Personal Teaching Philosophy Essay

A large part of my educational philosophy is based on the fundamentals of Progressivism. This philosophy, founded by John Dewey, organizes schools around the concerns, curiosity, and real world experiences of students. I agree with these ideas because people must continually learn to keep up with today’s fast paced world. I believe that when learning is relevant and enjoyable students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. Progressivism has respect for individuality, a high regard for science, and a receptivity to change that I feel is critical to successful education. As a Progressive teacher I will facilitate learning by helping students formulate meaningful questions and devise strategies to answer those questions. In my opinion, answers are best discovered through real world experience, especially hands on learning or pragmatism. I believe that there is a time and place for book-learning; however, there is no substitute for actually doing things. I

'The most important function of education at any level is to develop the personality of the individual and the significance of his life to himself and to others' -Grayson Kirk. The teaching philosophy of progressivism focuses on developing the whole child. This philosophy not only teaches the core subject material, but it also allows the teacher to help develop the person the child is going to be.

Describe in detail your philosophy of teaching and learning and the theoretical basis for its development. Include examples of teaching and learning strategies to promote higher level thinking that align with your stated philosophy. The context for implementation of the strategies may be within your area of expertise.

In teaching or instructing from a person’s experiences you make them see the relevant of the instruction. Progressivism views that the curriculum should be molded around the student’s experiences, interests, and abilities are another way to mold the school around the student. Also, in regards to the teacher’s lesson plans I believe that like perennialism they should be based on the great books, but like progressivism they should evoke or arouse curiosity and move the students to higher plan of learning. Mixing these two philosophies into the school and/or classroom curriculums best engages the students’ individuality and constants of knowledge.

My goals upon graduating College are to go to graduate school while working days as a Science 5-9 teacher. I will seek masters in Biology and also one in Administration I feel with my specialty in science these two masters programs will be very beneficial to me as a teacher. Upon graduating from graduate school I plan to pursue a career in School Administration.

According to the Philosophic Inventory, my two personal educational philosophies are progressivism and existentialism. These philosophies show that I am likely to try and make a change within my class and mold my future students to create a positive change in the world. I will also value the rights of each of my students to believe what they want without fearing persecution by their classmates or other teachers, regardless of whether I agree with their views. The results of this assessment were no surprise as they seem to line up with my personal viewpoints on running a classroom.

There are many teachers, with many different teaching styles. There are teachers who are strict and do not allow for any disruptions in the classroom. Then we have teachers who do not even really care what is going on in the classroom. The way that these teachers, and so many more, teach is a result of their personal philosophies on education.

I believe that education extends far beyond the classroom walls, and involves many more people than students and teachers. People should be learning wherever they go, and should continue learning long after they’ve graduated from high school or college. Education isn’t something that can be quantified with tests or report cards, but is instead something that people carry with them. It’s a survival pack for life, and some people are better equipped in certain areas than in others. People with a solid education are prepared for nearly anything, as they will be able to provide for their own physical, emotional, and aesthetic needs.

In terms of philosophy, I feel I benefit most from the pragmatic approach to teaching. This approach states that teachers feel the classroom is a community of learners, not just a teacher standing in front of a group of students. I believe this is true because it is my opinion that if the teacher is learning and exploring along with the students, the students are more likely to be involved and interested in what is being taught. I also believe the strategies of teaching by problem solving and encouraging democratic procedures are the most profitable in today’s society. My beliefs in student involved activities, emphasis of curriculum, and democratic classroom management are all part of the pragmatic approach.

As an educator I need to be flexible in my teaching styles, what works one year, may not work the next, and even day to day can change. I believe that it is important that I reflect daily on what was successful and what could have gone better. I then make the adjustments to my teaching. As a whole though, my teaching approach I believe is very similar the the progressivism theory of education. “Progressivists believe that education should focus on the whole child, rather than on the content or the teacher. This educational philosophy stresses that students should test ideas by active experimentation. Learning is rooted in the questions of learners that arise through experiencing the world” (Cohen, 1999). In Knight (2008) he states that “Children have a natural desire to learn and discover things about the world around them.” (p. 104).   This couldn’t be more true in my opinion, my preschoolers are constantly asking questions about the world around them, I have had some pretty interesting meal time conversations at school based on the questions and conversations about life these littles bring up! “Children’s interest, therefore, are the natural starting point for their learning experience.” (p. 104). This past school year in my morning class are students were really into bugs-so we did a whole unit on bugs, this

Work is the greatest means of education. To train children to work, to work systematically, to love work, and to put their brains into work, may be called the end and aim of schools.  In education, no work should be done for the sake of the thing done, but for the sake of the growing mind (Parker, 1884, p. 1). Francis W. Parker, who was also referred to as “the father of progressive education” according to John Dewey, has captured the essence of progressivism and education in his words. To have the philosophical mindset of a progressivist, one must believe in the individual and that ongoing progress and change is fundamental to one’s education. On top of that, as a teacher that believes in the progressivist philosophy, they must center their curriculum on the needs, experiences, interests, and abilities of students in order to provoke their curiosity (Dewey, p. 7). This means that students will actively learn by experimenting via hands-on activities and communicating with others in a social environment. In order for this to happen, in-depth planning will need to be initiated in order to create these lessons that will provoke the students’ curiosity as well as help them to want to think critically and problem solve on their own (Fishman & McCarthy, p. 38). This

Education is the most important valuable idea for children, because it will help to shape their beliefs, their knowledge, and their future. Students however, can only be as successful as their teachers allow them to be. Teachers open up a wide variety of doors for children to be able to explore and understand the world around them. The impact a teacher can have on a student in the classroom, and outside of the classroom is one of the main reasons why I want to be a teacher. Students should have a balance of teacher to student interaction, and student to student interaction to get different ideas, and different ways of learning and understanding new material. This is why essentialism is important in the beginning of learning and then using progressivism. Both are the ideas that I believe should the framework to successful teaching.

This is my personal philosophy of teaching. Within this paper I will talk about my beliefs of students’ growth and development and dimensions of diversity, what knowledge is of most worth, effective instructional strategies, the purpose of education, and assessment of learning. I would also explain how I would implement my beliefs in classroom practices.

I believe that through education a person can get the vital skills and tools that are necessary for the person to build a life that is successful and prosperous. In education, the learners make good use of what they learn in the classroom and help students solve their problems outside of the classroom which relates to progressivism. Progressivism is when students are challenged to discover or construct knowledge about the environment (Powell, S.D, (2009), PG. 276). These are the skills that the children need in to order to solve their daily problems and to also prepare them for their daily lives. We as teachers need to make sure that learning takes place in a clean, safe and supportive environment, and that students learn the aspects that they need to develop positive attitudes and respect. There are three elements that I

Every teacher has their own way of teaching, which reflects back to the philosophy they believe in. As a future educator, my goal is to educate the student in ways they have not been taught before. Over time students come across teachers who generally do not care and just do it for the money and time off in the summer. When a student has a teacher who makes a difference in their life, it is very rewarding for both the teacher and student. In class we received a philosophical self-inventory. After grading these statements I have come to the conclusion that my philosophy is Progressivism.