Philosophy of Education 1

Katharine Christovich
Progressivism with Constructivism in the Classroom
The Purpose of Education
Schools with a progressivism philosophy believe that students should learn less
through tests and books and more through experiences and scaffolding. The learning is
student centered instead of being directly taught by the teacher. Rarely a student
remembers what they read in a textbook but they will remember a past experience that
taught them a lesson. The constructivism aspect would be scaffolding a students learning
by guiding metacognition of real world learning. Students should learn the essential
subjects but not through lectures and readings. In science, I did not learn about volcanoes
through a textbook, I learned about them by actually building one. In fourth grade for
history I learned about the discovery of America by actually going on a field trip to
Jamestown. In 1896 John Dewey founded the Laboratory School as a test for his ideas of
progressivism. This school laid the foundation for the movement in progressive education.
The students were enrolled and grouped based on their individual interests and abilities,
not on their age. They were placed in different classrooms where they were able to learn
through hands on learning and creativity. I believe in student-centered learning through
progressivism and constructivism approaches to learning. Teachers are simply holding to
light to guide the students through their journey of education. I personally do not learn by
reading or just sitting and listening. I am more interested in the subject when I am engaged
and actually doing hands on activities. Since I believe this a more beneficial approach to
learning, it is how I want to teach my own students as well.
Curriculum: What Should be Taught and Why?

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I believe that the school as a whole should determine what the curriculum consists
of but the teachers themselves determine how to teach the content within their classroom.
At the beginning of the year the staff of the schools in that area will get together in order to
discuss what parts of math, science, English, and history should be taught. The teachers will
have a very loose interpretation of the curriculum that they will then take and make their
own. A teacher controls their classroom therefore they should have control over what is
taught. In elementary school, the basic subjects of English and Math are essential to the
proper development of a child. These subjects would be the main focus but history and
science would also be incorporated into the curriculum. Math will be the main focus of the
early years due to the declining level of Math skills as well as English. In order to build wellrounded, educated individuals, social skills, reading skills, and life skills should be taught
alongside the curriculum. Through learning mathematics, students will also be able to
know when they will utilize those skills in the real world. They will not only understand
fractions but they will understand how to share their pizza with a group of friends. In a
progressive classroom, students work together towards a common goal. In this way they
learn acceptance of all and grow up knowing it is okay to be different. A student with
trouble speaking English would be incorporated in a group with students that can speak
very clear English. He is exposed to the English language but at the same time he is able to
show his group his culture as well. To accommodate the student even more, some activities
for English could also address cultural differences in the classroom. Writing a story on
Thanksgiving traditions and everyone sharing it with their group will allow students to feel
comfortable in their own life and students will also be educated on diversity throughout
their classroom. We learned about all of the learning styles within a classroom. No student

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learns the same way. I personally learn better by doing not by reading chapters in a book.
In order to accommodate the different styles, no lesson will be taught the same way as the
other. For fractions the students might be taught using candy but for English they might use
a workbook. Some lessons will be movies or readings, and others will be hands on
activities. The students can choose how they complete the day-to-day tasks therefore all
learning styles are accommodated.
Nature of the Learner
The learners of the classroom are responsible for taking their education into their
own hands. Students need to have a willingness to learn or else everything they have been
taught will go through one ear and out the other. Because of the flexibility within the
progressivism and constructivism classroom, students will develop a love for knowledge
and education. They will feel inspired to learn because they have the control of their future.
There is less pressure from standardized testing because knowledge is assessed in
multiple, different forms in order to prevent high anxiety. Students should interact with
peers in a comfortable setting; they should be accepting to all even though some students
seem different than others. Peers will always be interacting due to the high amount of
group work in a progressive classroom. The interactions within the classroom will be for
educational purposes but because they gain acceptance inside the classroom, peer
interactions outside the classroom will be more positive and much easier. For example, a
boy that may have been seen as weird may give a really neat presentation on his brand new
model car he built over the weekend. At recess, the other boys may approach the student so
they can see his model and play with him. Students should have a professional relationship
with their teachers but they should always feel comfortable enough to approach me for

