...Philosophy of Education This paper focuses on my personal philosophy of education. Many educators cringe when they hear people ask what their philosophy of education is. This paper offers techniques and strategies that educators can implement when writing their personal philosophies. Also included in this paper are my belief statements on my personal philosophy on education. Lastly, my paper discusses the influences that have helped shaped my philosophy on education. “Your personal philosophy is not just a written statement. It is a perspective that involves your beliefs and values and becomes the basis from which you make decisions about what is important and about your role as an educator” (Armstrong, Henson, & Savage, 2009, p. 278). Through experience and research I wholeheartedly believe that developmentally appropriate practice is the best model for early childhood education. Children learn exceptionally well when in an environment that encourages play and exploration. Being a part of a preschool program it is my goal that the environment should provide experiences that are interactive and engaging for the age levels of the children it serves. Play is a powerful tool that benefits children’s intellectual, social, emotional, physical and language development. Writing a teaching philosophy can be a very daunting task, Montell (2003) suggests, “reflecting on what you don't like can give you insights about what you do like," and that...
Words: 1482 - Pages: 6
...INTRODUCTION I find it a daunting task to try and articulate my personal philosophy of teaching, when in fact l have no real teaching or facilitation experience. I have been in leadership roles before while sitting on committees and coached youth sporting teams. That being said, this process forces me to examine my own beliefs, intentions and actions as it relates to teaching. This paper will act as a guiding tool to help me develop my particular philosophy of teaching and how l foresee myself when l do encounter the classroom setting. I will present an overview of my results from the Teaching Perspective Inventory (TPI) and relate that to my own beliefs, intentions and actions. SUMMARY This paper will examine my personal philosophy of teaching, along with the results from Pratt’s Teaching Perspectives Inventory. PHILOSOPHY Pratt’s developmental perspective on teaching tries to conceptualize what it means to teach. “A perspective on teaching is an interrelated set of beliefs and intentions that gives direction and justification to our action. It is a lens through which we view teaching and learning” (Pratt, 2002, p. 5). “Perspectives are neither good nor bad. They are simply philosophical orientations to knowledge, learning and the role and responsibility of being a teacher” (Pratt, 2002, p. 14). I don’t know that l could summarize my philosophy into a few short sentences. My philosophy is an all-encompassing set of beliefs and intentions that l want to accomplish...
Words: 2323 - Pages: 10
...SPECIAL EDUCATION - PHILOSOPHY My Special Education Philosophy S. Bruce Butrym Grand Canyon University: SPE 529N January 26TH, 2012 My Special Education Philosophy Philosophy…Webster defines that thought as, “a discipline comprising as a core logic, aesthetics, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology.” With all due respect to Mr. Webster, combining the aforementioned subjects within a philosophical statement for one’s purpose in life may be the correct approach for ivy leagued institutions, but for an individual striving to reach high school age students within the Autistic Spectrum, in a TMD self-contained classroom; leaning ever so closely to a PMD format, a more down to earth approach would seem more appropriate. As such, after reviewing each of the core areas of philosophy, the subject of Metaphysics drew my attention. Defined in layman terms… Metaphysics allows me to, for one, to consider all I interact with within the schools four walls as “real beings”; and secondly, to consider those “real beings” as “genuine constituents” of the world that can hopefully can add additional strength to the makeup of that world. A major component to the development of my philosophy was to take advantage of the opportunity to interview a number of staff from my local high school; to review what these seasoned staff members had developed...
Words: 1875 - Pages: 8
...My Personal Philosophy of Education It is customary that on New Year’s Eve, we make New Year resolution. The fact is that we are making a set of guideline that we want to live by. These are motives that we seek to achieve. In a similar way, teachers live by philosophy. This essay focuses on my personal philosophy of education. It unfolds the function of philosophy in a teacher’s life, my view on the purpose of education, the student teacher- relationship and the philosophy which influences my views expressed. All of these beliefs make up my personal philosophy of education. A teacher’s philosophy is a set of convictions that is held regarding his or her values, actions and knowledge. It entails personal perceptions of life. These will lead to the decisions that are made to accomplish classroom, school and social goals. It will answer the question of ‘why do I teach?’.Is it because teaching is a secure job or do I really want o be involved in the development of the minds of the future generation. A teacher’s philosophy will dictate the strategies used to relay information to students, the teacher-student relationship as well as the message brought across to students. A teacher’s philosophy of education examines the definition and goals of education. Nelson Mandela (date unknown) said that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. This statement is in fact true. In order for humans to make informed and logical decisions, they have to be...
