MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
By:
When asked to describe my own educational philosophy, the first thing that I think of is the personal goals I have set for myself as a professional in the field of education. My three most important goals as an educator are to teach the world's children with competency,to uplift the self-respect and self-efficacy of each child in my classroom, and to provide a learning environment that serves as a safe haven for all of the students who enter my classroom. Despite the various challenges that teachers face in our society today, I believe that it is still possible to achieve these goals. This belief is founded on a characteristic of the educational philosophy of humanism. For example I believe that all children have the ability tolearn with appropriateinterventions and guidance, and it is my duty, as a teacher to help each child succeed. Meanwhile, Humanism focuses on learning as an unhurried individual process. The learner is given more control over their learning experience by being given more choice and responsibility as it relates to their developmental level. I believe that this promotes the idea that all students can be successful if and when they are given the opportunity to experience the learning as a gradual process that promotes their individual learning style and needs. My first goal addresses welcoming diversity and developing an appreciation for the unique backgrounds and experiences that the world's children bring as individuals. This includes the ability to teach to the individual child and recognizing the different learning styles, while adapting my teaching style to meet the needs of every student. The similarities and differences from each child will also provide my classroom with an exciting and motivating environment in which students are encouraged to learn from one another.
In turn, this brings me to my second goal ofteaching in a way that is encouraging, appealing, and stimulating for all learners regardless of their cultural background or previous experiences. I believe that students should be encouraged to do their best in all curricula, regardless of their learning styles and feel the best way to promote self-esteem is to give praise on a daily basis and instill the concept of success to each child by positively reinforcing good behaviors and performance. This goal is centered on the philosophy of Behaviorism. Behaviorists believe that learning occurs as a result of stimuli. The teacher identifies and measures the desired behavior and the appropriate positive reinforcement is used when the behavior is observed. In this case, I believe that my philosophy is a good representation of the Behaviorism philosophy due to the use of praise and reinforcement of good behavior and performance. Overall, this strategy will help me achieve my goal by allowing students to experience success thereby increasing self-esteem and motivation.
My third goal is to provide a classroom as a safe haven for all children. I believe one important role of the teacher should be to ensure that the classroom environment is safe and worry-free for all children. I believe a safe and supportive environment should promote learning, as well as confidence and assurance. Furthermore, it is important to recognize the environmental affects of learning. For instance, when students feel safe and comfortable with their classroom and peersthen and only then will they open themselves up to the rich opportunity of learning. Trusting the environment and the teacher allows the individual learner to feel comfortable enough to take risks and become an active partner in the learning experience. In my opinion, this part of my personal philosophy is supported by the Constructivist approach. Constructivism is founded on the ideal that the learner constructs understanding through their interaction with the environment and reflecting on those experiences. In addition, the teacher facilitates and scaffolds the learning process and the student’s previous experiences determine their level of readiness regarding future lessons. Therefore, a learner who feels safe and supported in their environment will make connections with their previous knowledge and add upon that knowledge when new information is presented in the environment.
After exploring the various learning theories and educational philosophies, there were center ideals that I identified with greatly and others that do not seem to have a place in personal educational philosophy. For the most part, my teaching style and opinions regarding appropriate methodology is student-centered. However, there are certain philosophies that do not support this approach to learning. For example, Essentialism is based on conservative ideals. Essentialists believe that knowledge should be transmitted in a systematic and discipline way. Students are taught hard work, and respect for authority with an emphasis on intellectual and moral standards. This educational philosophy does not promote student engagement, safe learning environments, diversity, or individual learning styles. In my opinion, it is not an appropriate method for encouraging student self confidence and motivation. In addition, it ignores the environmental aspect of the learning process altogether. Another approach that is not represented in my personal philosophy is Logical Positivism. This theory rejects the role of intuition and matters of the mind. Overall, Positivism is a teacher-centered approach which relies primarily of the laws of matter and motion. Furthermore, such theorists base all truths on provable facts. Thereby, denying the appropriate role that abstract thought and the creative approach plays in the learning process for certain individuals and learning styles.
In summary, my personal educational beliefs consist of being open to ideas and differing perspectives within the learning community, understanding that every child has individual learning styles and needs, and adapting my curricula and teaching approach to meet the specific needs of each child. Furthermore, I believe in providing a safe and developmentally appropriate learning environment which in turn supportsthe mental, physical, emotional, and social growth of each member of the classroom. Teaching is a profession that requires a non-wavering dedication to professional development, flexibility, and self-examination. However, it is a rewarding and critically important career within our society which I enjoy greatly.