Philosophy of Education

By: Karla Wolf

I believe children are the future. Each child is unique and can bring something special to
the world. Becoming a mother has inspired me to pursue a career in teaching. I love seeing all
the different personalities in children. My goal as an educator will be to help children reach their
fullest potential. I will help them grow intellectually and socially. I will do this by creating an
atmosphere that is fun, caring, and stimulating. Through classes that I have taken at Alverno
College and my experiences in the classroom, I have developed a personal philosophy on
education that I will implement in my future classroom.
I believe students are more open to learning if they are comfortable in their setting. As a
child, I remember being in a classroom where the walls were colorful, full of charts, and our
projects were displayed for others to see. I envision my classroom to be what I remember as a
child. I believe children should be immersed in what they are expected to learn. Children need
to be immersed into the culture and the curriculum in order to make sense of the content and
understand the world around them. Providing culturally responsive instruction is essential in
classrooms. When providing culturally responsive instruction, teachers accept, acknowledge,
and value their students differences, which will then increase their success in the classroom. Its
important to bring students cultures into the classroom because it teaches students to know and
praise their own cultures as well as embrace others. I would take the time and get to know my
students and develop a relationship and bond with them. Its important that they feel safe and
comfortable in the classroom.

Children should also feel free to take risks and make mistakes. I truly believe mistakes
are essential to learning. Immersion and the ability to make mistakes, or approximate, relates to
Brian Cambournes Conditions of Learning Theory. He believes certain conditions need to be
present in order for learning to occur (Cambourne, 1995). Two of the conditions he identified is
immersion and approximation. The classroom environment needs to be full of what students are
expected to learn, and it also needs to be a comfortable and safe environment where students feel
they can take risks and make mistakes.
I am a hands-on learner. I feel hands-on learning is not only effective but fun. My belief
regarding hands-on learning reflects Jean Piagets theory of cognitive development. Piaget
believes through maturing and environmental experiences, cognitive development happens
gradually through stages by constantly reorganizing your existing schemas. One way to apply
Piagets theory in classrooms is by using visual aids, doing hands-on activities, and encouraging
students to engage and participate in class (Blake & Pope, 2008). I will provide many
opportunities with hands-on activities. I will also incorporate different themes, individual work,
group work, and projects to help students become active learners.
I believe social interaction is also important in the process of learning. There should be
many opportunities for students to talk and interact with one another in the classroom. My belief
on social interaction relates to Lev Vygotskys theory. Vygotsky discussed how important social
interactions and social relationships formed with others were to learners (Graham, 2005). He
also developed a concept called scaffolding. I believe scaffolding is an important concept that
teachers need to do with their students. Scaffolding refers to a gradual release of support for
students by teachers during the learning process. As students learn, teachers should gradually
withdraw their support so they can eventually perform the task independently (Thompkins,

2006). All children are capable of learning, and its important as teachers we give them the
support and guidance they need so they can eventually perform the task independently.
As I mentioned, each child is unique and can bring something special to the world. Every
student has different needs and different learning styles. I will make sure to differentiate my
instruction and assessments in order to meet the needs of each student. I will also make the
necessary accommodations for the students with disabilities. Its important I provide all children
an equal opportunity to learn in an inclusive environment.
I will implement these personal beliefs I have developed in my future classroom.
Teaching provides an opportunity for continual learning and growth. There is always room for
improvement in all of us. My goal will always be to continue to learn new strategies,
philosophies, learn from other colleagues, and most important, learn from the students. I will
strive to be the best educator I can be, and to never stop learning.

References
Cambourne, B. (1995). Toward an educationally relevant theory of literacy learning: twenty
years of inquiry. The Reading Teacher, 49 (3), 182-190.
Blake, B. & Pope, T. (2008). Developmental psychology: Incorporating Piagets and Vygotskys
theories in classrooms. Journal of Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives in Education, Vol. 1
(No. 1), p. 59-67.
Graham, S. E. (2005). Developing through learning: A review of the work of Piaget, Vygotsky,
and Bandura. Unpublished paper. Milwaukee, WI: Alverno College.
Thompkins, G. E. (2006). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach. (6th ed).
Columbus, OH: Pearson.