Teaching” ranks amongst the nation’s top five prestigious professions where one is involved in shaping the future of a country. Volumes of articles, books, papers, and anthologies have been written; websites developed; and conferences held about teaching techniques and methodologies, learning strategies, and last but not least, teaching philosophies. With this background I would be naïve to think that I could come up with an original, concise, beautifully eloquent, and perfectly structured teaching philosophy. Hence, I describe a philosophy that works for me. Alice Omaggio Hadley writes in 1993 that the continuing struggle to understand, clarify, and articulate one’s beliefs and practices is at the very heart of being a teacher and a researcher. My first academic teaching experience began in my tenth grade on a teacher’s day when my teachers selected a few senior students from the senior-most class to tutor fellow students and juniors on a one-on-one basis so that the regular teachers could get a well earned day off rest on that auspicious day. From that humble beginning many, many years ago to an active teacher today has been a Long Odyssey. Certain qualities that I distinctly possess like my extrovert nature and zeal towards helping my classmates and other tutoring activities through my academic career has slowly developed the “teacher” in me. I firmly believe that the best way to learn is to teach and one continues to learn all through one’s life. In addition to faculty
As a student of education, I have been able to gather many ideas and opinions about practices and ideals I want to implement in my future classroom. My philosophies about education are still being formed and continually change with every class I visit and with every educator I encounter. My ideas, admittedly, come from random experiences and intangible texts, but as I gain more experience in the field through my courses, my philosophies about teaching will become more clearly defined. These few ideas I have now will undoubtedly be added upon as I enter student teaching and my professional career, nevertheless, they are concepts of which I hope to never lose sight.
Facilitating a foundation in academic or philosophical pedagogy can help form a path for the educator, a path to better understanding teaching, education, learning and learners. Often, most of the programs designed for learners and the curriculum is often derived from theories. Understanding theories can help guide a teacher through their education journey. Sometimes, teachers may struggle with classroom organisation or implementing the curriculum in a considerate, all-encompassing and engaging way, especially if you are a CRT or Graduate Teacher - and often these concepts can help inspire and encourage teachers. To be an empowered teacher means your classroom and students will be empowered learners, and that is the best type of learning. There are many theories that have contributed to education as a body and has many of these theories help educational departments plan curriculums to benefit not only teachers but also all students. What makes for a great teacher is considering the characteristics of the local community as well involving students’ families’ in the school body. Influences that help shape a teacher’s identity can include…
When I was gaining my Bachelor’s Degree, the key statement throughout my journey through the education program was “I will continue to be a lifelong learner.” As I finalized this program I have reached this goal, and this will continue throughout my journey as a teacher as I become involved with more and more school and district based county activities through which I can use the theories, methods, and strategies I have learned throughout this program. In general, it is best, as Goldhammer (69) stresses, to avoid critical dissection of teaching. Too much criticism and
I did not always know I wanted to be a teacher. For me, the profession that I would ultimately choose to spend the rest of my life doing did not come as easily to me as it did to some of my peers. I did, however, know from a very young age that I have always wanted to help others. I also knew that I really enjoyed being around two types of people: the elderly and the young. It was not until my senior year of high school when I became a teaching assistant to a kindergarten class that I realized I wanted to become a teacher and help the lives of many. I have experienced and witnessed many different kinds of teaching philosophies, some that have worked increasingly better than others. The unstated philosophies of teaching I have encountered through kindergarten to this point thus far have shaped my personal philosophy on teaching. As a teacher, I will strive to spark enthusiasm for positive learning, acknowledge and support learning differences and needs, provide students with a strong foundation for lifelong learning, and make a difference in the lives of my students.
educators better understand and impact their practice. Owing its roots to Dewey’s (1938) theory of
I can still remember coming home from school after an exciting day in the first grade. I would go straight to my room, line all of my dolls up in the floor, and “teach” them everything I had learned earlier that day. But of course, not every child who pretends to be a teacher in his or her early years actually becomes a teacher. So although I enjoyed “teaching,” I never really considered it as a choice for my life-long career.
Education is defined as the lifelong process of acquiring knowledge, skills, and values through either formal means, such as schooling, or informal means, such as firsthand experiences or vicarious experiences gained through reading books or discussions. Every person that is or wants to be a teacher has his or her own educational philosophy. We all have our own views, methods, and curriculum that we were taught when growing up. A lot of people may have the same teachers in school, but all of them learn different things from that teacher.
PUTNAM, RALPH T., et al. “Teaching.” Encyclopedia of Education, edited by James W. Guthrie, 2nd ed., vol. 7, Macmillan Reference USA, New York, 2002, pp. 2482–2492. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com.catalog.stisd.net:2048/apps/doc/CX3403200615/OVIC?u=j031916004&xid=22bb1e93. Accessed 2017.
Like a good business plan, every teacher should have a personal educational philosophy in place. Witcher, Sewall, Arnold, and Travers in Teaching, leading and learning: It’s all about philosophy (2001) say that a
Teachers have the power to change the world and to make a difference in the student's life. Teacher is a facilitator of knowledge, motivator, advisor and a positive person that can improve the student's education. I decided to pursue the career of education because I have the desire to help others. I also have the ambition to provide encouragement and support to the people that need it. Becoming a teacher means more than sharing my knowledge to the students. It is a commitment with society to shape the performance and learning of future generations.
An educational philosophy is a personal statement of a teacher’s goals or belief. A teacher comes to the classroom with a distinctive set of principles and ideals that affect how a student learns and expand the child’s potential in his or her venture into knowledge. I believe that education should be active, and focus on the whole child, rather than just the content or the teacher. The three (3) principles I believe that work harmoniously with my educational philosophy are the teacher acting as a facilitator to foster critical thinking, allowing the child’s natural curiosity to steer his or her learning for personal development, and
Aristotle once said, “The one exclusive sign of thorough knowledge is the power of teaching.” Teaching enables students to gain the intelligence needed to excel in life. I believe that a teacher’s philosophy of education is a crucial role in his or her approach to leading students on their educated path. A philosophy of education is the set of beliefs that every school and every teacher stand behind. The certain philosophy that one chooses provides the answers to many vital questions, such as the purpose of schooling, a teacher’s role, and what should be taught in the classroom.
Sitting in a classroom during the first course for my Administrative Credential, I still clearly recall the moment when I first heard that quote. I had been a classroom teacher for over ten years and yet I had not necessarily thought of or articulated teaching and learning through this lens. This quote and the ensuing discussion I engaged in with my colleagues that evening, resonated with me so strongly that it forever changed and guided my vision of education.
When I think about teachers that I have had in the past, several different ones come to my mind. Each of these educators stands out in my mind for a variety of diverse reasons. Whether it is their sense of humor, their tactfulness, their love of the subject matter, their fanatical and sporadic behavior, or their yearning to be childish themselves, I can still remember at least one quality of every teacher I have ever encountered. Every one of these teachers conveyed subject material to their students just as they were educated and employed to do. However, I trust that every professional in the world has an abundance of opportunity for improvement; teachers could discover and improve themselves merely by having
Since taking my first few educational courses in education, I have realized that my philosophy on education changes as I learning more about the profession I have entered. Every time I think I have come to a final belief statement, I learn something new about teaching and sometimes the things I learn causes me to alter my philosophy. Therefore, I will share with you what I believe about teaching and what I’ve learned at this point.