Words: 958 - Pages: 4
...Personal Educational Philosophy One’s personal educational philosophy reflects one’s beliefs about instruction and curriculum. Those beliefs are the result of personal preference, level of training, and individual understandings about how children learn. Additionally, the teaching environment influences one’s philosophy; there are certain non-negotiable aspects of both curriculum and instruction that are under the control of district, state and federal administrations. My own philosophy is no different, my beliefs and understandings have grown and changed as I gained experience. Certain requirements of my school and public schools in general have affected my philosophy; I have adapted and modified for what is, to make my philosophy compatible with reality. The results of my philosophy assessment, as seen on the chart below, did not surprise me. My beliefs fit into pattern four (Wiles, Bondi, & Sowell, 2002) which in my case is an inverted “U” shape. That I appear to have strong beliefs in different systems is consistent with my own understandings of philosophy. Perennialism is the weakest strand of my philosophy, closely followed by idealism, which suggests that I do not agree with highly structured teacher directed learning. Interestingly, my beliefs regarding realism and existentialism nearly equally flank my strongest beliefs which fall into the experimentalism category. Since I view experimentalism as a combination of realism and existentialism, the pattern seems to...
Words: 1248 - Pages: 5
...My philosophy for education is essentialism, because you’re working with students to teach basic information or subjects. “Essentialism is prominent in American education today.” (Kauchak, Eggen. 203) Essentialism’s goal is to help students understand the basic content. Some people would say “Teachers primary goals should be to help students’ master essential content rather than to help them develop emotionally and socially.” (Kauchak, Eggen. 203) The topics that I will address are essentialism in the classrooms, essentialism in teacher educational programs, and also comparing essentialism to the other three philosophies of education. Essentialism in the classroom is important in a lot of different aspects in teaching. The teachers’ students have to be able to understand the information that is given to them but in order to do that they have to have a solid foundation with reading, writing, and mathematics. If students don’t have these skills and they don’t want to learn them then where would they end up after school or even for a job? Some students will end up not finishing school because they can’t do the material or possibly understand it. Other students may end up in low end paying jobs or may not even be able to get a job at all. A lot of employers want employees that have the basic skills from what they learned in school to help them at work, instead of spending time and resources to train them in the things everyone should know. So you see why it is important...
Words: 821 - Pages: 4
...Personal Educational Philosophy Statement Deborah Castel University of West Florida Personal Educational Philosophy Statement People have many different views and ideas of what they see the purpose of education is and forming a philosophy of education is not as simple as it might sound. The purpose of education is to teach and expose students to knowledge. Developing a personal philosophy of education is important because it guides your instructional decisions and can provide stability, continuity, and long term guidance as a professional. There is not just one statement that defines the purpose of education and it isn't limited to just what one thinks. It is my belief that the purpose of education is not merely to teach students what our school districts what us to teach so they can pass these state and federal tests, but to ignite the minds of every child to be creative and analytical thinkers; to assist students in developing critical thinking skills and the value of reasoning for themselves; to develop a student's desire and ability to think and learn about the world around them; to teach and guide them in learning how to develop successful relationships that will enable them to work with their peers not only throughout their school years, but in life itself. The majority of learning does not really begin within the classroom, when a child enters school for the very first time. Many of life’s most important lessons are learned from our family members, from the communities...
Words: 2519 - Pages: 11
...Running head: CURRICULUM PHILOSOPHY Curriculum Philosophy Scott C. Hellman Grand Canyon University EDA 560 January 27, 2010 Curriculum Philosophy Introduction It is the school leader that develops a curriculum that is then applied to school surroundings. Curriculum philosophy becomes the force that moves the school closer to its goals. This paper will examine the curriculum philosophy of the author and how this philosophy will have an affect on how curriculum is planned in a school surrounding. The paper will then conclude with a comparison of the philosophy stated by the author compares to the philosophy that is currently in place at Cody High School. Outline how your philosophy will guide the curriculum goals and design and describe the resulting curriculum planning process. “Philosophy is defined as a search for the wisdom of life besides an attempt to understand the universe as a whole” (Yusof, 2008, p. 1). All members of the school district including: administrators, teachers, and all stakeholders must work together as a unit to assess state standards and benchmarks for each class to properly design a curriculum that will teach students the necessary information and skills to become responsible citizens of society. Yusof quotes Horton & Hanes (1993): The goal should be to help the individual realize choice is a key element in developing a life of personal growth. Lifelong learning is also a possibility when choices are realizes [sic]...