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help. In a progressive- constructivist class the students are much more independent with
their learning but they still interact with the teacher every single day. A girl may be in the
back of the class working on a fractions activity when she suddenly figures out a different
way of thinking about fractions. She jumps up and goes to her teacher to talk about her
discovery. Me, as the teacher, I would cause her to utilize metacognition to think even
further into her discovery. We would then have a personal discussion on just that discovery
and she then would feel even more inspired to go back to her work. The teacher never gives
the answer, only more questions for the student to become closer to the answer herself. In
my elementary school, I knew all of my administrators and they knew me by name. I think
it is disappointing when students do not know whom their principal is or never sees him or
her. The students should have a positive and not intimidating relationship with their
administrators. Administrators should come into the classroom and the students should
not feel threatened to the point where learning is not possible. An example would be if a
principal came to eat lunch with a class, the students should feel comfortable to talk about
what they have been learning that day and even what they are looking forward to for the
rest of the year.
Teaching Methods that should be Used and Why
The classroom should have a comfortable setting so every student feels relaxed to
be able to learn. The desks are set up in groups, each group having their own team name.
There is different stations set up around the room. The teachers desk is in one of the
corners because I believe it is intimidating when the desk is front and center. There are
colorful posters on all of the walls as well as whiteboards that the students can write on.
The rug in the back has pillows and a large bookshelf for students to have free read. Each

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student would have a mailbox above their coat hook so students can leave positive
messages and encouragement to each student. Every student is required put at least two
notes in every students mailbox each week, this way it can be prevented that no student is
left out. The environment of the classroom should be relaxing and comfortable for each
student. No one should feel intimidated when they walk in because then learning is
hindered. A classroom is most effective when every students diverse background is
accepted and acknowledged. Elementary children do not yet know about all of the
differences within the classroom. They should learn about different cultures at an early age
so when they grow up they already have a very accepting attitude. Everything a child learns
when they are growing up effects their future, and our future as a society. An effective
classroom gives students the confidence needed to go out into the real world and make a
difference.
The Role of the Teacher
Teachers and administrators have the most professional relationship; the admin is
my boss who has overall control of my job so he or she deserves high respect. However,
administrators should not abuse that power. As a teacher I should be able to go to my boss
for mentoring and advice and I should never feel fearful of being approached. At the end of
the day, the teacher is the one in charge of the classroom so the administrator should not
control too much of the teacher. Fellow teachers should be friends and study buddies as
well. Teachers should not be in competition with each other because that is losing focus of
the number one priority, the education of the lives you are in charge of. Teachers should
share notes and help each other when needed. All teachers are at the same level as each
other and that is how it should be. Old teachers should share their wisdom with the new

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teachers and new teachers should share the new techniques they have learned. Teachers
and parents should work together as a team because they are coaches to the same player. If
there is more interaction between the teacher and parent that child is ultimately going to
benefit even more because they are receiving positive energy both in the classroom and at
home. Sometimes however, parents are unfortunately not involved with their childs
schooling like they should be. If this is the case than the teacher needs to pay more
attention to that child. As a teacher and inspiration to such a young mind I want to promote
the values of honesty, determination, and self- confidence. I believe confidence is one of the
most important values for someone so young in this world. Everyone is trying to change
you but if you grow up with the confidence to know who you are and to love yourself first
you will be able to fight back against societal norms. A student forms their own education
and as a teacher I am simply their guide on this journey. Every truth has four corners: as a
teacher I give you one corner, and it is for you to find the other three. I set them on the
right path towards learning and I help them stand back up when they fail but their success
is their hard work and dedication and only that.
Ongoing Professional Development
I will continue my professional growth by continuing to explore my own ideas and
opinions in order to better understand what exactly I believe my philosophy is. By gaining
more experience in the actual classroom I will be able to observe day-to-day learning and
be able to pinpoint what I think is beneficial to students and what I believe is unnecessary.
Once I have a full understanding of who I am as a person and I have more experience in the
school, I will be able to go on my own and become the teacher that I am envisioning. Before
I get to that point however I need to start planning more things out. As a teacher I will need

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to be able to develop lesson plans for the entire day. I need to stop explaining certain things
with too much verbosity and start developing more eloquence. I also need to stop avoiding
confrontations because as a teacher I need to be able to be respectful yet strict. I need to
continue to be passionate and inspired towards learning because as a teacher it is so
essential to love what you are doing for your students sake. If they feel your passion and
love for a subject, they will feel much more inspired and they will grow to be excited about
learning.