(NOTE: this paper earned 20/24; 2 points were deducted for the Purpose of Education being partially developed and 2 points deducted for the Conclusion being partially developed) Student Name ED 6000 Dr. Forbes June 1, 2012 Personal Philosophy Paper My personal philosophy of education is something that began as the simple idea of keeping my Christian principles a part of my classroom environment, and has grown to include my worldview, metaphysics, epistemology and axiology which have traces of Neo- Scholasticism, Idealism, Essentialism, Behaviorism, and Pragmatism. As I have discovered what I believe and how those beliefs will affect my position as a teacher, I have also discovered how all of these elements have created my perspective of the role of the teacher, the nature of the learner, effective instructional strategies, and curriculum in today s classroom as well as my own classroom. Understanding my personal philosophy of education will allow me to affectively play my role as a teacher and have a positive effect on my future students. World View and Purpose of Education My worldview has shifted and changed throughout each chapter of my life. As it stands now, I see all things through a Biblical perspective; I am a re-born Christian, and I believe that Jesus Christ came to earth and died for my sins so that I may live eternally in heaven. I deeply identify with the verse from Colossians 1:16-17, For by Him (Jesus Christ) all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. This has a major effect on my role as a teacher; I 1
strongly believe in forgiveness and grace which is something that my student s value greatly since forgiveness is needed on a daily basis for any person. Being a teacher is one of the most influential roles a person can take on, that being stated, it is important that a teacher does not become consumed in the material being taught, but in the students. I believe in the concept of teaching the whole child (mental, spiritual, and physical), and not only during the elementary years, but especially in the students secondary education when they require the enforcement of character education before they become independent members of society. The purpose of education is a moral obligation to instill values and honorable character, and influence students to become upstanding contributing citizens. Metaphysics The metaphysics for my personal philosophy most closely relates to Idealism and Neo- Scholasticism. Aquinas, a Neo-Scholasticism philosopher stated in his Summa Theologica that people should, acquire as much knowledge as possible through the use of human reason and then rely on faith in that realm beyond the scope of human understanding (George Knight, Philosophy & Education). My perception of reality goes beyond reality (the realist idea of reality) just as idealism and Neo-Scholasticism; I believe that we can use our own human reasoning to explain certain concepts to a point, and then we must go beyond human reasoning, which for me is my faith and the belief that God is the center of all reality, without him nothing would exist, therefore God is the epitome of reality. Of course from a realist perspective I understand and view things as I see them, if I can see something I believe that it exist, however the absence of matter does not dictate whether or not I believe something exists, which is why I did not mention identifying myself with realism, as only a slight fraction can be found within my philosophy. I also believe that human existence is both personal and individual because I believe 2
that God created each of us perfectly and separate from each other to live among each other in harmony. Epistemology My epistemology surrounds the idea that the spiritual and the physical manifest the truth. I believe that God has revealed all truth through the Bible, and in the teachings through Jesus Christ. Even beyond the bible there has been archeological and scientific evidence uncovered that supports ideas presented in the Bible that supports the Biblical truth. I relate to idealists in the sense that I believe truth, beauty, integrity and honor are more important than matter and organization. My truth does not come from my own experience but from the faith I have in Jesus; that his truth is the only truth and it is a gift that I am allowed to receive that truth. Axiology From and biblical perspective I believe that it is the goal of humans to mirror our ethical and moral behavior after those of Jesus Christ, to be as much like him as we can. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is not simply portrayed as a person that does no wrong, but more that he loves and accepts all people, especially those that are the hardest to love. This has a huge impact on my role as a teacher. To recognize the students that are cast to the side and feel rejected and show them unconditional love and acceptance in the hopes that my actions as a person set an example for those that do not have appropriate role models in their lives. In return I expect the same attitude and behavior to take place in my classroom. This also connects to my perception of beauty (aesthetics). I believe that everything that God created is beautiful and perfect exactly the way that God intended. I understand that God does not make mistakes in his creations because God is perfect, therefore everything that God creates is perfect and beautiful. This however is not a concept that comes easily because most 3
