Running head: MY PHILOSOPY OF EDUCATION

My Philosophy of Education

Loretta Cooper

Azusa Pacific University

MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION



My Philosophy of Education

Education

I dont think of myself as very political, I rarely talk about politics with friends or even my husband, and I usually dont reveal who I voted for in any presidential election. In theory I do like the educational policies that President Obama has set forth for us,

These education policies will open the doors of opportunity for our children. But it is up to us to ensure they walk through them. In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a President, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children's education must begin at home (Obama, 2009).

Americans are always concerned about our place in the world. Families, schools, government, private business need to have an investment in students succeeding. For me it comes down to maximizing funding in support of student success, creating standards for a positive school environment, reducing class and school size, and understanding and viewing the role of parents, families as being the utmost important foundation to a childs education. That does sound simplistic, but shouldnt everyone collectively have a goal for every child to succeed, to prepare every child for college or a career, to be productive and contributing members of our society? We need to able to hold the complexity of out challenges, construct ideas together and work toward creative solutions, and not rely on simplistic and in adequate

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sound bites. This requires a different public engagement, where each voice matters and we can hold the creative tension of differing and competing ideas (SAE, 2011). The Student I believe every student can grow and mistakes are an opportunity to learn. It is important to think about school through their eyes. I also believe it is important to understand what motivates students, what their goals are; how they view you, their classmates, and the activities you assign them. My hope is that every student walks into the classroom excited to learn each day. I want my students to view their classroom as a space where learning is loved and enjoyed. I want to make a difference not only in the lives of the students in my classroom at that particular time, but impact their lives far into the future. In the big scheme of things I want my impact on their lives to result in a better world. It is also important that my students see me as a model for learning, a lifelong learner. In turn my hope is that my students become lifelong learners. Students should take the role of active participant motivated by their learning. The students role should be that of a risk taker, a curious soul with lots and lots of questions. The Teacher I view the role of the teacher as a knowledgeable caring adult with the utmost important role of adapting and adopting new practices. The role of a co-learner and facilitator. I think this is an excellent example of the role and responsibilities of the teacher, An educator's most important responsibility is to search out and construct meaningful educational experiences that allow students to solve real-world problems and show they have learned the big ideas, powerful skills, and habits of mind and heart that meet agreed-on educational standards. They grasp that their

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most important role is to get to know each student as an individual in order to comprehend his or her unique needs, learning style, social and cultural background, interests, and abilities (Lanier, 1997). In a nutshell; to inspire a love of learning, make sure learning occurs, and adapt and adopt new practices through professional development.

I would love to hang a big banner in my classroom that reads Responsibility, Compassion, Integrity, Peace, and Love Taught Here! The banner would be proudly displayed as a reminder that in my classroom values are consciously promoted.

I consider myself a learner who is highly imaginative, I favor feelings and reflection. I love to brainstorm, ask questions, and I love to generate new ideas. According to the 4 Mat learning styles I am a type one learner. Type one learners have a cognitive style that puts perception before judgment, subjective knowledge before objective facts, and reflection before action. They prefer to make decisions based on feeling, are visual/auditory/kinesthetic, and experiential before conceptual (McCarthy, 1997). The teaching style that best fits my philosophy of education is collaborative learning I am with Vygotsky viewing interaction with peers as an effective way of developing skills and strategies (McLeod, 2010). In my last teaching assignment in a GATE classroom I often used collaborative learning, it was a good way to develop interpersonal skills, deal with conflict, and share strengths while developing their weaker skills. This resulted in projects reflecting a wide range of perspectives. Using collaborative learning students are more apt to take ownership of their learning and material (Davis, 2012).

MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION



The Classroom

One of my very favorite books for classroom management is Ways We Want Our Class to Be: Class Meetings that Build Commitment to Kindness and Learning (1996). This book given to me some years ago conveys what I believe to be the ideal classroom setting. classroom is built around the understanding of the meaning of fairness, kindness, and responsibility, values used to build community in the classroom. The

My approach to discipline of a student is to be inconspicuous, making sure no students are distracted. I like to use classroom rules that describe the behavior I want instead of what a student cannot do. I consider rules in the classroom as expectations with good behavior acknowledged and reinforced.

