Philosophy of Education - Essay Example

?Running head: PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION Philosophy of Education and Number Submitted Introduction Philosophy of education is system of beliefs an individual holds about the education, that encompasses beliefs about the role of schools and formal education, the responsibilities of the teacher and students, the implementation of instructional and assessment methods, the structure and organization of school, the development of school curriculum and the role of educational leaders. This paper will describe my philosophy of education and include sections on all the components of philosophy of education described above. Overall, my philosophy of education is mainly based on the essentialist theory of education. I believe that the main purpose of secondary school is to train the intellect of the students and teach students culture and traditions of the past. It should also teach to students general knowledge and skills that they will be able to broaden later in their higher education as well as apply in everyday life. School should also develop problem-solving and decision-making skills, and educate physical, emotional and social needs. The Purpose of Education Herbert Spencer once said: “Education has for its object the formation of the character” and “The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action”. These two quotes reflect my beliefs about education. The purpose of education is to prepare young generations to be able to fully function in the society, to teach them morals and skills to be able to make right decisions that will benefit them and society overall. Another purpose of education is to teach young generations to act upon those decisions and contribute to personal growth and society overall. I believe that education starts with family, in particular parents. They are responsible for raising a child into a rightful citizen. They are the ones who help the child make first steps, say first words, and make first decisions. They provide the direction that determines the lives of their children. The saying goes “It takes a village to raise a child”. That is where the school community comes in. They help children grow academically, socially, and morally. The education should help reveal the potential of the child. As Jean Piaget believed, intellectual ability is not something that is taught to children, it is something that children develop naturally as they grow. So schools have to provide the framework for that growth. I think schools should provide basic education that is consistent across the country, but at the same time take an individual approach to adjust or add to the curriculum to meet the needs of children of various racial, ethnical, socioeconomic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. For example, children should be able to learn history and geography of the world to be well-rounded individuals, but at the same time they should have an opportunity to study their cultural and ethnical heritage in more detail. This would help them appreciate their roots as well as respect people of other cultures and backgrounds. I think that currently the system of education is lacking the ability to provide a solid education for children and young people of various backgrounds. Unfortunately, the quality of education youngsters receive is still determined by the amount of money parents have. Even though President George Bush has made an attempt to give the equal opportunities to children of less privileged backgrounds through his landmark legislation “No Child Left Behind”, still this legislation has failed to achieve its goals in full. President Obama has recently raised the issue of quality of education and the very questions whether the education should be the same for everyone. He advocated for better schools and better education, especially considering the fact that American schools lose to schools in most developed countries in the world. Educational Philosophers: The Power of Logic I believe in logic. I think people who think logically are able to make independent decisions based not only on acquired knowledge, but also in situations when previously acquired knowledge is not enough. That is why Aristotle’s philosophy of education is the closest match for me. Aristotle believed that logic is the basis of all knowledge and education. He believed one can acquire knowledge through observation. I believe in knowledge through observation and individual’s ability to acquire knowledge and discover truth through self-observation, rather than being bombarded with facts and numbers. I think the knowledge through observation is more solid and stays longer rather than memorized facts. I also agree with Socrates’s philosophy of education. I like his method of teaching by asking questions. Socrates insisted he didn’t know anything, and I believe this attitude of hunger for knowledge drives the desire to learn more and I wish many of our educators adopt this attitude and this method of teaching. I also support the essentialist philosophy belief that there is a critical core of knowledge that all students should possess. Thus, curriculum at school should provide instruction in these essentials. At the primary level this would include reading, writing, mathematics and foreign languages. At the upper grades, history, geography, and natural sciences should be added. Overall, educational program should adhere to sound academic standards. I am convinced that moral development and training should have an important place in the curriculum. School should teach not only academics, but also develop a highly-moral personality. By using poems, essays, and other works of literature school should help children achieve moral literacy and learn to possess the traits of character that society most admires. The Role of the Teacher Teacher should be a leader, an inspirer, a follower and an example to be followed. The teacher has many roles. I believe that teacher should focus not only on the academic growth of his students, but also social skills and moral development. The teacher should be a respected intellectual, and skilled in all forms of communication. Not only the teacher should have a broad knowledge of the subject he/she is teaching, but also he/she should be equipped with knowledge of child development as well as pedagogical skills to ensure competent instruction. Besides, a teacher should be a model of morals that students will want to follow. Unfortunately, many teachers overlook those roles. Most teachers focus only on academic goals or are being pressured to focus only on academic goals. Classroom teacher should design a classroom environment that creates a positive climate for learning that encourages students’ participation. The teacher should be flexible to make sure he/she uses individual approach to the students and meets different students’ needs, but at the same time, teacher should not be too permissive. He/she should put emphasis on regularity and uniformity, since this teaches kids self-control skills and discipline. Teacher should make sure that students know what is morally right and learn to act morally and respect each other. To become a good teacher one should be taught by good teachers in the atmosphere of respect and mutual understanding. I think the preparation of prospective teachers often overlooks moral development of those teachers. I believe in social learning, a concept once introduced by Bandura. If a prospective teacher is taught in a creative, nurturing environment, and in environment that stimulates thinking and logic, so will those prospective teachers recreate those types of environment in their prospective classrooms. But if they are taught in humiliation and authoritarianism, there is good chance despotism will happen in their prospective classrooms. Curriculum In my opinion, school curriculum has to be diverse and provide opportunities for school children to become well-rounded individuals when they graduate from school. There are certain universal truths that schools should teach to students. Such universal truths included matters of ethics and morals. I think these truths have to be introduced during the very first day