My Educational Philosophy
As a future educator, my educational philosophy revolves around motivating every student I come in contact with to learn. I strongly believe that motivation is the key ingredient of getting students to be active learners. I believe that I am a guide for future leaders, and my ultimate goal is to intrinsically motivate that they can be the best that they can be. Fortunately for me motivation can be done in many creative ways in and around the class community. In a society where things and times are always changing, many tools can be used to stimulate learning in children.
Making the materials connect to the lives of each student is a way to keep topics relevant and appropriate. Not only being relevant, but materials should be experienced instead of viewed or heard. Topics should be interesting to capture each child’s attention hence making the experience a memorable one. I believe that with every topic introduced, students should be able to apply it to a broader world. My students will be able to use technology, not simply for the sake of technology but for practical use. I will embrace and strive to learn different ways to teach a lesson knowing that children learn in different ways thus preventing my class from stagnating.
I believe that a teacher is morally obligated to enter the classroom with the highest expectation for each student. Thus she will maximize the positive benefits that naturally comes along with any self fulfilling prophecy; with dedication, perseverance, and hard work, my students will succeed. I aim to bring an open mind, a positive attitude, and the highest expectation to the classroom each day. I believe that I owe it to my students, as well as the community to bring consistency, diligence, loyalty, and warmth to my craft so that I can ultimately inspire and encourage such traits in the children I serve.
Education is and always has been a very important aspect of my life. According to Barbara Wilt a teacher’s personal philosophy is a critical element in his approach to guiding children along the path of enlightenment. As a prospective teacher, it is important for me to have my own philosophical views on education these set of principles will guide my professional practice and ultimately drive my function. I believe and share Martin Haberman’s philosophy which states that “life’s greatest gift is the opportunity to throw oneself into a job that puts meaning into the lives of other people.”
I also believe and share Paulo Freire’s philosophy when he states that education should raise awareness of students so that they become subjects rather than objects of the world. I support this philosophy because students should be taught to think democratically, and be able to determine what’s important and what’s not. This would foster an environment in which students will learn to value education and embrace learning new things. Friere also discussed the “banking system of education,” this treats students as empty bank accounts. In this system all students are allowed to do is to open their minds and allow the educator to fill it with information. This method of “the banking system of education” is not healthy for students because it does not allow the students and have an open dialogue with each other. I also believe and share Psychologists Piaget and Vygotsky; both Constructivists who agree that learning should be guided rather than presented by teachers. John Dewey also proposed that topics should be student centered where the role of the teacher is to guide and integrate learning activities so that students can find meaning.
I aim to bring an open mind, positive attitude, and high expectations to the classroom every day. There is an old Chinese Proverbs that says, “Tell me, I forget.
Show me, I remember.
Involve me, I understand.”
My goal is for my students to be intelligent problem solvers, socially aware citizens who are conscious that there are infinite possibilities. This I owe to the students in my care, the community at large, and to our world.