Words: 1160 - Pages: 5
...Education Philosophy and Rationale Philosophies of education are an ongoing process and evolved over time. When developing my philosophy of education, I found that exploring my personal beliefs concerning education is of utmost important. Therefore, I have taken philosophies from other teachers from my past, my personal experiences and my personal beliefs to make up a philosophy of education that I use in teaching today. I found that the philosophy of my fundamental beliefs of educational teaching is progressivism and social reconstructionism. My philosophies of education are based totally on the students, which in other terms its student-centered philosophy. I believe each student should be treated as individuals and that the focus is for the students’ individual needs. Student-Centered philosophy will allow the students to be involved in their own learning process. As an educator in this process, I can act as a facilitator and help guide the students. Basing my philosophy of education on progressivism, I agree that students should test ideas by active experimentation or real-world applications. Using learning as a way to critical think and solve problems to make meaning through his or her experience in the physical and cultural context. Pragmatism is considered to be the real-world application of the philosophy of progressivism. John Dewey applied pragmatist philosophy in his progressive approaches. Like Morrison (2008), Dewey states individuals and their environments (however...
Words: 1305 - Pages: 6
...Running Head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION Personal Philosophy of Supervision Andrea Byars EDA 551 Supervision and Instructional Leadership Grand Canyon University December 15, 2010 Personal Philosophy of Supervision Jean Jacques Rousseau once made the statement that, “Plants are shaped by cultivation and men by education. ... We are born weak, we need strength; we are born totally unprovided, we need aid; we are born stupid, we need judgment. Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given us by education”. This statement makes it clear that it is imperative that students be taught how to think and speak in a proper manner so that they will be able to rationalize truths for themselves; thus meaning that administrators need to believe in, value, and be committed to the educability of all. Why then, is it important for an educational leader to have a personal philosophy regarding supervision? Establishing values and beliefs is essential to a person becoming an effective leader. Buddha once said, “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense” (53 BC -483 BC). Glickman, Gordon, and Ross-Gordon, wrote “…a supervisor’s actions in working with teachers are based on supervisory beliefs, which in turn reflect a broader educational philosophy” (pg. 96). This means that the fundamental purpose of a leader’s supervisory stance...
Words: 1231 - Pages: 5
...Micah Ballard Dispositions and Philosophy Paper Education 2010 Section 1 Charles Preston 4/25/11 Dispositions of a teacher are some of the most important topics we covered through the semester in Education 201. Teacher dispositions, if followed correctly, can be looked at as the prototypical teacher who can arrive at a school and not only help out the school, but also help of the children. The main dispositions of learning consist of the commitment to diversity, commitment to ethics, commitment to the teaching profession, and knowing the philosophies and theories of education. Throughout a semester of a number of speakers, class documents, and Martin Haberman’s Star Teachers, I feel like I have learned how important these dispositions truly are for the success of a teacher and what I need to work on to better myself to become a true star educator. The first disposition of teaching is the commitment to diversity. Commitment to diversity is a strong point of mine because I have first handedly seen the benefits of diversity in the schools. In one hand I went to a middle school that was about 30% African American, 25% Hispanic, and 45% White. On the other hand I went to a high school that was almost 95% White, 4% African American, and 1% Hispanic. I feel like the students I went to school with in the diverse community had a more open mind about society in a whole which clearly made for better learning. I also observed that the teachers at the diverse school seemed to have...
