Philosophy Reflection

My philosophy of education is going to influence my classroom organization because I want students to be the main focus, so there will always be group work, cooperative learning, and presentations where students are teaching other students. I ultimately want students to be motivated to learn about health on their own, but I know that won't happen. I want to have a positive, safe, and comfortable environment for students to learn. Once that is in place, it will be important to relate the topics to students and motivate them to learn. My discipline strategy is very low key. I like the whole idea of body language and I believe it is very powerful. I do not believe in calling students out in front of the entire class, but rather handling the issue one on one. This way it becomes much more personal and students don't have their peers around to encourage them. My philosophy will influence the types of assessment I use because I want to keep the focus on the students, which will include a lot of self and peer evaluations, and also providing the guidelines of an assignment before hand, so students know why they got the grade they got. As I have said, I believe schools should be student-centered and I do not want to be the "sage on the stage" kind of teacher. Teachers do not have to be loud disciplinarians to have control over the classroom. I believe taking the time to really listen to students' opinions and showing them respect will help me be the leader I need to be in the classroom.

Voices Article

The following information comes from the article: The History and Philosophy of Education: Voices of Educational Pioneers by Madonna M. Murphy. Confucius’s Philosophy of Education was to provide all students with an education that would be both practical and moral, and teach them to solve the daily problems of governmental service and bring the best benefits to the people they served. Confucius expected his students to be motivated and active learners who would take the initiative in their learning.

Sappho believed in the education of the whole student and so she gave equal importance to all areas of education. Sappho saw the purpose of education as a finishing school to help these young aristocratic girls develop their social, physical, and emotional potential so as to prepare them for marriage and for taking their place as contributing members of high Greek society. Socrates believed that knowledge could not be transmitted from a teacher to the students, but that students had to discover the knowledge that was within them. Thus, the teacher’s role was to ask the right question so that the students would think about the issue and solve the problem themselves.

Quintilian’s philosophy presented the teachers role as that of an expert who had to take into consideration the developmental level and needs of the students and teach with methods which motivated and stimulated students to learn. In Augustine’s Philosophy, the teacher should take into consideration what his students already know and build on that. The teacher should teach like a father teaches a son, not striving to impart knowledge, but helping the student understand words, signs, and the concepts they represent.

Erasmus recognized the importance of parents teaching children virtues and learning began in early childhood, and preferred a curriculum with a broad general education in all areas worthy of being known. Comenius believed in universal education for all, no matter what their social background, religion, sex, or intellectual ability. He also believed the ultimate aim of education was the religious and moral formation of the child, and that parents are the primary educators.

Rousseau believed that education should be centered on who is taught, rather than what is taught. This was a radical shift where subject matter is no longer the basic element in the educational process, and the teacher is no longer the basic authority figure. I agreed with this philosophy because there is an emphasis on the students, rather than the teacher.

The 8 Educational Theories

Abstract
The eight educational theories are Essentialism, Behaviorism, Perennialism, Positivism, Progressivism, Humanism, Constructivism, and Reconstructionism. Essentialism is a teacher-centered locus of control which reflects the belief that there is a basic core of knowledge and skills that an educated person must have. The curriculum focuses on subject matter that includes literature, history, foreign language, and religion. Essentialists generally agree about teaching the laws of nature, and the accompanying universal truths of the world. Behaviorism is a psychological and educational theory that holds that one’s behavior is determined by environment rather than heredity, and states that human behavior can be explained as responses to external stimuli. Behaviorists believe that the school environment should be organized and the curriculum based on behavioral objectives. Perennialism is an educational theory that focuses on enduring principles of knowledge; nature, human nature, and the underlying principles of existence are considered constant, undergoing little change. Positivism is a social theory that limits truth and knowledge to what is observable and measurable. It requires schools to develop content standards that represent the best understandings of experts, and students are encouraged to master these understandings and to develop their own skills of observation, classification, and logical analysis. Progressivism is a student-centered locus of control and emphasizes that ideas should be tested by experimentation and that learning is rooted in questions developed by the learner. This theory views the individual as an experiencing, thinking, exploring individual. Humanism is a theory that contends that humans are innately good, that they are born free, but become enslaved by institutions. It seeks ways to enhance the individual development of the students, unlike a group-oriented educational system. Teachers who follow humanistic theory emphasize instruction based on student interests, abilities, and needs. Constructivism is an educational theory that highlights hands-on, activity-based teaching and learning during which students develop their own frames of thought. Constructivist curriculum focuses on the personalized way a learner internalizes, shapes, or transforms information. Reconstructionism is an educational theory that calls on schools to teach people to control institutions and to be organized according to basic democratic ideals.

Reflection

The two educational theories that I feel reflect my views as a teachers would be progressivism and constructivism. Progressivism favors the scientific method of teaching and learning, allows for the beliefs of individuals, and stresses programs of student involvement that help them learn how to think. Constructivism emphasizes the hands-on, activity-based teaching and learning. I think students should be given the opportunity to explore and discover ideas for themselves, and at the same time keep the functions of school in place.

Four Philosophies of Education

Idealism dates back to ancient Greece and Plato and is considered one of the oldest philosophies. It focuses on the mind, where it is thought that nothing exists or is real except ideas in the minds of people or the mind of God. To the idealist, the purpose of schooling is to promote spiritual and intellectual development. Some methods of instruction for the idealist educator are lecture, discussion, and reflection. Realism dates back to ancient Greece and Aristotle and is also considered one of the oldest philosophies of Western culture. The realist believes the universe is exists whether human mind perceives it or not, and reality is external and can be verified. Realists use a variety of instructional methods including the use of deductive logic, observation, classification, and categorization. According to the realist, a teacher should emphasize and model reasoning, observation, and experimentation. Pragmatism or experimentalism focuses on experience. Those who believe in this philosophy regard reality as an event or process. Some preferred instructional methods for pragmatists are learning by doing, problem solving, experimentation, hands-on activities, and collaborative learning. The teacher should model the most authentic type of knowledge, especially experimental knowledge, and stress the application of the scientific method. Existentialism focuses on personal and subjective existence, where the world of existence, choice, and responsibility is primary. According to existentialists, the purpose of the school is to prepare students to take responsibility for the results of their actions. Some instructional methods include nondirective humanistic values education, and the role of the teacher is to become an example of authenticity for students.

I believe the philosophies that represent me the most are pragmatism and existentialism. I want students to dig deeper and get involved rather than just know or memorize information. I also want to look at the students as individuals, where they are responsible for making decisions. My teaching will probably reflect each philosophy at some points, but I want to bring learning to higher level.