My personal education philosophy

For my introduction to education class, I was required to write a paper outlining my personal education philosophy. I will share it with you here. Also, this was merely to see how we felt now about education and how we think we might manage our future classroom. I have little to no experience and realize some of this might not work in real life. But, we were to get a start on a paper we will all need to have in more definite terms when we graduate. This is something I will revisit in about four semesters. (Also, the formatting is a little weird and I can't figure out how to fix it...)

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Through this assignment, I have been asked to examine the way I view the education of children in new and unique ways. By determining how I view the various aspects of teaching, I have been able to reflect on the progress I have made this semester so far in regards to my learning and also some assumptions I had related to teachers and the education system in America. I had always known it was a challenging and complicated issue, but I never knew the hidden influence legislation and special interest groups play every day in the classroom. I know it is impossible for anyone to have all the answers to our education problems, especially a single first year education student, I have formed an answer to how I think I will address some of the problems of education as they will pertain to my future classroom.

How students learn best and succeed
        I believe students learn best when they feel safe within their learning environment. I will want to structure the learning environment in a way that will be safe for making mistakes because they are encouraged and supported in a positive way. This is like the progressive philosophy because progressives make the learning environment safe for risk taking. I will strive to give my students a sense of belonging and community, similar to reconstructionism, because I feel that within a learning community that they take ownership of students will strive because they have taken personal responsibility for their learning. This is also similar to existentialism because students take responsibility for their own work and learning. Students also succeed when they are challenged to push their abilities like existentialism because I will be challenging students to be independent and find solutions to problems. This will challenge them to think in new and unique ways.
The role of schools
        One of schools most important tasks involves preparing students to become productive members of society. This could include preparing students to succeed in college or giving them the skills necessary to enter to workforce immediately following high school. This is similar to pragmatism in applying what students learn to their daily life by preparing them for a future job or career. In addition to students who are ready to work or ready to enter higher education, schools also need to create students prepared to be involved in the world around them. These students should be willing to participate in our government and will acquire the skills necessary to make decisions for the betterment of society, similar to Marxism or reconstructionism because both emphasize creating a classless society and being involved with social issues. Students who leave school should have at least an appreciation for the art that society produces from works of art in a gallery, to the historic buildings of our country, to the written word, stage, and music. This is promoting cultural literacy and also emphasizing great works, but applying them to a more contemporary setting. This is similar to both perennialism and essentialism because the first emphasizes the great works while the latter notes acquiring culture and cultural literacy for personal benefit. Schools are should provide an education for all, even if it isn’t in the exact same manner for each individual student. This is like the existentialists because they believe in individualism and alternate choices for students.
Why students fail
        Students fail because they can’t connect to the material in a way that is meaningful for them. Students who fail don’t see a point in learning as a whole or maybe just in learning this particular day’s lesson. This relates to cognitivism because cognitists wants students to construct knowledge that will be meaningful to them through their learning experiences and interactions with other students. Another factor that could contribute to a student failing is that they don’t receive enough support. This could include their parents or even within the classroom. Perhaps a teacher doesn’t expect anything of a particular student. This is mostly likely exactly what that student will deliver. This is related to progressivism because teachers act as facilitators who encourage students with their learning.
Most effective way to teach and assess students
        The most effective way to teach is through guided instruction, small group work, and whole and small group discussions. Teachers should use divergent questioning strategies along with evaluative and reflective questions. By using these strategies students are expected to do more than simply recite information from the text, but will be learning at a higher level on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Evaluative questions will help students analyze the information found in the text. Reflective questions help students examine decision-making. Both of these will help students grow on an emotional, intellectual, and spiritual level. Also, these types of questions help students develop independent ideas about the topics discussed in school. This is similar to existentialism because it encourages students to philosophize about life. Students also benefit from individual essays to hone their writing skills. This is a traditional method. However, it is necessary for students to master prior to college and also to prove competence in writing. It is most related to the essentialist philosophy.

The most effective way to assess students is through essay and short answer tests that relate to the way learning was done in the classroom. It makes no sense for the method of testing to not match the way a subject was taught. It is also beneficial to students to post the goals and objectives for the class period on the board and to give them a syllabus that will outline what is to be studied throughout the course of the term. I will not be giving any students zeros on major assignments. Discipline will also not be reflected in my grading. For example, if a student is sent to the office and misses an in-class discussion they will be given a one-page reflection or the like to do to make up points rather than taking a zero for the day. The total points possible on the reflection might only be seven out of ten, but they will not be getting a zero. Additionally, students benefit from reading a mixture of classic literature to give them a sound foundation because much contemporary literature alludes to or directly references the classics. Students should study good contemporary literature so they can appreciate it as an art form developing during their lifetime.

Effective classroom management
        The most effective way of managing a classroom is to give students your expectations in the beginning and then stick to them. By providing students with a syllabus they will know ahead of time which days they will have homework. If they know they will miss an in-class assignment because of a doctor or dentist appointment or because they are leaving early due to an art, music, or athletic competition they will be able and expected to alert me early on about the absence so that an alternate assignment can be completed. Since this is promoting student responsibility this is like existentialism. If I believe that the students in classroom will make positive decisions, I am setting the expectation that will make positive decisions and therefore, the students most likely will make positive decisions. I will also alert my students to consequences if they do not make positive decisions and they will be delivered consistently. However, positive reinforcement will always come first.