Running Head: PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy of Education

Kelley McHam

Paris Junior College

EDUC 1301.200

Dr. Marian Ellis, Instructor

11-08-2020
Running Head: PHIOSOPHY

I believe that my philosophy of teaching would be Progressivism.

I believe that students should be able to learn by doing and seeing. It is easier for a child to learn
if they are involved in what they are learning. When I was in Jr. High, I had a wonderful teacher.
She was my homeroom 8th grade teacher. She was trying to teach us all in her History class about
our freedoms and the bill of rights. Because we attended a small school, she was able to go
through the school board to get her lesson approved. She wanted us to really absorb what we
were learning and understand it and not just be in class with a book in front of us.
The school wrote each students parent and every single student was given written permission to
participate in a school wide demonstration of what our world as students would be like if all of
our rights were taken from us. This included, taking away all of our desks. Not allowing us to
speak at all ever. We had to eat sandwiches every day for lunch and our parents were not allowed
to pack us anything. While this may seem harsh, we got the point and actually really enjoyed it.
I remember having to pick up all the trash around the foot ball field, one of my classmates started
talking and we were made to run laps. We would never forget that experience and for the time, it
was a amazing way for us to learn.

By being physically involved in what our teacher had to teach us, we were able to pick it up
and it stuck in us better than simply setting at our desks, and looking in a text book. All of the
grades from 6th to 12th got to work together on this. I remember feeling like I was a little sister to
the high schoolers. I understand that this day and time, this may not be the most appropriate idea,
but for 2002, it worked great.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that hands on teaching, and experience is a better way for a
student to learn that to simply be instructed from a book. If a student can see what they are
learning, in pictures, games, field trips, art, they will remember it better.
When a teacher can use tools such as a game, videos, pictures, or activities to be educated, they
will enjoy the teaching better.
Running Head: PHIOSOPHY