Philosophy of Education - Essay Example

A complete philosophy of education must incorporate a number of different elements including observations about the roles of the child, the instructor, the parents, the classroom environment, and the learning assessments used to measure progress. In order to achieve education results, this philosophy should mention goals, objectives, and values for children. Another important element of educational philosophy, quality in education represents the degree of value or worth that the education offers the child and society in general.

Quality, like all accomplishments, is the achievement of some stated goal, which comes to represent the worth of the education. Quality in education matters because without accomplishing some goal, there is no end purpose of that education and each party is wasting time on a meaningless relationship (Brennen). The process of instructing a child must give some meaning. In addition, using some set, objective standard of quality for instructors, one can provide the basis for improvements and advances made in favor the education system.

When such a standard exists, educators have an idea of what they should aim for, and they can create plans and objectives to achieve those goals. Goals for children depend upon their age level and individual potential for improvement. For this reason, a teacher must work collaborative to set goals. Not only is it useful to get feedback from children on how much they want to accomplish, it is important to introduce the skill of goal setting early in life. This kind of teaching that encourages an active system of feedback serves to empower children, which will prove useful as they grow older and into adults (Aschermann).

In this relationship, children put forward an idea of what they are capable of doing and accomplishing, and the teacher interprets and formalizes those observations. This requires the teacher not only to be responsive to the child’s needs, but also to keep an open and cooperative relationship with his or her students (Brennen). Part of focusing on each child’s needs is making the classroom individual-centered, even while instruction is aimed at the entire group. One strategy for doing this is to make time for individual activities, where the teacher can go around to every student to answer questions, point out problems, and give positive feedback.

Going off this point, a teacher may even allow a child to structure his or her own activities so that the child can demonstrate his or her interests to the teacher. Based on the results from these activities, the teacher can use this feedback to create structured activities that appeal to all students. Even though group activities tend to prevent individualized feedback, they promote inclusion of all students into the learning environment and give those individuals the chance to set themselves apart from others (Aschermann).

By putting children into the group environment, one can identify his or her strengths in working with others, which is a skill he or she will have to develop before becoming an adult. Part of individualization in the classroom is individual assessments. Assessments are a necessary component of quality in education insofar as assessments provide the basis for planning and future goal setting for children. If, for example, a teacher did not use assessments, there would be no basis for evaluating a child’s progress or potential.

Accordingly, a teacher must choose the right kinds of assessments to receive an accurate picture of what the child is learning and how well he or she can apply that knowledge. Moreover, because the teacher should actively incorporate the child’s family into the process, the results of these assessments must be shared with the family such that each party is on the same page with respect to the child’s progress from the class. For this reason, family conferences periodically throughout the school year are advisable for the child’s interests.

Of course, the teacher should be mindful of the child’s cultural background. Nevertheless, it is a good principle to treat all children equally without biases toward their background. All educators should have a properly laid out philosophy of education. Without such an explicit statement of views, one may act on principles contrary to his or her values. This philosophy should touch on issues related to the role of the child, the teacher, the family, the classroom, and the school itself (Brennen).

The philosophy most conducive to a productive learning environment treats children as the agents of their own learning and as people to be collaborated with, rather than ruled. By acting on this philosophy, the teacher will give children a sense of autonomy that will guide them for the rest of their lives. Works Cited Aschermann, Jennifer Leigh. Children Teaching and Learning in Peer Collaborative Interactions. Masters Thesis. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2007.

Brennen, Annick M. "Philosophy of Education." August 1999. Northern Caribbean University. April 2011 .