PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Philosophy of Education

Irma Ruiz-Bazan
Professor Schreiber
LBS 400
October 27, 2014

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Philosophy of Education
The Purpose of Education
Education is the principle source to any bright future. I believe that every child should be
able to receive free, unbiased education regardless of race, gender, or learning ability. I also
believe that the purpose of education is to give children a chance to succeed in a world of
innovation and change. We must educate children to help them make decisions for themselves,
teach them to be problem solvers, and highly qualified adults after their schooling; as
McNergney & McNergney (2009) claim, The people who can truly learn from what they do
develop personal [ethics] that help them move toward higher levels of professionalism (p.
134). As adults these children should be able to get into any job sure of themselves and with the
capability to apply skills learned in school such as, critical reasoning and thinking, proficient
reading and writing, and adequate professional articulation and communication.
Learning Environment
Conditions of learning environment can and will hinder the education that most children
receive. Therefore, the features of an environment that promotes learning should include, first of
all, unbiased and equal opportunity to all the children. Next, the environment should be
welcoming, stress free, and encouraging to all learners. The teacher must provide safe, hands-on,
inclusive environment in order to help students succeed in school. In my classroom, I will do as
Rafe Esquith (2007) emphasizes in his classroom and teach the importance of character, make
sure hard work is respected and rewarded with praise, where humility will be valued, and moral
support for everyone will be required. I also believe that specific seating arrangements,
decorative walls, new books, and the newest technology may help but are not necessary if the

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teacher can provide the children with a structured place to learn. Many teachers accomplished
this in the past according to Rafe Esquith. I think that children will learn best if the teacher can
provide an environment in which he/she imposes rules and consequences. Children should be
taught to be caring, judge free individuals that are willing to try new things and new methods of
learning.
Commitment to Social Justice
As a teacher it is my responsibility to address issues of diversity by evaluating the
different needs of the students within the classroom and the surrounding community. In order to
make the classroom environment fair and equitable, the students must be aware of differences
and similarities between them and learn to accept the differences. Although it will not be an easy
task, the teacher must provide similar opportunities to all the students in the class keeping in
mind the needs for each child. If students have Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) then the
teacher must take that into account and modify instruction for that child without taking from the
others in the classroom, either by providing group work, one on one, or tutoring before or after
class. It is also the teachers responsibility to avoid stereotypes in order to give all the students
equal access to learning. In accordance with McNergney & McNergney (2009), the teacher
should also reflect by what they do and by what they think about what they do (p. 133). John
Dewey and other colleagues have given the name reflection to this process. Reflection is when a
teacher launches into a lecture and perceives that students are not listening. She stops, asks a
question, takes several volunteers responses, reinforces those who make positive contributions,
and moves on (p. 132). The teacher stops to make sure that those students that were not
listening understand the lesson before she goes on further with the lesson providing the students
ample time to process, ask questions, or simply catch up with the rest of the students. I plan to

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use all if not most of these strategies stated above to honor diversity in my classroom. I will try
to have my students use all five senses, visual and kinesthetic learning, as well as different
approaches to teaching one lesson, whenever possible. For instance, when teaching math I will
have students use scratch papers, manipulatives, white boards, and a wide array of implements to
make sure all students are getting a fair chance in learning. And in this way fulfill the diversified
needs of all learners in my classroom. I also plan to incorporate different approaches to my
lesson plans in order to integrate other subject matter.
Curriculum
Aside from state standards and requirements that students should be taught, I believe that
students should learn morals, responsibilities, and skills that are necessary as they become adults.
As a teacher one must be able to change and modify the way the lessons are taught if necessary.
There is not just one way to teach a lesson, since there are many different types of learners,
instead the teachers role [is] that of a helper and guide (McNergney & McNergney, 2009,
p.107). The teacher should lay out the ground work and allow the students to learn, explore,
make mistakes and learn from them. The importance of education should be stressed throughout
the day, along with respect for others and the opportunity to prosper for everyone. I believe that
there are many ways to get through to children as far as teaching goes. There are those that
believe that some subjects such as math and science may be adequate enough to teach with
visuals, examples, and illustrations while literacy and history may require more direct instruction
with repetition and practice, visual and performing arts, health, and physical education may
require opportunities for practice, reflective learning and positive feedback; although I agree to
some extent, I also believe that there is no set way to teach one particular subject and different
areas can be integrated with one another to make the lessons more meaningful to the learners.

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Overall, there is not one set way to teach any given subject, it is the teachers responsibility to
see what works for the students and implement various ways to teach a lesson.
Teacher
The characteristics that effective teachers share are the desire to teach children the
required curriculum and more. I hope to develop students as intellectual human beings, and most
importantly, to make a positive impact on the childrens learning experience. As a result, I and
future teachers responsibility is to continue developing as a professional in order to continue to
offer the students the finest education possible. As Wolfe (1998) states, Give teachers time to
reflect on their practice, to engage in substantive dialogue with others (including the researchers)
about what they are accomplishingdetermine whether they validate their practice, require them
to rethink their practice (pg. 6). By attending to trainings, seminars, and teacher development
classes the teachers are given time to reflect, evaluate, and change their practice if needed to
enhance student developmental learning.

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References
Esquith, R. (2007). Teach Like Your Hairs on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56.
New York: Penguin Books.
McNergney, R.F. & McNergney, J.M. (2009). Education. The Practice and Profession of
Teaching. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
Wolfe, P. (1998). How the Brain Learns: Revisiting Effective Teaching. News Letter Online,
66(3), 1-6.