Educational Goals and Philosophy Essay example

Deciding that I wanted to be a teacher didn’t take much effort; deciding what kind of teacher I want to be however, takes much more thought. There are numerous educational philosophies, most of which can be traced back to one of four major perspectives: idealism, realism, pragmatism, and existentialism. All of these philosophical systems have an impact on educational thought; however, I find it hard to choose

As a student of education, I have been able to gather many ideas and opinions about practices and ideals I want to implement in my future classroom. My philosophies about education are still being formed and continually change with every class I visit and with every educator I encounter. My ideas, admittedly, come from random experiences and intangible texts, but as I gain more experience in the field through my courses, my philosophies about teaching will become more clearly defined. These few ideas I have now will undoubtedly be added upon as I enter student teaching and my professional career, nevertheless, they are concepts of which I hope to never lose sight.

An educational philosophy is a personal statement of a teacher’s goals or belief. A teacher comes to the classroom with a distinctive set of principles and ideals that affect how a student learns and expand the child’s potential in his or her venture into knowledge. I believe that education should be active, and focus on the whole child, rather than just the content or the teacher. The three (3) principles I believe that work harmoniously with my educational philosophy are the teacher acting as a facilitator to foster critical thinking, allowing the child’s natural curiosity to steer his or her learning for personal development, and

For my educational plans, I have a clear understanding and vision of where I want to go and who I have the desire to be. For now, I would like to graduate with my Associates in Arts degree in Nursing from Indian River State College. I believe Indian River State is an excellent place to begin my journey and recieve my education in order to better prepair myself for what is yet to come. After I recieve my Associates degree from Indian River, I plan to transfer to the University of South Florida in order to extend my education and potentially recieve my Bachelors and Masters of Science degree in Nursing.

In my philosophy I will talk about the goals of teaching and ways to accomplish them. Also I will describe how I feel about public education, what kind of teacher is the best,how young children learn and develop,how best i plan to teach them and what school system works the best because of

I did not always know I wanted to be a teacher. For me, the profession that I would ultimately choose to spend the rest of my life doing did not come as easily to me as it did to some of my peers. I did, however, know from a very young age that I have always wanted to help others. I also knew that I really enjoyed being around two types of people: the elderly and the young. It was not until my senior year of high school when I became a teaching assistant to a kindergarten class that I realized I wanted to become a teacher and help the lives of many. I have experienced and witnessed many different kinds of teaching philosophies, some that have worked increasingly better than others. The unstated philosophies of teaching I have encountered through kindergarten to this point thus far have shaped my personal philosophy on teaching. As a teacher, I will strive to spark enthusiasm for positive learning, acknowledge and support learning differences and needs, provide students with a strong foundation for lifelong learning, and make a difference in the lives of my students.

The nature of students is that of an instinctive ability to learn. Students of ages and all grade levels reflect their surroundings and respond according to their interpretation. Naturally it is not only the influence of a classroom that shapes a student but many outside factors that determine students’ goals and abilities; for example, healthy encouragement from parents. Students may find a natural ability to perform in one area of education and with help may fine tune their ability to better their understanding of other areas. Students have a better understanding of education when it is relevant to their needs and everyday life.

There are many philosophies to consider when preparing to teach. The ones I wish to

Knowledge is a very powerful thing, and to be able to deliver this to today’s youth has been a dream of mine for a long time. There are many advantages to teaching. I feel that is a very fulfilling profession. I have seen my sister in the classroom, and it greatly inspired me to want to make a difference in some ones life. Through watching my sister in action I was inspired to follow in her footsteps.

Aristotle once said, “The one exclusive sign of thorough knowledge is the power of teaching.” Teaching enables students to gain the intelligence needed to excel in life. I believe that a teacher’s philosophy of education is a crucial role in his or her approach to leading students on their educated path. A philosophy of education is the set of beliefs that every school and every teacher stand behind. The certain philosophy that one chooses provides the answers to many vital questions, such as the purpose of schooling, a teacher’s role, and what should be taught in the classroom.

“The goal of education is not to increase the amount of knowledge but to create the possibilities for a child to invent and discover, to create men who are capable of doing new things,” stated by Jean Piaget. Education serves many purposes; it helps a child open their eyes to the world, it provides curiosity and determination for a young adult, and it can provide middle age adults and elders with a spark of belonging and hope. To be able to achieve these purposes, the process of education must start at a young age. Singing the ABC’s to an infant, reading to a toddler, encouraging writing and math skills are a few steps towards all the possibilities a person could have in life.

After reviewing these teaching philosophies and educational theories, many of them reflect my own personal educational philosophy and my instructional practices and choice of classroom curriculum. The four that I found the most appealing are: Realism, Pragmatism, existentialism and progressivism. I find the combination of the three very complementary.

The interesting approach to teaching and learning philosophy comes from a place of experience. What I have come to believe resonates with the positive and negative events that have occurred during my years as a student, but also as a role model. As we grow up we experience different teachers that tackle problems differently. The negative experiences always happen to stand out, but the positive experiences create the passion that can be transferred into motivation for our own teaching and learning philosophies. Four keywords that reside with me are Passion, Mistakes, Encouragement, and Practice. Four words, Four definitions and Four ways to turn negativity into a positive notion. It is extremely important to be passionate about what you believe because as a teacher passion can be contagious. I have grown as a person to understand that people have different needs. I have left my mind open to see that people are all unique and by understanding that one word, I am able to see the impact that my teaching philosophy could have on many individuals.

In the field of education there could arise many philosophical ideas of each individual teacher. Many of the past philosophies have been and still are used in today’s education programs, such as the Socratic method. My philosophy will also contain some of the many philosophies of the past and possibly the future. I will state the nature of students, the nature of knowledge, the purpose of public education, method, and curriculum according to my own philosophies, which also may be based the philosophical ideas of previous individuals.

There are five different philosophies of education that educators can choose from. The philosophies of education are essentialism, perennialism, progressivism, social reconstructionism, and existentialism. A teachers’ philosophy of education defines how they run their classroom, maintain classroom management, and expect their students to learn. For me, I have chosen the philosophy of progressivism. Progressivism is a student centered philosophy. According to Moore (2000), progressivism is a child-centered approach that sees education as a ‘drawing-out’ rather than a putting in of knowledge. Progressives generally run a truly child centered classroom, as compared to an essentialist, who believe in the teacher being the center of the classroom. By teachers adopting the philosophy of progressivism in the classroom; they encourage their students to become intelligent individual problem solvers, hands on learners and collaborators, and prepare them to be responsible and knowledgeable citizens.