowledge of a student. Students should never be compared to one another, only compared to their own achievements. Looking at how much progress a student has made over a period of time is much more effective in determining their success. This could be done through a portfolio or a comprehensive project that applies many of the concepts that have been learned. Standardized testing also takes away from what a teacher can do in their classroom. If teachers are required to teach reading out of a basal text, it leaves little room for them to bring in creative projects with outside reading sources.
I believe that children are born ready to learn, and just need to be nurtured in a way so they can cognitively grow effectively. I believe that there are certain time periods in which the majority of children increase their cognition a great deal, and that developmentally appropriate practice is an important concept for teachers to remember when designing lessons. If students are not developmentally ready to understand an idea, then it is unacceptable to teach such a concept until a child is cognitively, emotionally and physically ready.
It is, however, acceptable for students to be challenged. These challenges should not be so far out of reach that the child just gets confused and frustrated, but far enough to where they child must think deeply about the challenge at hand. Having these challenges in place for students that are advanced can help so they do not become bored.
This approach also keeps tracking out of the classroom. I do not believe that tracking is the way to teach children who learn at different levels. I think it marginalizes students, and while it may be good for those in the top level, the students in the bottom levels will suffer. Students who are not in the advanced tracks will feel as if they will never be adequate enough, and the label of being “below grade level” will cause a student to be discouraged and feel hopeless. Students in lower tracks often feel as though their teachers do not believe in them, so they do not believe in themselves. Again, giving students the same assignment, but offering different levels of cognition within the assignment will give the appropriate challenges to each student’s ability level.
I think it is important for students to feel connected to their classroom and to have fun while learning. I also think it is important for students to be challenged, but not divided from their peers. It is my hope that I will be able to stick to these ideals when I get in the classroom, but I am well aware that my ideals are likely to change. Whatever my personal philosophy might end up being, I hope that it will be the best one for my self and my students.