Being aware of what shapes our views on education and our desire to teach is important in understanding our goals and motives as teachers. In this essay, I will recall three memorable learning experiences and critically reflect on them while identifying how my interest in teaching arises from these experiences.
The first learning experience relates to my desire in becoming a math teacher. Whenever I told people in China who had known me before I came to Australia that, they would always give me raised eyebrows. What I find interesting and rather sad is that I p. In China, I had always been considered, whether by teachers, peers or even parents, ‘poor’ at maths. To this day, a small part of me still am not convinced I am capable of becoming a qualified maths teacher, even when my current academic results tell otherwise. Reflecting on it now, I believe my lack of confidence and indelible perception that I’m bad at this strong subject of mine arises from my schooling experience in China.
In middle school back when I was in China, maths was never something I thought I could develop an interest in. The constant testing on knowledge beyond syllabus content to differentiate students made it hard for me to have anything to work towards as it was impossible to know what would be in the test. I remember feeling disheartened as I thought I had made no progress despite a large amount of time invested. These assessments did not “promote equity” as they ought to, as espoused by Ewing
For me, the decision to become a teacher is more of a way of life than a career. I have always loved school, practicing at being school marm from a young age, and voraciously devouring every shred of education offered me in my career as a student. If it were possible, I would be a student for the rest of my life. And then I still would not have learned enough. As a teacher, I hope to instill this appetite for knowledge in secondary students. They are, after all, the future leaders of the world, and what better place to expand the minds of the generations to come than here in Appalachia where education programs, especially the sciences, which I plan to teach, are poorly funded and children’s dreams
My philosophy of education is very much a reflection of my worldview. Although I wrote my philosophy of education over a year ago, I never had to write or even think about my worldview. When I started my Christian Worldview class and was introduced to what a worldview was. I had to think long and hard about my worldview and what is important to me, what influences me in the way I live, and how I look at life. This would come together as my worldview. My worldview impacts everything I do in my life. It is my guide and a reflection of where I came from, who I want to be, and where I want my future to go. It’s my commitment to my values, morals, and beliefs that I hold dear to me and motivates me to be the best person possible.
Currently, I am responsible for managing the science instructional programs and personnel in a chartered middle school. As a supervisor for the department, I develop/source curriculum materials for teachers and collaborate with them to plan and implement instructional lessons daily. I manage the financial resources for the department and constantly monitor the teaching practices that will impact our organizational goal and vision.
"Some people make things happen, some watch while things happen, and some wonder ‘what happened?’ Which type of person are you?" author unknown.
As a student, I have been inspired by a few teachers at both my primary and secondary schools to seek an interest in the teaching profession. One year after finishing secondary school where I obtained most of my passes I took some time to reflect back on my twelve years at school and the few critical incidents that have cultivated my thinking about teachers and teaching. Some incidents were positive and others negative, but all assisted to shape the type of teacher I want to be in the future! A few critical incidents that shaped my thinking were the first time I came first in a class, the evening I approached the lackadaisical teacher and the day where I was escorted out of class.
My personal philosophy of education encompasses the rights and responsibilities of the student, the parents, the teacher and the community. Each of these entities are directly responsible for the successful education of the student.
My personal philosophy of education as a teacher is to have the kind of elementary classroom in which students feel safe, welcome, curious, and happy. This can be done by implementing some of the techniques found in Teach Like A Champion by Doug Lemov. Some of the techniques that I plan on implementing are the techniques of: stretch it, format matters, and warm/strict. One way in which I would make my students feel safe is by implementing some of the ideas found in Is everyone really equal? by Ӧzlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo. As a teacher, it’s important to help a student understand where they are in relation to others while not placing judgment. Above all, it is important for the student to learn respect for self and others.
The first and most important reason that I want to become an educator is because of my love for children. I cherish the thought of being involved in a child's learning process. I think that my classroom will have a mixture of the philosophy of idealism and pragmatism. I want to be very knowledgeable in my area of teaching and I love the idea of teaching what I know to my students. My students are going to challenge themselves as learners. Any problems that arise in my classroom will be handled by me the student in an appropriate manner. I also want to engage learning by using first-hand activities. Reading, writing, and arithmetic will be emphasized greatly in my classroom. I want the class
There are many different perspectives on what the role and purpose of education is. Both Functionalists and Marxists believe that the education system prepares young people for work and their work roles. However, they disagree on how education does this.
Every school teacher has their own set of related beliefs--a philosophy of education--that influences what and how students are taught. A philosophy of education represents answers to questions about the purpose of schooling, a teacher's role, and what should be taught and by what methods. I truly believe that every student can learn when given the right tools to do so. There is much more to it than just giving them the opportunity. Students need to be given an environment where they are free to express themselves and be themselves. Nowadays the diversity in our schools are drastically changing and we need to be able to teach in a way that addresses all students. My personal philosophy of education is that we need to provide students with
The definition of curriculum can be as mysterious as the curriculum itself. Oliva (2013) described the hunt for the curriculum as being similar to “efforts to track down Bigfoot, the Bear Lake Monster, [and] the Florida Everglades Skunk Ape …” (pg. 2). All of these elusive beings have left tracks, yet there isn’t a single photograph to prove their existence—just like there isn’t one tangible definition for curriculum. Sure, there’s a binder labeled “curriculum,” but that doesn’t mean it’s merely a set of plans. Initially, I believed the curriculum to be something elusive; I loosely interpreted it as the information that should be taught in a given subject and the corresponding objectives or learning intentions. I believed that the “curriculum [could] be conceived in a narrow way as subjects taught (Oliva, 2013, pg. 3). What I was unaware of was the interdependency of curriculum and instruction. I learned that the curriculum is just as reliant on instruction as instruction is on the curriculum. One is “the what” while the other is “the how.” Now, I view the curriculum as more than just a framework of content and standards. It includes “all the experiences that the learner encounters under the direction of the school” (Oliva, 2013, pg. 7). The curriculum is transient. It can be molded, shaped, and restructured to meet the needs of the children
Children are the future and their education is the key to our society’s success. When considering this, I realize I have an immense responsibility as an educator. The main focuses of my teaching are active learning, building character within students, and providing meaningful curriculum. I want to create a comfortable setting where every student feels safe to learn. In many ways, my philosophy agrees with the holistic approach to education. I feel this challenges the student to not only learn the academic curriculum, but also provides them with opportunities to learn about themselves and the world we live in. I also admire this approach in that it provides students with challenges they must solve themselves. I believe this is extremely important in teaching the 21st century skills they will use their entire life. I believe we must look at the larger picture of what skills and knowledge we are giving our students so they may find success in their future.
My philosophy is based on progressivism, a student-centered philosophy. Progressivism is based around real world experiences. It allows students curiosities to be tested and answers the concerns they may have about the world around them. Curriculum is based on life's experiences and students experimenting to get the right answer. Books are used to enhance the world but are not the main source of information.
Education is the process of learning that can take place anywhere and at any time. I believe that creativity and activity as well as books and lessons are essential to the learning process. As a teacher, I hope to instill in the children a sense of knowledge and self-worth that will remain with them throughout their lives.
Since taking my first few educational courses in education, I have realized that my philosophy on education changes as I learning more about the profession I have entered. Every time I think I have come to a final belief statement, I learn something new about teaching and sometimes the things I learn causes me to alter my philosophy. Therefore, I will share with you what I believe about teaching and what I’ve learned at this point.