people (including myself) have their own personal idea of what beauty is which is defined by their/my environment. I made the decision through studying the word that I would change my idea of beauty to match what I believe in the Bible. This has taken a lot of practice and selfdiscipline not to reject God s creations because it does not please my eye, but accept it because it is God s creation. Role of the Teacher The role of the teacher is where I have a more broad scope of the philosophies that are meshed together to create teaching strategies and classroom environment. From an essentialist point of view I believe that while teaching curriculum the teacher needs to stick with the standards for that grade and subject. The teachers job is deliver content, and that content is quite specific. However, from an idealist and pragmatic point of view I believe the role of the teacher is to model character education and promote self learning and choice. It is possible for the teacher to teacher content and life skills even at the secondary level. Many students do not come from a home where there is a positive role model. As an educator it is important to understand how big of an impact I can have on a child, whether it is good or bad. This is a huge responsibility that I do not take lightly. Some students that graduate high school go on to college, and some of them enter into the work force, it is the teacher s responsibility to make sure the student is prepared for whichever choice the student makes. The students need to be able to make moral choices for themselves and become contributing citizens in society. The Nature of the Learner This is one of the ideas that I feel most strongly about; the nature of the learner. I have read that there has been some controversy over Maslow s Hierarchy of Needs, however this is a 4
theory that I most identify with, and one that I was able to experience in my own classroom during student teaching. Before a student can begin to learn or behave in a classroom he/she must have his/her basic needs met, including safety. In my classroom I promote acceptance, safety and love. When I say safety I am not referring to physical safety (though that is equally important) I am referring to mental safety. If a student is constantly worrying about being bullied or teased or unaccepted by his/her peers or a teacher, then that student cannot concentrate and therefore cannot learn. As a teacher, if I make sure that all of my students have their basic needs met, then they can concentrate on the material being presented. This will also strengthen the relationships I have with my students. Relationships are the foundation of learning, from a student s perspective if the teacher does not respect the students and does not show that he/she cares then the student has no reason to pay attention or learn from the teacher. It is not until a student is far into the formal operations stage of cognitive development that he/she desires to learn no matter what the source is. Since teachers work mostly with students that are still in the concrete stage or just entering the formal operations stage it is important to give the student a reason to learn, even if the reason is simply that you are an enjoyable teacher to be around and the students feel their environment is safe. Effective instructional Strategies I agree with pragmatism that students should be in charge of their learning; however I believe that teachers should be in charge of the teaching. In my classroom I follow essentialism when I present material, by giving the student exactly the information they need to be successful in the area I teach. The strategies I enjoy most though lean more towards and Idealist style of teaching. I use a very inviting environment and yet the students are aware that I expect nothing but their best when producing work. I believe that students need to be invited into their education 5
in a way they can relate. I utilize enthusiasm and passion when giving instruction, what this looks like in a classroom is not what one would expect. If someone walked into my classroom while I was giving a lecture and was able to press a mute button, that person would see me throwing my arm in the air and jumping around the classroom as if I was giving a performance. In order to reach my students, especially with a subject like English, I have to make it exciting, and the only way I have found to do that is if I am an exciting teacher. This was exhausting at first, and I used to be more than tired at the end of the day, but I built up endurance and the results I saw from my students were amazing. The student s put in as much effort into their work as I put into my lesson, to me that is a major accomplishment. Curriculum Scope and Sequence As I mentioned previously I view the curriculum through the perspective of an essentialist. I do not believe that the students should be able to choose their curriculum as a pragmatist would, because I do not think that the students know what they need to learn. This is especially because we are at a time when so much of a school s future depends on the results of a state test. However I do think that giving the students options is not out of the question. It is possible to stay within the guidelines of a curriculum and still give the students freedom of choice as long as all of the designated areas are covered that need to be covered. Since I am going to be an English teacher I have the freedom to teach literature which includes teaching the students about the lives of the authors. When teaching the students about literature and authors the conversation of religion is bound to be presented. According to the Ed code of California I am obligated to teach religion as long as I do not preach religion. It pleases me to be able to include this in my lessons and even teach out of the Bible (as literature) to 6
