Thursday, May 3, 2007

Philosophy of Education

The Way I See It

The beliefs and understandings I hold concerning the nature of the teaching-learning experience are supported by the methods and theories I believe to work most efficiently in my classroom. A definition of the goals and values I embrace structure the professionalism of my teaching. Because learning is such a delicate domain, my purpose as an effective teacher is to aid students’ development in a meaningful context with focus on the emergence of expert learners.

In essence, the students are the center of the goals I set in my professional career. According to Moore (2006) teaching is defined as "the actions of someone who is trying to assist others to reach their fullest potential in all aspects of development." As a teacher, my goal is to embody the characteristics of this definition. To me, the fullest potential of a student can be qualified through the discipline of self-directed learning (Moore, 258). To find success as a professional, I must nurture student self-direction by providing students with opportunities to have control of their own learning; having ownership of educational development. Ideally, my goal is to cultivate self-directed learning as a facilitator. By this, the student becomes the teacher of himself and I then become secondary in the process of intellectual growth. With this ambition, I will be successful having taught students how to learn because their advancement will be supported beyond the classroom.

My goals of self-directed learning and students becoming expert learners are founded on the theories suggested by Vygotsky. Though self-directed learning appears to be an individualized approach, I believe Vygotsky’s social-constructivist theory can stimulate self-directed learners through social exposure of other students developing their own self-direction. Woolfolk (2003) describes Vygotsky’s theory as one where learners appropriate outcomes from social interaction, cultural tools and activity (324). This theory is an elaboration of the basic constructivist theory.

The constructivist view has more correlation with my educational goals in that it encourages active participation of students in their own learning. Students working toward their personal investment create a sense of ownership to their learning. Constructivist theories are supportive of my concept of education connecting with the teaching methods and assessment practices I find significant.

I am a firm advocate of the integrated teaching methods. With the promotion of Vygotsky’s theory, one method I support and plan to use often is cooperative learning. This theory of teaching is one that I am fond because it allows students of mixed abilities to participate in each others’ development. Accountability and motivation are aspects that have the opportunity to be encouraged in this teaching method. Productivity can increase through cooperative learning and I believe it to be an integral part to the social-constructivism of my students.

An assessment format I am fond of is the portfolio. Perhaps my primary reason for my partiality to this assessment type is the self-reflection feature. I believe a growth portfolio persuades students to compare their works and generate an authentic reflection is a critical key to expert learning. Inspection of one’s personal development is a practice I hold in high regard; utilizing portfolios and suggesting ways my students can effectively evaluate themselves will enable an expert learner to emerge.

Multiculturalism is an attitude that I want to awaken in my classroom. Not only do I plan on integrating multiculturalism into my lessons, but I also intend on celebrating the multiple cultures in my own classroom and to promote student differences. Diverse learners come in all types and may require special attention for maximum growth.

Individualized instruction is a method of integrated teaching that can support the diverse developmental levels of students. I believe in an individualized approach to teaching because it tailors instruction to the unique needs of students (Moore 2006). The adaptation of pace, objectives, methods or materials can help me make instruction more appealing and more appropriate for the diversity in my class.

The involvement of parents and the community in my students’ educational development is an area where I can really employ my professionalism. I feel that as a professional, it is a part of my duty to inspire participation and commitment of older adults, parents, sibling and generally the whole community in my students’ education. I anticipate involving my students with their community and encouraging them to promote community awareness and consideration to those around them. Because I cannot directly touch as a whole community, I feel that teaching students to be mindful of the people they are around will expose awareness on my behalf.

Ultimately, the views I hold on educational development can only be validated through practice. With consideration of technology and the advancements we have been offered, the implications technology can have on the education of students is vast. I am continuing my life-long learning, and much of it is attributed to the world wide web. Personal interest in professional development has led me to believe that I have the dedication to becoming an expert learner. With this in mind, I feel that I am more credible as a promoter of teaching students to become successful learners themselves.

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