I see value in the constructivist approach to assessment. I believe learners should be evaluated in the process of creating their abilities and viewed as part of the learning process. Rubrics should be constructed to guide and to assess work. Feedback is key in giving students the opportunity to improve for the future and it is important to look at the student and attempt to understand their thinking (examine thinking process of the student). Students should be given the opportunity to document their own learning through journaling and reflect on their learning (Alber, 2009).

The Curriculum

The ideal curriculum would educate the whole child, not teach to a test, would recognize different learning styles, would be challenging, and content would be taught in context, technology would be used across all subjects and not in isolation. And the Arts would be an

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essential part of the curriculum, an essential part of the whole program. This is altogether another subject I am passionate about but that would be a paper unto itself.

I like the idea of a perennialist, teaching ideas that are enduring. The demanding curriculum focuses on attaining cultural literacy, stressing students growth in enduring disciplines (Cohen, 1999). Can I combine that with the ideals of a progressivist, emphasis on the whole child?

Who should choose the curriculum? Content standards, curriculum frameworks, master calendars for state adoption of standards, instructional materials and their process seem so daunting to me. The State chooses curriculum and it is up to the school district to choose instructional materials. But why not close that in a bit by having individual schools choose the instructional materials that would fit the need of their particular school population using parent and teacher input.

Conclusion

I am currently pursuing employment. I came up with my dream job and what the job posting would look like. I am ready and willing! Teacher needed to lead students in utilizing technology to enhance constructivist instructional strategies. Teacher candidate must possess the ability to shift instruction from passive to active learning. Candidate must understand the potential of technology as a tool for student collaboration and reflection. Candidate must have a significant voice in planning and developing the curriculum using technology as an invisible tool to enhance and engage student

MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION



learning. Candidate must possess the ability to encourage meaningful dialogue in the classroom while accepting all ideas. Candidate should understand the power of technology to guide students from a mere experience to a learning experience. Potential candidate should possess the ability to help build knowledge within a community of learners6(DL, 1995).

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References

Alber, R. (2009, October 06). Letting Go in the Classroom. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/students-guide-learning-constructivism Cohen, L. N. (1999). ED416 - Module I. ED416 - Module I. Retrieved from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/module1.html Davis, M. (2012, December 05). How Collaborative Learning Leads to Student Success. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/stw-collaborative-learning-collegeprep Lanier, J. T. (1997, July 01). Redefining the Role of the Teacher: It's a Multifaceted Profession. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/redefining-role-teacher McCarthy, B. (n.d.). Tale of 4 Learners. Educational Leadership:How Children Learn:A Tale of Four Learners: 4MAT's Learning Styles. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar97/vol54/num06/A-Tale-ofFour-Learners@-4MAT's-Learning-Styles.aspx McLeod, S. (2012). Zone of Proximal Development. - Scaffolding. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/Zone-of-Proximal-Development.html Remarks of President Barack Obama -- Address to Joint Session of Congress | The White House. (2009, February 24). Remarks of President Barack Obama -- Address to Joint Session of Congress | The White House. Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-of-President-Barack-ObamaAddress-to-Joint-Session-of-Congress

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SEDL - SCIMAST Classroom Compass - Constructing Knowledge in the Classroom. (n.d.). SEDL - SCIMAST Classroom Compass - Constructing Knowledge in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.sedl.org/scimath/compass/v01n03/1.html Ways we want our class to be: Class meetings that build commitment to kindness and learning. (1996). Oakland, CA: Developmental Studies Center. What is the Role of Public Education in Our Society? (2011, November). Center for Ethical Leadership. Retrieved from http://ethicalleadership.org/publications/newsletters/what-isthe-role-of-public-education-in-our-society