students that may not have a religious influence in their homes. It is important though to make sure I do not cross the line between educating and preaching, and that I only present religion as information and not as a belief. Comparing Beginning Questions What is the main purpose of education? When I first answered this question I was very broad; I stated that the purpose was to prepare students to be functioning and contributing citizens to society. To show students what they need to be successful in life and education. Now, while I still believe this I do think that I have expanded on the idea of education and its purpose. It is important that students receive training in morality and ethics as well understanding their curriculum. School or education is a time in a child s life when it is okay to make mistakes. Teachers are there to provide a safe environment to make those mistakes and be led to a correct answer or action. Education isn t simply about curriculum; it s the boot camp for life. Who is responsible for a child s education? I still think that a child s education is given through the parent/guardian, the teachers and society. Education or learning occurs everyday, through experience and through structured learning. It is something that never ceases to exist in our lives. A child though relies on certain people to supply that learning and a safe environment to do that in. What are the most significant human characteristics that teachers encounter in their students? 7
I stated in this beginning question that apathy, indecisiveness, rebellion, depression, selfinvolvement and hormones were all characteristics that a teacher will face in his/her students. Of course this is from the perspective of a secondary teacher. Students should be able to have these characteristics without being judged, especially by a teacher. As I stated before, this is the time for students to learn what works in their life and to be guided to making good decision and being allowed to make mistakes as long as they do not hurt themselves or anyone else. Human characteristics are what make people so interesting and perfectly made by God. It is not my job as an educator to change people but to encourage good decisions which will in turn create good character. The significant adults in the lives of children should be At first I thought that adults should be democratic until further discussion of this made me realize that what I was thinking was democratic was actually authoritative. It is important that a teacher or parent have control over the child/student because it serves the best interest of the child. At the same time the adult must have compassion and love for the child, giving the child the freedom to make choices and listen to the child s opinions. What should a teacher primarily seek to achieve? A teacher should primarily seek to achieve respect through caring, not fear. They should seek ways to encourage their students to want to learn. To add onto this from the first time I answered it I now also believe that a teacher to seek to create good choices in his/her students, to also create a sense of security within the classroom as well as a sense of community. 8
Who should be responsible to design/select curriculum? I still believe that the people which design the curriculum should also be the one s that teach it. I think it is important that a teacher creates or collaborates on lessons and units so that the teacher owns the teaching in a sense. It is obvious to the students when a teacher does not own a lesson but is teaching from a book. When teachers create a curriculum it receives the full attention to detail, as well as includes in the character of the teacher that created it. I do believe though that the curriculum must be approved by a higher authority such as a department a district chair. Which style of teaching is the most effective? Why? I believe that the most effective style of teaching is a combination of passion, enthusiasm and empathy; passion to evoke interest, enthusiasm to encourage fun in learning and empathy to create a loving and safe environment. At the end of the day a student does not think about whether of not a teacher used pair share, cooperative learning or comprehension questions, a student thinks about whether or not he/she like the class. This includes a series of questions: Is the teacher fun? Is the teacher nice? Does the teacher know my name? Does the teacher write nice notes on my papers or does he/she just put a check mark? In order for a teacher to reach his/her students, the teacher has to realize that students to not think at a philosophical level. Good teachers think like teachers, great teachers think like students. In what ways should curriculum and instructional methods be content-centered and/or student centered? There is a special balance between content centered and student centered learning. The curriculum should connect with the student s lives and interest to show them how education is 9
pertinent to their lives. It is possible to create a curriculum that is centered on content and then adjust it to fit a certain class. This is where relationships are so important in the learning process, students love when the learning is about them. Conclusion My goal is to get to know my students and then make every lesson about them. Without relationships as a foundation to the instruction, the students will just receive the information, use it on a test and then dump it, but if the content is about them, they may never forget. 10