Philosophy of Education

          Throughout the study of education, different philosophies of education have emerged and “although there are some similarities, there are also profound differences in the way leading educators define the purpose of education, the role of the teacher, the nature of the curriculum and assessment, and the method of instruction” (Sadker et al, 2022, p. 168). An educator’s philosophy on education can be just as unique as each individual child is uniquely different themselves. 

Statement of Beliefs

          I personally believe that as an educator it is important to understand how to grow and develop our own teaching techniques alongside educating our students. In my eyes, the purpose of education is to provide an environment and appropriate curriculum where children can proficiently learn knowledge and social skills that will help carry them into adulthood. To accomplish this, I believe that it is important for my role as an educator to be clearly expressed within and outside of my classroom as an informative, resourceful, intriguing, and foremost a professional individual. My beliefs about children that serve as my guiding principles for reaching and instructing every student is simple, each child is different and may need a different method to learn alongside their peers. One of my favorite quotes is: “understanding how students learn helps teachers teach” (Sadker et al, 2022, p. 41). 

          Many hear about how ethical responsibilities of a teacher is important, but what does that realistically imply? I personally believe that ethical responsibilities can be detailed in depth but expressed simply by being a morally righteous person who promptly acts appropriately to situations. As an educator, I will be called to follow my ethical compass to protect the physical and emotional well-being of my students and to guide students— own ethical development themselves (Sadker et al, 2022, p. 259). 

          I believe that instructional decisions should be based on the individual developmental domains of my students. To understand the development of my students I will be attentive to their learning and assess them in various ways to fully understand their retention of the curriculum they’ve learned. “Evaluation can assist in student diagnosis and planning effective instruction” (Sadker et al, 2022, p. 91). Therefore, after understanding their learned knowledge I can then adjust and modify my lessons, activities, or assessments appropriately to better reach each student’s individual developmental needs. My mission as an educator is to promote positive social change within my community by helping my students’ become individuals who want to seek knowledge and are open to personal development. 

Teaching Philosophy

          My overall teaching philosophy is to educate my students in a structured and defined environment that constantly challenges them intellectually and promotes appropriate development in intriguing and fun ways. This requires me to express a full understanding and explanation of what is expected from both my students, their families, and my coworkers. “Creativity, communication, and the ability to build relationships that honor individuality and facilitate learning are thought to be artistic inspirations of good teaching” (Sadker et al, 2022, p. 352). I personally thrive to become a “good teacher” and to accomplish my goal, I will continue to develop myself and research various teaching techniques throughout my career as a future educator. 

          My classroom is similar to standard teacher-centered philosophies where I instruct the class as a whole and explain the lesson in detail while answering questions. “Teacher-centered philosophies emphasize the importance of transferring knowledge, information, and skills” to the younger generations (Sadker et al, 2022, p. 173). My teaching philosophy is closer to essentialism. “Essentialists urge that traditional disciplines such as math, science, history, foreign language, and literature form the foundation of the curriculum, which is referred to as the core curriculum” (Sadker et al, 2022, p. 173). 

          I prefer a classroom with defined expectations of rules and learning behaviors within a structured environment with a well thought out schedule and curriculum. I believe that “students should not be promoted from one grade to the next until they have read and mastered certain key material” (Sadker et al, 2022, p. 170). It is hard for me to see a family push for their child to pass onto the next grade level when they have not mastered enough of their current curriculum. I personally believe that if a child continues onto the next grade level unprepared then they are being setup for the possibility of failure. 

          My teaching philosophy also has qualities of student-centered philosophies where I allow my class to openly explore and discover guided materials to encourage personally seeking knowledge while also working with peers developing additional social skills. Student-centered philosophies are less authoritarian and more focused on individual needs, contemporary relevance, and preparing students for a changing future (Sadker et al, 2022, p. 176). I thrive to incorporate more progressivism within my classroom. “Progressivists build the curriculum around the experiences, interests, and abilities of students, and encourage students to work together cooperatively” (Sadker et al, 2022, p. 177). 

          My classroom incorporates student interests within our learning environment and encourages social development. “The school curriculum should be designed by teachers to respond to the experiences and needs of the students” (Sadker et al, 2022, p. 170). This educational belief refers to individualizing lessons or small group activities for the various ways in which my students learn. Usually, these types of students are referred to as exceptional learners. Exceptional learners “require special education and related services to realize their full potential” (Sadker et al, 2022, p. G-5). Sadly, I have personally seen how higher leveled learners lack access to more challenging learning opportunities or how lower leveled learners do not have extra guidance due to being overlooked or the teacher simply does not have enough time to facilitate their individualized learning needs. Seeing this hurts my heart, therefore I thrive to meet the needs of all my students within my classroom. 

          My personal teaching philosophy has aspects of both essentialism and progressivism. Due to this, my classroom showcases a variety of learning opportunities. My personal belief is that social development is sometimes easily overlooked in an educational environment where we are required to learn a variety of knowledge. I love the concepts of educational theorist Nel Noddings. She is a progressivist that “believes that an ethic of care can best be cultivated when the curriculum is centered on the interests of students” (Sadker et al, 2022, p. 187). As I have stated before, I want to catch hold of my student’s interests to help make memorable learning experiences that facilitates and cultivates their educational knowledge. 

          I also like some of the concepts of another educational theorist, William Bagley. He was an essentialist that believed the “major role of the school is to produce a literate, intelligent electorate; argued against electives while stressing thinking skills to help students apply their academic knowledge” (Sadker et al, 2022, p. 187). Though I disagree with his concept against electives, I do however like how he pushed for how thinking skills help students apply their academic knowledge. I thrive to teach my students to be resourceful and learn how to apply what they’ve learned into their opinions and actions. I believe that this skill will help them into adulthood. 

          As a developing teacher professional, I plan to use my philosophy statement of beliefs as a "living" document for supporting my reflection and self-assessment. By continuing to reflect on my teaching methods, it allows me to make changes or develop better philosophies as I continue to grow as an educator. As I stated earlier, I want to become a “good teacher”. To accomplish my goal, I will continue to keep researching and developing my own teaching philosophies and beliefs throughout my career as an educator. 

References

Sadker, D. M. & Zittleman, K. R., & Koch, M. (2022). Teachers, schools, and society: A brief introduction to education (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.