Fundamental Educational Philosophy - Essay Example

Educational Philosophy Jim Moran Baker College Educational Philosophy Educational philosophy covers many items such as: the role of a teacher, student’s motivation, creating an ideal curriculum and learning environment. Moreover, educational philosophy can be considered from two different points of view: from the teacher’s one and from the student’s. This paper is dedicated to identification of educational philosophy by future teachers. To start with, I must point out that there are many theories on education philosophy: perennialism, behaviorism, constructivism and others. To work out one’s own philosophy, it is necessary to get acquainted with all possible approaches to the question. In other words, it is necessary to study all theories that consider the issue of education philosophy, in order to single out the ideas that work from those that are irrelevant. The vital question that one has to answer in order to form an education philosophy is what its main goal is. The ultimate goal of the educational philosophy is to get students interested in the subject and cause them be on familiar terms with it as well. To achieve it a teacher is to set several goals such as: to be persuasive, to make students respect the teacher, to know the subject well, to have friendly relations with students, to create a perfect learning environment, and to create a proper curriculum. “Education - like democracy, free markets, freedom of the press, and "universal human rights" - is one of those subjects whose virtue is considered self-evident” (Armitage 2007). Being educated makes it possible for a person to achieve career goals, to make a contribution to a country’s development and to realize oneself in the field one likes. The main thing that a teacher has to require from students is to learn to think creatively and moreover to want to examine life and to have an examined life. The ability to analyze any problem, to give sound arguments and to support the teacher’s point of view does play a great role in everybody’s live and career. To put it another way, a teacher wants the students to be inquisitive, creative and reasonable. There are several interacting parts in the process of education: a teacher, a student, education community (middle school, college, and high school), parents, and a society in general. Among these participants it is necessary to mark out the key participants: a student and a teacher. So, what are their roles and responsibilities? “Colleges are learning communities, and individuals accepted into these communities have the privileges and responsibilities of membership and any membership implies responsibilities.” (Maryer & Massa 2003). Put simply, a student is expected to carry responsibility for the actions and decisions he (she) takes at school. An educational community is a small model of how the whole life works. Such responsibilities as being punctual and polite, demonstration of self-control and initiative are applied not only in school life but also in the family life and professional sphere. The role of a teacher can be described in two words - educator and counselor. Being an educator a teacher has the following responsibilities: to give the material to students, to explain it, to answer the questions that arise, to check the students’ knowledge and finally to assess his own performance as a teacher. In addition, a teacher is to adjust the curriculum or his demands depending on the students’ possibilities and knowledge. Being counselor requires that a teacher can develop reciprocal and supportive relations with students. Sometimes, a teacher is to solve some problems connected with the out-of-school life since it can drastically influence the process of studying. Being a counselor also implies giving the proper motivation and encouragement to students. The problem is that students can treat this situation in a wrong way and become too close with a teacher. Here, subordination must become the issue of the principal teacher’s concern; otherwise there will be no effect of the education. It is common knowledge that the teacher’s roles is to be a bridge to the community. As mentioned above, a teacher teaches students to stick to the rules and carry out responsibilities that regulate life in the society. A teacher also is to give moral and ethical underpinnings of life to the students. As a rule a teacher deals with students in their childhood and teenage years when a student’s psychology and world outlook is being formed; that is why it is so important to provide the knowledge that will help students to take the most important life decisions. “A successful education process embraces the notion of proper curriculum.” Reece & Walker (2007) considers a Scheme of Work to be “a series of learning experiences, sequenced to achieve the course aims in the most effective way” (Reece & Walker, p. 245). Thus it is vital to set the course goals, the length and the system of total evaluation.   As soon as these essentials are defined, a potential education group report is necessary to match the course content with the group possibilities and needs. A teacher has to consider the course hours and decide whether students need to be given the main part of the material in lectures or it is better to leave some elements for individual learning. The goal of the course is to cover the whole amount of material provided. The hours for reading a lecture must be supplemented by the time needed to fix knowledge in student’s mind and to assess it. Finally, students must have enough time to construct knowledge and discuss it in the classroom. Another thing is that any curriculum is to be approved by the superior educational body, for it observes the curriculum to be performed in a proper way. Put simply, any curriculum must follow the standards set by the state for this kind of the learning process. “For education at school to be effective, the environment needs to be conducive to learning, allowing the pupils space and time to interact within the learning and teaching process” (Petty 2004).   The best learning environment is the environment that demonstrates high challenge level but with low pressure level. Some kind of competition among learners is positive to the extent, which allows them to realize their potential to the fullest and strive to achieve better learning results. A teacher is forbidden to have favorites. A teacher has to be a role-model for the group both in appearance and in behavior. A teacher is a person, with whom students spend most of their time. A teacher should encourage a class to be open to new material; sometimes he/she can use music to give some examples or just to give rest to students. And finally a teacher is to apply a range of teaching strategies that are reflected in the course planning. References Armitage E. (2007). Teaching and Training in Post Compulsory Education. 3rd Edition McGraw Hill Education Maryer, R., & Massa, L. (2003). Three Facets of Visual and Verbal Learners: Cognitive Ability, Cognitive Style, and Learning Preference. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(4), 833-846. Petty G (2004). Teaching Today. (3rd edition) Nelson Thornes, Cheltenham UK Reece I & S Walker (2007). Teaching, training and learning a practical guide. 6th edition revised, Business Education Publishers Read More