Philosphy In Teaching - Personal Statement Example

? PHILOSPHY IN TEACHING Philosophy plays an important role in the decision making of educational policy and practice. With the help of modern morals and political philosophies the problems faced by the decision makers are solved which come up in the process of policy making. Some of the major problems are distributing the resources among different racial, ethnic, socio-economic groups, efficiently and without discrimination. The privacy of a student is an issue that challenges every teacher. Religious teachings’ involvement is an issue that teachers across the globe have to contemplate on. Philosophical methods are used to solve these problems and moral philosophers have made it their profession to devise philosophical methods to help in decision making. The four branches of philosophy- metaphysics, epistemology, logic and axiology can be utilized by a teacher in his job. Metaphysics can be used in teaching to answer the essential questions that arise in the mind of a student about life, reality and one’s existence. Metaphysics can be considered a starting point from which the education of a child starts. Epistemology is the philosophy of knowledge and a teacher can use it by explaining the importance of education and knowledge to a student. Use of axiology and logic are the characteristics which every teacher should instill in his students and they are an essential part of learning. Psychological theories like constructivism have influenced modern educational practices. According to constructivism, the knowledge a person has is a result of his experiences. Teachers who practice constructivism have a more interactive environment in their classrooms and the students are usually aware of the learning objective planned by the teacher. A constructivist environment will lead the child to ask the right questions and sharpen his learning abilities. Constructivist teachers change themselves and the classroom environment according to the students as every student has different learning thresholds. Each child would have individual and undivided attention of the teacher and the students will be forced to think and question.   John Dewey was a philosopher and an educationalist and has made great contributions to the field of education. He is mostly associated with learner centered education. It was his belief that schools were no more than social establishments where the way the children learned was through interaction. So he focused on the importance of interaction of students and curriculum. He suggested that the curriculums should be made in such a manner that every student gets to utilize his skills and it should be of interest to all students. His key ideas are individualism, readiness and pragmatism (Education.com) The modern curriculum is different from the traditional one that had been followed for centuries. Epistemological factors such as Perennialism, Essentialism, Progressivism, and Reconstructionism are used in the making of the curricula. This includes that the students learn of the great achievements and success of the people in the West and learn how to solve their problems like people in the West do. Every school’s curriculum stresses on teaching the students morals and ethics and teaching them to use logic in their daily lives. The curriculum is based on the student rather than the teacher. As a teacher, I will make sure that the environment where I am teaching is optimum for learning and that students actively participate in the class and ask questions. I should be able to make the students think on their own and ask questions, as well as take part in constructive arguments. Constructivist philosophy of teaching should be implemented in the classroom, and the class should be inspirational and motivational. Every student’s need should be catered and every student should get individual attention. The students should be given tasks which are of their interest and their level and no student should be left behind. Source of authority is where the power to rule comes from. In the educational system there are several sources of authority each having their own responsibilities. They are: Governor: the governor is responsible for elevating the standard of the schools and set the school in a forward direction. State, board of education and department of education are responsible for the development of curriculum and ensuring that children are being educated. They also oversee that the educational standards are excellent. Legislature is responsible for making rules and regulations which should be observed strictly in the classroom for optimum learning. Chief state school officers are responsible for promoting federal educational policies and helping school officers in their implementation. EEC is responsible for the early development of children and to make sure that they become learners for life. Local school board and Superintendent are responsible for influencing the decisions that take place inside a school and implement the reforms that have been sent by higher authorities. School principal is the leader of his school and has to supervise all that happens inside the school. Informally, peer groups and family influences a child’s education to a great extent. Business has affected public education in both a good and a bad way. With the involvement of business community the funds for schools have increased and the state of education has also improved. On the other hand its disadvantage is that involvement of business had led to schools being considered as business ventures and students as investments rather than a place for learning. Funding is provided to school under the Federal Impact Aid. The United States of America spends more on funding public schools than any other country. The government by funding the schools did not pay property taxes. The funding decreases with the increase in payment of real estate taxes by the government. Compensatory education is a system where children with low academic performance and children who are unable to keep up are offered alternate programs and degrees. Children who do not belong to well off families or are brought up by single parents with many siblings are more likely to suffer from academic incompetence. The philosophy behind compensatory education is to make up for the unfavorable conditions these children have been brought up in. compensatory education has been successful in improving the living of the poor people but it did not gap the bridge between the achievements of those who go to school and receive formal education and those who receive compensatory education. This is mainly because of lack of funding compensatory educational systems receive which is not enough to educate every child who has not been able to succeed at school. More involvement from federal departments is needed to compensate for the poor health, poverty, and poor education of these children. Educational reforms are changes in the educational system brought about by the government. Its aim is to make public education better. Small reforms in education have resulted in great results in the health and wealth of the people involved. Effort is made by the states to introduce educational reforms so that the standard of education gets better. Other reforms were made so that education is not as expensive to the students and the society and every child gets educated. The United States school reforms are very complex in nature and some issues which are under consideration for reforming are decreasing the strength of the class, improving the quality of teachers, attendance issues of the students and availability of internet. Elements necessary for long lasting educational reforms includes ensuring that every child learns through proper methods in preschool so that they do well in higher classes. The students’ and their parents’ definition of success should be kept in mind before making reforms to make a student successful. And finally good quality teachers are necessary to implement the reforms and see that the children are comfortable with it. Reference: Dewey, John 1859-1952 | Education.com. (n.d.). Education.com | An Education & Child Development Site for Parents | Parenting & Educational Resource. Retrieved May 13, 2013, from http://www.education.com/reference/article/dewey-john-1859-1952/ Read More