Words: 1517 - Pages: 7
...Nursing Philosophy Laura K NURS 391 March 10, 2014 Sharon Thompson, RN MSN/MBA-HCM Nursing Philosophy Introduction “Philosophies of nursing are statements of beliefs about nursing and expressions of values in nursing that are used as bases for thinking and acting,” (Chitty & Black, 2010). Having a personal nursing philosophy can help one provide better nursing care, as well as provide an outline for living one’s personal life. Developing a personal nursing philosophy requires reflection on how one feels about nursing within four categories; personal health, patient’s health, patient’s families, and fellow healthcare professionals. Personal Health As healthcare professionals, registered nurses (RN) can be viewed as role models for personal health behaviors. Attempting to teach a patient about the adverse effects smoking has on one’s health can be more than challenging if the RN smells like smoke, or has visible cigarettes in their pocket. This RN has observed this behavior in others and has difficulty understanding these actions. Nurses are more aware than the average person of the consequences of smoking, obesity, drinking, or drug use, but research has shown that “in spite of nurses’ knowledge, no difference exists between the health behaviors of nurses and those of the general population,” (Chitty & Black, 2010, pg. 290). This author has strong beliefs and opinions about smoking, drinking, and drug use, but does struggle daily with eating healthy and...
Words: 1026 - Pages: 5
...Buddhism The never-ending debate amongst scholars on whether Buddhism is a religion or a philosophy is not a debate on Buddhism – it is an artificial debate on our biases and heuristics regarding religion and philosophy. The fastidious dichotomy between religion and philosophy that we insist on today did not exist in western civilization until the around the eighteenth century, and there never existed such a dichotomy in eastern civilization [CITE]. To insist that Buddhism must be clearly defined as one thing and not the other amounts to forcing an ancient product into modern packaging. In fundamental Buddhist philosophy, this sort of conceptual categorizing is considered avidyā (state of ignorance or delusion), which is considered one of the causes of all suffering and a barrier to enlightenment (Keown and Prebish 269). Without realizing it, we use preconceived notions about ourselves and about the world around us in order to divide up and break down everything we learn and experience. The first step in the Eightfold Path, one of the most principal teachings of the Buddha, is to cast aside these divisions in our minds so that we may see the true nature of the world (Keown and Prebish 338). In the same way, we must cast aside all of our definitions, labels, and classifications surrounding Buddhism in order to see its true nature. It goes beyond being just a religion or a philosophy. It is a personal, authentic way of being in the world and it encompasses everything we do. It begins...
Words: 775 - Pages: 4
...Kara Duyssen Intd 203.5 Statement of Philosophy and Beliefs My personal philosophy of education begins with the belief that education is the foundation for the rest of the student’s life. All experiences in schooling from the beginning will have positive and or negative impacts on the student that they will always carry with them. My role as their teacher is to make sure to the best of my ability that I will create a positive, supportive learning environment for all student’s in my classroom. One of the goals of education is to educate the student to become a functional participant in society. Education should also to provide the students with personal fulfillment of knowledge within their interests . A student is supported not only academically, but also socially and emotionally. I believe that my role as an educator is to support the diversity of all students by tailoring an education specific to the individual needs of the student. Every student in a diverse classroom has needs to be met on varying levels. One of my roles as a teacher is to identify a student’s specific needs and goals. Children at all levels need to be challenged, supported and validated. I will strive to build a solid support system for each student. To best support students, I will encorporate the parents and community into my classroom. I believe that education will benefit children the most when there is a healthy collaboration between the teacher, parents, and community. When there is open...
Words: 482 - Pages: 2
...Personal Philosophy of Education Fatimah Stevenson EDU/301 May 9, 2014 Dr. R. Michael Hindermyer When going into an educational career, every teacher must develop a personal philosophy of education. “Philosophy of education is a statement of your beliefs about the purposes of education, the ways that students learn and develop and what and how students should be taught” (Philosophy, 2014). I have come to conclusion that I’m more of a student centered philosopher. I like to explore and develop responsibilities for decisions. “Student-centered philosophies are more focused on individual needs, contemporary relevance, and preparing students for a changing future. School is seen as an institution that works with youth to improve society or help students realize their individuality” (Sadker, 2005). The progressivism philosophy of education defines my own view because “promotes individual student inquiry” (Johnson, Musial, Hall, & Gollnick, 2011). In a classroom setting, I would probably have students focus on testing this by experimentation. The scientific method would be a great example, and therefore students will also be able to answer their own questions as they are experimenting. I will include open-ended questions to help students with this matter and to make students think more about the situation, problem, or picture. This particular philosophy of education is related to other philosophies such as existentialism philosophy of education. According to Sadker “Existentialism...
Words: 497 - Pages: 2
