Bethany Blount 1 A Philosophy of Education

A Philosophy of Education Education is the key to achieving a prosperous society. In order for great learning to occur, students and educators must both strive to learn new ideas and concepts. Education is a lifelong process that never ceases, which is why teachers must be actively involved in their field in order to portray the importance of learning to students. Progressivism is the learning philosophy that focuses on helping students achieve their own understanding on a topic through experimenting and forming their own memories through real life situations. In the Progressive model, teachers should help guide the individual to form his or her own perspective by gaining curiosity on the matter and forming solutions to problems that may occur. I strongly feel as though Progressivism is the philosophy of teaching that will best represent my future teaching style. As one of my own favorite teachers has said, I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand. I strongly believe that in order for a student to completely understand material, he or she should be given the opportunity to apply the material to a real-life situation. Within every subject there are ample instances to continually prove to students that what they are learning is applicable to the world they live in. As stated in the text, Teachers and Society; A Brief Introduction to Education, Progressivism is the educational application of a philosophy called pragmatism. According to pragmatism, the way to determine if an idea has merit is simple: test it. (Sadker & Zittleman, 2012) John Dewey is one of the American founders of the philosophy of pragmatism. Social Interaction in the actual world we live in is according to Dewey, gives the most beneficial means to teaching. Rather than reading from fixative books, John Dewey would advise hands-on experiments to draw upon conclusions. Dewey once wrote,

Bethany Blount 2 A Philosophy of Education

preparation for a more or less remote future is opposed making the most of the opportunities of present life (Sadker & Zittleman, 2012) In 1896, Dewey founded The Laboratory School. The Laboratory School was an institution where John Dewey was able to test out his ideas, becoming the initiation of the progressivist movement. Many educators observed Deweys experiments at this school and have incorporated his methods and schooling setup in curriculums worldwide. Children were able to incorporate their own creativity in various educational topics such as writing, science, mathematics and even in engineering by creating models. Despite being initially student centered, teachers remained in control of determining educational practices. During the Scientific Management era (early 1990s) in which Dewey was active in, other influential individuals contributed to the emergence of the progressive movement. Herbert Spencer, strived to teach the importance of practical activities and F.W. Taylor, created efficiency innovations in the workplace. The Purpose of Education Schools are being held responsible to teach students core curriculum and adhere to teaching efficiency in regards to standardized testing. The teaching style that I have experienced the most of during my schooling in primary and secondary school has been primarily essentialism. Essentialism is simply a philosophy that stresses a more teacher centered approach to learning rather than that of the student-centered views of progressivism. The extent of the teaching that I have seen is directly proportional with what is being tested on in national and state standards of learning. Educators are being forced to adhere to the educational norms because of the pressure the education system creates. Gearing away from stressing the standards and core material has

Bethany Blount 3 A Philosophy of Education

led to the students standardize testing scores being a determining factor in many teachers keeping their teacher status. As a student, I have realized that after completing many standardized tests, much of the material I was taught was not fully retained. In a progressive learning style, learning by doing will ensure that the student has a link to relate to in his or her life which will promote the retention of the concept. What Should be Taught and Why While many of the core subjects such as math, science, history and English do indeed incorporate important aspects of academics, real life applications within these subjects should be what is focused on. Too often the retention of material is not obtained due to a concept not being applicable to the students view of life. A teacher must find a way to relate what he or she is trying to instill to a understandable situation that a student can find importance in and have a connection with. A well-educated person does not need to be a master of the most intense and difficult matter, but rather a rational thinker with the ability to also be uniquely creative. Successful individuals in society, such as many business starters, have been people who can make educated decisions while incorporating their own unique thoughts to arrive at conclusions. I will select curriculum for my class the best I can that will have the best of both worlds with teaching the standards that I am required to teach with a great focus of what students will need and want to know to live out their lives. Real applicable, life-long learning as I have described above, is what the progressivist philosophy strives to show importance in. The Nature of The Learner

Bethany Blount 4 A Philosophy of Education

Students should have the responsibility in their learning in the essence of desiring to do well and achieve new understanding to benefit their own lives. A student needs to understand that he or she is ultimately in control of his or her life and can take as much from a learning situation as the desire is to do so. With that being said, a teacher must do everything in his own power to ensure that every student regardless of the apparent amount of desire has the opportunity for great learning. If a student has questions or is having issues with any of the material being discussed It is in their best interest to approach the teacher with the issue. Teachers should evaluate students in different forms to make sure that the individual shows understanding of a concept. Learning can be compared to a two- way street, in which interactions between the student and the teacher must occur to achieve proficiency on both sides. As the progressive philosophy suggests, being student-centered with teacher facilitation infers that the student takes pride and initiative in his or her education. When the teacher offers ample opportunities and avenues for active learning, it is the student that has to make the most of the educators efforts. The Role Of The Teacher During my teaching career, I hope to have a very close and active relationship between my students, parents and fellow teaching professionals. There are many influential and important individuals in a students life which is why in order for me to have the most effective impact in a students education, being aware of his or her surroundings and other influences is key .I will strive to be approachable and always open to new ideas that will help my students better achieve his or her goals as well as the high expectation I have projected. If a student is having an issue, whether pertaining to academia, friend/school relations, or at home, I will always make myself

Bethany Blount 5 A Philosophy of Education

approachable in my abilities as a professional educator, to help the most efficient and appropriate way as possible. In order to make teaching most beneficial, parents and guardians should be closely connected to being aware of what their child is doing at school. In forms of various methods of communication (such as e-mail, home sent handouts, phone calls, parent-teacher conferences, etc.) I will make parents aware of the students progress as well as any arising concerns. Giving parents the opportunity to be active in their childrens education is essential. I plan to establish interactive opportunities for parents to get involved. Field trips are opportunities that I will take advantage of as an educator that I will offer parents the chance to be involved in the students learning. As in the progressivist philosophy, by doing is learning. By having great social interactions among students, parents and other co-workers, successful educating is achieved. I hope that in my field of work I can attain values such as dedication to life-long learning and to ensure every student of his or her potential. I value fairness in that giving every individual what he or she needs to succeed is met. Being a teacher is one of the most rewarding career paths because as an individual learns and succeeds, so will the educator. Teaching Methods The Should Be Used and Why In my future classroom I plan to have many activities available for my students. I hope to eventually teach 4th grade science. In various areas around the classroom I would like to have stations set up for active learning. I plan on having a substantial amount of different learning materials available to accommodate different learning styles. Technology is a great innovative tool to enhance education that I will take advantage of. I hope to be in a school system that has access to interactive technological devices such as Smart Boards, iPads, Laptops, etc. I would

Bethany Blount 6 A Philosophy of Education

like to have a section set aside for individual work as well as collaborative class work. Students main desks will be assembled in clusters to promote collaborative group think. As the progressive philosophy promotes, my teaching style will consist of many demonstrations and experiments involving the students so they can learn by doing rather than by being force fed information. In topics such as history and literature, I would like to have the students act out the text that is being discussed rather than getting lost in the systematic page by page reading. I feel that it is important to change delivery of material frequently in order to keep students engaged and craving to learn more. Becoming an educator is an exciting journey that I am eager to continue. I strongly believe that the progressive philosophy of learning will closely resemble my teaching style. Learning life-long skills as well as seeing and doing academic activities rather than just hearing information is what creates an efficient and learning environment for students. Work Cited Sadker, D., & Zittleman, K. (2012). Teachers, schools and society a brief introduction to education. (Third Edition ed., pp. 190-192). New York, NY: The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.