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SubOne Application of Content

Ryan Leis
EDUP 550
Val Krage
May 18, 2015
Educational Philosophy Essay
An educational philosophy is something that is very important to have, but it is
something that takes considerable time and thought to develop. This is something that is
easier said than done. After my initial research on the different educational philosophies I
have found that I line up quite well with the student-centered philosophy, specifically
with Social Reconstructionism. But my personal philosophies often revolve around
finding balance and I see no reason as to why my educational philosophy should be any
different. To me Social Reconstructionsism is the best educational philosophy to adapt,
but there are aspects of several philosophies that I hope to use to supplement this and help
me find an ideal balance and help students achieve their potential.
The main idea behind Social Reconstructionism is to change society, rather than
just teach about it (Powell, 223). This, not surprisingly is the aspect of the philosophy
that I connect to the most. Because really, what is the point of teaching anything if those
learning it cannot put it to use in some way or the other. The goal should be to take what
we learn and use it to positively affect our lives and those around us. This is exactly what
Social Reconstructionism sets out to do. It addresses subjects like: racial equality,

womens rights, sexism, environmental pollution, poverty, substance abuse, homophobia,


and AIDS (Powell, 223). These are incredibly important issues that I believe get swept
under the rug entirely too often, and when that happens we are really stunting the growth
of our students and limiting their capabilities to help society.
I hope that this philosophy can help me to be a successful teacher obviously.
More specifically, my hope that this philosophy will help me relate to my students. I
think that when you can relate to your students; know their situations, and understand
what they are interested in and passionate about you can really start to create an
environment where they are willing learners. And then when you are able to translate
that into ways that they can positively affect change in the world I can only hope that it
will excite and ignite that passion even more in those students.
But I think it would be short-sided of me to believe that this is all that is necessary
to teach students. There are several aspects of other philosophies that I hope to utilize
when teaching. The Progressivism philosophy of creating opportunities for student
discovery and problem solving (Powell, 222) is absolutely something that I hope to
instill in my students. And furthermore I think student discovery and problem solving
goes right along with Social Reconstructionism, after all how better to change the world
than to discover issues that we are passionate about and the use problem solving to
improve upon the issues. This is a fundamental learning tool that everyone can use.
I can also see some use in the ideas of Existentialism. I think it is very important
to teach the student as a whole individual and not just individual subjects, helping
students find meaning and understanding of themselves is hugely important in seeking a

fulfilling life (Powell, 224). And again I feel like using this idea to supplement Social
Reconstructionism is a perfect fit. If you are able to understand yourself, it can only help
you to appreciate and understand differences in others around the world.
I do however see very little value in the teacher-centered approaches of
educational philosophy. While I can see some use in having a core curriculum that every
student should probably learn, it is a much smaller curriculum than they would prefer and
it would be a curriculum that changes continuously as the world around us changes. I see
very little use in teaching absolutes, especially when they were created hundreds of years
ago; in fact I see that as a phenomenal way of stalling progress.
Balance is key to success, and when it comes to my educational philosophy it is
no different. I really connect to the Social Reconstructionsim philosophy, especially
when I can supplement it with ideas from other philosophies. I am very hopeful that this
can help me to become a successful educator by positively affecting my students to find
their passion and use it to positively change their lives and the lives of everyone around
them.

Sources:
Powell, S. D. (2012). Your Introduction to Education: Explorations in Teaching (2nd ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

Rationale:
This is a paper on my educational philosophy. It focuses on being
a student-centered teacher. Most of education is trending in this
direction and I am a strong supporter of that trend. Student Centered
learning constantly keeps the best interest of the students in mind and
I think that that is the most important thing to being a teacher, what is
best for your students. If you lose sight of that, the students are not
going to receive the best education that they possibly can.

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