Running Head: Philosophy of Education

Philosophy of Education Maggie L. King North Greenville University September 22, 2013

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION Abstract

I believe that every child can learn and was created to learn. Each child has a learning style along with other needs that must be met. I believe that a teacher must model characteristics of an effective practitioner, caring leader, and lifelong learner. Through all my experiences in the classroom, I have learned what works for the majority of my students, what does encourage them to learn, and what can help and harm a student. In short, scaffolding, creating a safe environment for all students, and classroom management have helped mold my philosophy of education. Keywords: effective practitioner, caring leader, lifelong learner, scaffolding, classroom management, safe environment

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION Philosophy of Education

I believe that all children are able to learn. In a classroom children learn new knowledge, real life applications, and how to work cooperatively with others. It is my calling as an effective practitioner, caring leader, and lifelong learner to help my students succeed (Teacher education handbook, 2013). I believe that I have been called to teach my students and to be an example for every one of them. Effective Practitioner I believe that an effective practitioner uses scaffolding in the curriculum to teach the students. The works of Vygotsky have proven that when a child is helped at a time when the student cannot succeed on their own, the child is at the point of wanting to stop trying (Damon, 1998). I implement scaffolding in my classroom by teaching my students a skill; for example decoding words. I work with my class on a few examples together; the students work in partners; and then the students complete their work independently. Scaffolding boosts a students confidence in their work effort. For example at Chandler Creek Elementary, I scaffolded a students learning using tens and ones blocks. The student used the tens and ones block to make a number. Then he drew the tens and ones blocks for the number that was given. The student was then able tell which place value the numbers belonged without any manipulatives. This particular student went home and showed his parents what place value the channel number that they were watching on TV. His confidence level rose, and his parents were extremely proud. I believe an effective practitioner knows the subject matter to adequately teach the proper content to the students through an integrated curriculum of all subjects because the teacher is able to teach different skills and apply real life experiences. There is more preparation for teaching integrated lessons. When subjects are integrated, the student is taught a skill, but may

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION need more time developing that skill. In my classroom, I integrate as many disciplines as I can; this allows the students to learn the content, but also bring in real life experiences (Aguilar, 2008). In one integration of the arts lesson that I planned, I integrated social studies and reading together. I taught on the jobs of the community, main idea, and what the students would like to be when they grow up. An effective practitioner uses activating and varying teaching strategies to effectively meet the needs of all students in the classroom. When students are taught in different ways, they are learning to adapt with different methods. If a child is taught in just one way, then, they will not be able to accommodate to the things of daily life. Every single person is different, and my

students learn to work together even though everyone is different. One way I have students work together is in science groups. My students perform experiments in these groups to work on their collaboration and learning from each other. Children need structure, but there are a variety of activities and teaching methods within the structure. I believe that an effective practitioner assesses students and uses the different types of formal and informal assessments to monitor and evaluate the students learning. Students need to know how they are progressing and what they actually know and do not know. Formal and informal assessments are included in my classroom to help me determine which teaching strategies are the most effective and which ones need to be adjusted. I use assessments to plan instruction, improve classroom practice, and reflect on my teaching. Recently, I used an assessment to see how well my students understood the concept of plural nouns. I also believe that assessments are a way to provide data and knowledge to my students, parents, and administrators (Badders, 2000). Caring Leader

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION I believe that a caring leader creates and upholds a safe and welcoming environment and

society for learning (Teacher education handbook, 2013). Research shows that when a student is in an environment that does not make them feel threatened, they are able to feel at ease and learn at an easier rate (Walker, 2011). In my classroom, I make sure that there is a clear pathway for traffic to flow, free of clutter, and soothing pattern color. For example, I use the sea tones of blue and green, and I created an area where students could cool down. I also make sure that my students know that I want them to succeed and will do almost anything that I can to help them to achieve to their full potential. I believe I relate to my students by knowing the culture and the socioeconomic background that they come from. By knowing these pieces I am able to reason why my students act the way they do and want attention. Students long for attention from their classmates, but especially the teacher. When the teacher does not pay him the attention that he wants, sometimes he acts out or keeps to himself (Walker, 2011). As a caring leader, I believe that I lay the foundation and cultivate high-positive expectations for all my students and advocate responsible learning. Every child deserves the right to learn. In my classroom, I have high expectations for every learner, but a high expectation for one child may not be for the next child because every single child is different and comes from a different home life and culture. Along with differentiating expectations, I differentiate my instruction to meet the needs of my students so that each child will learn and reach their full potential (Kronowitz, 2012). I also believe that a caring leader effectively manages the classroom by adequately using instructional time by enforcing behavior and providing clear expectations for all students. All students must feel safe to be engaged in learning. I am an effective classroom manager by having set routines and procedures, corrective consequences and rewards, and create a sense of

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION community and respect for all. On the very first day of school, I go over the class rules and procedures in detail. Classroom management is important because it lets the student what to expect and what will be expected by them (Education Oasis, 2011). Lifelong Learner I believe that a lifelong learner fulfills their professional responsibilities through communication and acting morally, meeting students needs, and continues to learn (Teacher education handbook, 2013). Children must learn how to communicate because a future job depends on their communication skills as well as their morals. I have my students working in small groups, partners, and as a whole. In one lesson that I taught, my students worked in partners to find match their double math equations with the solutions. Manners are modeled by myself and are enforced in the students. I believe that a disposition of a lifelong learner is mandatory for a teacher because every

teacher needs help, scholarly and practical advice, and theories to be an effective teacher for their students. I read educational literature such as Reading Today and Education Leadership. I also attend professional development seminars, such as the Upstate Consortium at Furman University, for furthering my knowledge and the use of technology as well as taking courses towards a Masters Degree. I believe a teacher must reflect on the days events in and outside of the classroom, how the teacher reacted to the events, and what she could do better the next. A teacher must reflect because she will not effectively meet the needs of each child while following their own drum. I implement reflecting on the days events when I teach by keeping a journal of the days events. For example, I have three students who are on behavior modification plans. I reflect on if I did something that hindered their behavior, what choices did they make during the day, and what can

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION be changed or stay the same for a new day. This does take time, but it helps me grow in my teaching, character, and ability to meet the needs of my students. Closing A teacher has many responsibilities and roles, and they all intertwine. I am a teacher that instills love in my students, builds community within the classroom, while effectively executing the days plans and procedures. As an educator of many different roles, I am an effective practitioner, caring leader and lifelong learner.

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION References Aguilar, E. (2008, Sept. 23). Why integrate?: A case for collating the curriculum. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/integrated-authentic Badders, W. (2000). Methods of assessment. Education Place. Retrieved from http://www.eduplace.com/science/profdev/articles/badders.html

Damon, W. (Ed.). (1998). Handbook of Child Psychology. (Vol. 3). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Education Oasis. (2011). Classroom management. Education Oasis. Retrieved from http://www.educationoasis.com/instruction/classroom_management.htm Kronowitz, E. (2012). The teacher's guide to success. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Teacher education handbook. (2013). Tigerville, SC: North Greenville University. Walker, S. (2011, Nov. 15). Creating safe learning environments: How classroom management influences student performance. Scientific Learning. Retrieved from http://www.scilearn.com/blog/creating-safe-learning-environments-increase-studentperformance.php