at school and have to be reintroduced and taught every day and every class. These truths are respect, honesty, trustworthiness, dignity, - things that remain important and constant across time, cultures, races, genders and religions. I think the best way to teach these truths is first of all through personal example that teachers can and should provide. Unfortunately, very often we see teachers who demand respect from their students, but are unable to provide respect to them. Students pick up on such inconsistencies very soon and refuse to respect such teachers and as a result fail to learn some of those universal truths. I would certainly include character education in my curriculum. First of all, I would try to provide the best possible example for my students. I know I am not perfect and most likely I will make mistakes. But I will teach my students to stay honest, hard-working, responsible and trustworthy regardless the circumstances. In addition to my personal example, I would include examples from the literature, and life of people who are worth talking and praising. Finally, I would try to notice good deeds of my students and praise them for those good deeds. Instructional Methods Instructional methods that support the goals and objectives of curriculum may be different. They include lecture, discussion, Socratic dialogue, as well as group activities, problem solving methods, and cooperative learning. The development of good oral and written skills plays a very important role – taking notes during lecture, public speaking skills, project writing and others. Books are a good source of obtaining knowledge, but not the only one. A vast variety of educational technologies can be used in the classroom as supportive techniques. In general instructional materials should be well-organized, so that students know what skills and knowledge they are expected to develop. Teacher should make use of detailed lesson plans, learning by objectives, and structured activities. If I had to choose only one instructional method, it would be Socratic dialogue. I believe in active learning and in students’ potential to discover truths through observations and logical thinking. I think Socratic dialogue is a great way to incorporate those abilities of the students and achieve the goals of the school. It keeps students engaged and directs the education along the students’ interests and abilities. Assessment Methods In terms of assessing students’ progress, I am more on progressive side. I believe that students should receive constant feedback on their progress to be able to change their learning style to meet educational objectives. Teacher should monitor what the students are doing, and appraise what skills they still need to develop. I would incorporate various methods of assessment depending on the learning goals. The most common ones are tests (multiple choice, true/false format, open ended questions, short answer questions etc), papers, and presentations. No matter what method I would choose, I would provide constant feedback to students to ensure their learning and growth. Again, based on my belief in logic and science, I think the best way to know if students have learned something is to use pre- and post-test assessment of factual and applied knowledge (academic goals). I would also use numerous assessments in between to progress monitor the students’ achievement of learning goals. In terms of social skills learning and moral development, these two categories of goals are more difficult to assess, since they require the application of knowledge in real life situation which are not always possible to assess in classroom. However, it is possible to assess theoretic knowledge of social skills and morals as well as their application to hypothetical situations in classroom. To do so, I would use tests, checklists, and computer simulated games. The Role of Students: Active Learners I believe students have a very important role in their learning process. Students have the capacity to become culturally literate and to grow intellectually. Students are active learners, they are capable of learning not only from books, but also by doing. They are also capable of cooperative problem solving. The goal of education is not to bombard students with factual knowledge, but to help them reveal their potential. I think all individuals are intrinsically motivated to learn. Just as a child is born into the world, he takes in new knowledge with every breath he makes. It is remarkable how fast they learn and how amused they are by everything they learn. I think a good teacher should find a way to keep students’ intrinsic motivation alive, and help students’ make connections between what they are learning in the classroom and real world. Looking back at my school years, I remember always being excited about upcoming school year and new classes that I had to take. Usually, the first couple of classes determined my motivation to learn in that class. A creative, active, intelligent teacher always increased my motivation to learn in that class, but a boring teacher always killed my motivation, even in the most interesting class. A good teacher knows how to provide a nurturing and positive environment for children from various backgrounds, including children who are neglected or coming from families that abuse alcohol or drugs. These are the factors that put children at risk for underperformance and emotional struggles in the classroom. Research shows that those children have difficulty concentrating, they may be overactive or vice versa lethargic, they are usually not provided with necessary structure and consistency at home, and thus their academic performance suffers (Helpguide, 2011). As a teacher, I would try to compensate for inconsistency and lack of structure at home. I would constantly check on the progress of those students, help them stay organized and on time with their assignments. I would provide extra time and assistance for them after school to help complete their homework and other assignments. I would create an atmosphere in the classroom that encourages them to finish schoolwork at school with the help of teachers and classmates. I would constantly reinforce their efforts and completed work through verbal encouragement and establishing a token system of reinforcement (Rathvon, 20030. This would include tracking all of their efforts and successes and providing reinforces for a certain number of those. Additionally, I would pair those students from neglected backgrounds with student mentors who are more successful and can serve as an example to follow (Roeser, Midgley, & Urdan, 1996). Student mentors can also help with academic difficulties and provide emotional support. Conclusion I believe in logic and reason, and my philosophy of education is based on this belief. I think all children have potential to learn and succeed, and the purpose of formal schooling is to help these children reveal their potential. A teacher’s role is that of a mentor who provides guidance and direction. Students should preserve roles of active learners who take personal responsibility for their learning. Teacher has to be creative in terms of instructional and assessment methods to be able to achieve learning goals and at the same time meet the needs of children of various backgrounds. Finally, all parties involved in the process, such as students, teachers, educational leaders, and parents should do their best to promote the education. In the end, as Albert Einstein once said, “Education is what remains when everything else is forgotten”. References Rathvon, N. (2003). Effective school interventions. Strategies for enhancing academic achievement and social competence. New York: The Guilford Press. Roeser, R., Midgley, C., and Urdan, T. (1996). Perceptions of the school psychological environment and early adolescents' psychological and behavioral functioning in school: The mediating role of goals and belonging. Journal of Educational Psychology, 88, 408-422. Saisan, J., Smith, M., and Segal, J. (2011). Child abuse and neglect. Recognizing and preventing child abuse. Helpguide. Retrieved October 28, 2011 from http://helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm Read More