Lexi Olinger

4/1/19

Philosophy of Education

Teachers must have a well-thought out philosophy of education to guide them through their

careers. Teachers should know what they believe and think in terms of educating their students. This

paper outlines my philosophy of education by explaining my thoughts on the role of a teacher, how

children learn, the purpose of curriculum and assessment, ethics of education, and the role of the family

in education.

The role of early childhood educators is to create a safe and engaging environment, to facilitate

learning, and to instill a love for learning their students. Early childhood educators must provide their

students a safe and engaging environment. The most important aspect is safety because if students do

not feel physically and emotionally safe in an environment, they will not learn. Secondly, the

environment must be well-thought out to make the most of the given space and engage students. A

proper environment maximizes students learning by allowing them to focus on learning. Facilitating

learning is also a primary role of early childhood educators. As students spend time in the classroom,

teachers must present and facilitate pre-planned activities that help children learn through the learning

style that fits each individual student best. Lessons in early childhood education can be about shapes,

letters, numbers and other various educational topics, but can also be centered on skills that help

students be successful in the real world. Both the environment and the information taught and

facilitated by early childhood educators helps to instill a love for learning in students. Maslow’s

Hierarchy of Needs (1943) states when students feel safe and engaged by the environment they are in,

they feel comfortable and happy, allowing them to make a positive connection to learning and school.

Similarly, when early childhood educators teach their students relevant content in the style that suits

them best, students feel respected and heard, thus allowing them to learn more. Also, when teachers

facilitate learning, rather than simply teaching, students feel a sense of independence and control in the
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4/1/19

learning, teaching responsibility to children. This sense of responsibility follows children through school

and helps them understand that they are in control of what and how much they learn. In order for

teachers to teach, they must know how children learn.

I believe children learn in many ways. In a broad description, I think children learn by watching,

listening, and doing. Within each of those ways, are more descriptive methods and styles that help

children learn in ways most appropriate to their individual needs. Children learn by watching and

listening. It is commonly found that children learn by imitating what adults and older children in their

lives are doing. For example, children learn to eat, bathe, brush their teeth, and carry on a conversation,

and many other things by watching and repeating. This is why it is very important for parents, educators,

and others involved with children’s everyday lives to model appropriate behaviors. Though children may

learn by watching and listening, ultimately, they have not learned until they have done the action or

applied the knowledge. This is why most educators agree that children learn most effectively by doing

things for themselves and others. Young children do not have the capacity to memorize information,

rather, they remember experiences and actions that directly related to the content teachers are trying

to relay. This also ties in the idea of children learning through play and social interactions. Children see

adults model various tasks like cooking and cleaning, and through playing and interacting with their

peers, they complete the actions and apply the knowledge they have learned through watching and

listening. Teachers use the ways children learn to develop effective curriculum and assessment tools.

Curriculum and assessment play important roles in the education of young children. Curriculum

is developed by state government, school districts, administrators and teachers to ensure students are

learning exactly what they need to know to be successful in college and the real world. Each school’s

curriculum varies in some ways based on the emphasis they put on different subjects and ideas. Now,

states are adopting the Common Core State Standards. The Common Core State Standards are sets of
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4/1/19

math and English language arts standards developed by the National Governors Association Center for

Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers (Robbins, 2013). The goal of the standards is

to create consistency in students learning across the nation and make students ready for college. This is

the general idea and purpose of curriculum, to teach children and prepare them for life in college and

the real world.

Assessment is used to ensure that curriculum is being taught and understood. There are many

ways to assess students learning including formative assessment, where assessment takes place as

students learn, and summative assessment, when assessment takes place after instruction and practice,

typically at the end of a unit in a comprehensive assignment or exam. High stakes assessment, a form of

summative assessment, is a hotly debated topic. As a social constructivist, I believe students actively

construct knowledge in the process of learning it, and should be assessed on that learning, as it happens

(Amineh & Asl, 2015). This is why I believe formative assessment is a more appropriate measure for

assessing students learning as opposed to high stakes, summative testing. The debate of assessment

leads to a discussion of the ethics of testing and education in general.

Ethics is defined as, “moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an

activity” (Merriam-Webster). For educators, ethics are a part of everyday work with students, families,

coworkers and communities. Our ethics guide every decision we make and are a highly debated topic,

especially in this time of political upset. Teachers must have set code of ethics or ethical standards that

they can refer to in a time of need. The National Association for the Education of Young Children has a

well-developed code of ethical conduct statement. It lists in detail the core values of the association as

well as their ideals and principles which include ethical responsibilities to students, families, colleagues,

and community and society (NAEYC, 2011).

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4/1/19

Right now, in the times of high teacher attrition, low teacher pay, bullying, and school shootings

it is important for teachers to have ethical codes to base their decisions on. Having a foundation to fall

back on helps teachers make strong and consistent decisions on how to deal with issues in the

classroom. A code of ethics can help educators make choices that themselves, students, and colleagues,

community and society. Conversations about ethics often bring up conversations about the role of

family in the classroom.

If used properly, family can be a great resource for teachers and students. Teachers should use

families as a resource for career inquiries and expertise, cultural lessons, classroom volunteering and so

many more things. Family should also be a part of the work that students are doing in school and at

home. Inviting families into the classroom to interact with their children and others and watch learning

take place can be an amazing experience for teachers, families, and students. Teachers can also involve

families in their students learning at home by supplying families with ideas, activities, and experiences to

share in the home so students can see that learning in school applies to their home lives as well.

There are many things I believe make up my philosophy of education. I believe teachers must

create a safe and engaging environments to facilitate learning in their students and help students to

grow to love learning. I believe children learn through watching, listening and doing. Hearing or seeing a

skill or concept and then doing it creates an experience that is memorable for early learners. I think

curriculum and assessment should be developmentally appropriate, well-thought out and planned as

well. Assessment styles must be considered and tailored to students’ needs. Teachers need a code of

ethics to fall back onto to help them navigate difficult situations, and I think that families have an

important role in the education of their children. All of these pieces come together to create my

philosophy of education.
Lexi Olinger
4/1/19

References

Amineh, R. J., & Asl, H. D. (2015). Review of Constructivism and Social Constructivism. Journal of Social

Sciences, Literature and Languages, 1(1), 9-16.

Ethics [Def. 2]. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/ethic

Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment [Pamphlet]. (2011). National Association for the

Education of Young Children.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-396.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0054346

Robbins, J. (2013). The common core state standards: Two Views. Academic Questions, 26(1).