The Aim of Educational Philosophy - Research Paper Example

? Personal Curriculum Philosophy Paper Constantino Mosqueda K Dr. W EDU 10 JUL 13 Educational Philosophy The main aim of education is to bring up a child and nurture it with certain value, norms and knowledge. The education is important because it imparts necessary knowledge, improves personality and sharpens the skills and creativeness of a person. Every educational institute follows a standard curriculum pattern to educate its students. The academic field where the important vision and purpose of philosophy of curriculum is studied is known as educational philosophy. The philosophical study of the problems occurred in education is deeply studied in educational philosophy. In this paper ,the method, aims ,discipline and concept of education is looked into..According to (Cohen,1999) “ Effective teachers provide experiences so that students can learn by doing. Curriculum content is derived from student interests and questions”. The educational philosophy is the in depth insight of education and the way it is delivered to the students. (Thesis).A philosophy of education comprises of purpose of education, methods of education and curriculum content and organization. It can be further detailed as below: I) Purpose of education : Education is a mandatory element in any individual’s life as it gives utility and culture to people. Education inculcates many values in a person which create a personality and informative base in them. Education helps a person to think intensively and effectively. Education must have the ability to helps us differentiate reality from fiction and truth from false. It should be understood that intelligence alone is not enough and it association with character makes a man .worth living. As a matter of fact, education must build a character in a person which he can enhance with the usage of intelligence and information. The education has various disciplines and instructional methods. These instructional methods help an individual to be efficient in information, intellectual ability and personality development. The method we teach is based on what we want to teach, the background of students, the knowledge that need to be imparted and the competence level intent by the educator. Generally, the educational content can be categorized into attitude, skill and value. The attitude is the method needed to be used for the application of right attitude in particular situation. The teaching skill refers to supervising and directing the skill among the students. The value refers to the educational moral and ethics taught to a student. While thinking about educational philosophy, the instructional method becomes the core of its application .Further we can understand the instructional method that is effective in establishing correct educational curriculum. II ) Instructional Methods i) Lecture :The lecture is the most known and used instructional method as it delivers knowledge to a wide range of students in less time. As per (White,2000) “A lecture can be used to provide a broad-brush overview or introduction of a topic, particularly where the educational goal is for the learner to acquire a background familiarity with the subject, as opposed to a working knowledge”. Lecture is an educational phenomenon in which a speaker imparts knowledge and information to audience with an intention of making them learn something. The lecturers also give lecture notes and detailed explanation of the subject from the study material or books which are a source of information. The students with knowledge of a subject can get the organizing method of study material from a lecturer. The lecturer can explain the subject vividly and can give a cognitive framework of the material in an explicit manner. The lecturer must also prepare his course of action, must deliver and assess his work in order for it to be effective with the students. Apart from this, the lecturer must assure the strength and weaknesses of his lecture so that the students get maximum benefit of their teaching . ii) Audience Response System :The audience response system is an instructional method that allows for a wide range of students to interact with each other with an aid of a presentation. ARS is an instructional method that allows attention improvement and active engagement of learners as they respond to the questions embedded in the presentation framework. According to ( Banks,2000,pg.1) “Today, at almost every university in USA, somewhere a faculty member in at least one discipline is using a response system in their teaching”. In this method of instruction, the advanced technology plays an important role as projector and slide shows are used to perform the teaching process. The best part of ARS is that the immediate assessment of the student’s learning is possible and the tutor can alter the presentation according to their needs. iii) iii)Team based Learning : This is an instructional method in which large group of students are divided into teams and home work assignments are given to them. This method of education is conducted in large classrooms and it is highly structured where quizzes and debates are given to optimize their educational quality. As per (Michaelsen,2008) “The primary learning objective in team based learning is to go beyond simply covering content and focus on ensuring that students have the opportunity to practice using course concepts to solve problems”. iv) iv) Demonstration ; This is another instructional method in which videotapes and pictures are shown to students in an effort to educate them based on it. This can be used in medical field where the patient’s deformities and physical status can be shown clearly to the students which can enhance their skill and attitude towards education.Apart from instructional method, the curriculum content , the organizational method of designing curriculum and role of educator plays an important role in educational philosophy. It can be understood as below; III) Curriculum content : According to curriculum content and organization an educational institution must make sure that the education is accessible to diverse array of students. It should be made sure that curriculum gives enough priority to cultural heritage of the student body. The curriculum must include equal opportunity issues as theme of subjects in schools and colleges. As per (Miel,1956) “A view of curriculum content as potential learning includes processes also - processes like observing, listening and reading, like speaking, writing and figuring,; processes like searching out and organizing information and interpreting facts”. IV) Organizational method of designing curriculum : The organizational method of designing curriculum mainly depends on what we want to achieve and how we are planning to achieve it. Our curriculum must be compatible with ideas of school and must be relevant to the subject and lessons needed to be taught. The objectives of the curriculum must be planned and the selection of the content and its compilation should be done. Also the selection and organization of the learning experience must be contemplated. The evaluation of education process also needs to be decided along with the method to do it. V) Behaviorism theory of education: This is theory of education which is directed towards psychology study. The behaviorism as theory of education is comprised of philosophy, theory and methodology. As per (Cherry,2013) “According to behaviorism, behavior can be studied in a systematic and observable manner with no consideration of internal mental states”. In behavioral approach there is scientific observation and evaluation of student which enhance the impact of education on students. This theory of education helps the student in understanding the connection between cognitive functioning and environment in shaping a person’s behavior. Behaviorism theory is ideal for understanding my future scope of education and its curriculum nature. Conclusion Education is an important aspect of a person’s life. It gives nourishment to the intelligence and reasoning of a person and molds his personality. Every student has the obligation to abide by curriculum status and must co – operate with educators to utilize best out of his educational discipline. Apart from this educators play an important role in educational philosophy as it is their skill and teaching technique that impart knowledge to the students. Leaders as well contribute to the educational philosophy with their strategical view and planning methods that enhance educational philosophy. So it is worth to acknowledge ones personal philosophy to have a deeper look into the particular subject of educational interest. Reference Banks, D. A. (2006). Audience Response Systems in Higher Education: Applications and Cases (p. 1). London: Idea Group Inc Cohen, L. M. (1999). Educational philosophies. In http://oregonstate.edu. Retrieved July 1, 2013, from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP3.html Cherry, K. (2013). What is behaviorism. In http://psychology.about.com. Retrieved July 1, 2013, from http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/f/behaviorism.htm Michaelsen, L. K. (2008). The Essential Elements of Team-Based. Wiley Periodicals, 116(10). Miel, A. (1956, March). Curriculum Content. In http://www.ascd.org. Retrieved July 1, 2013, from http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_195603_miel.pdf White, C. (2000). Instructional Methods and Strategies . In http://familymed.uthscsa.edu. Retrieved July 1, 2013, from http://familymed.uthscsa.edu/ACE/chapter5.htm Read More