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Aleksandra Todorovic
Philosophy of Education
College of DuPage

Throughout every students educational careers, there are teachers whom we long
forgotten and teachers whose presence we will never forget; for it good reasons or bad. For me,
that teacher whose spirit was best was Mrs. Leah Bielski. She not only inspired me to become a
teacher but also to become a mentor and friend to students. The educational philosophy which I
most identify myself with is progressivism. Progressivism is a student-centered approach which
the course work is focused on students and their personal interests. I believe not only that
students should have a say in what they're learning but, how they're learning as well by
discovering answers and new knowledge on their own. I see myself as a mentor figure in the
classroom, guiding students to new discoveries, thinking abilities, and passions. My philosophy
will not only be experienced by students through my teaching methods, but through my
classroom climate and assessments as well.
When it comes to teaching methods, I plan on giving a small instruction at the beginning
of class. This will introduce the students to the material for the day and get them focused. This
instruction may include a small lecture or warm-up, going over or turning in homework from the
night before, and asking any questions that the students might have. Then I would often put my
students in groups to collaborate and work as a team on a given assignement. Having students
work in an active and cooperative learning environment would stimulate their senses and have
them thinking about next subjects they can unfold. Constructivism, which is a branch of
progressivism, is when students are challenged to discover knowledge about their own
environment or topics picked by themselves. Constructivism will be my teaching method of

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choice because this method will make the students work together to collect the correct answers to
their problems.
My classroom, going with the progressivist point of view as well, would be a democratic
environment. For example students could opt to work alone if they so choose. Democratic
principles is one of the major parts of being a progressivist teacher. Democracy gives students
the chance to enjoy class as well as look forward to learning since they have a voice on the
curriculum. When there is democracy, respect and trust comes right along side it. Since in a
democracy everyone has a say, you need to learn to respect others beliefs and view points. My
classroom will be well respectable as well as trustworthy. Trust is relevant in a democratic
classroom as well because you need to trust one another that your peers will not ridicule you on
your beliefs. On the other hand, my classroom will also be fun. I want my students to want to
come to class; to want to learn; to want to learn from me as a teacher. Making the learning
environment fun as well as effective calls for an interesting yet stimulating place for students to
learn which is what I feel progressivism stands for.
There are many different ways teachers can assess their students to see how they are
progressing in the classroom. Their are two different types of assessment, formative and
summative. Summative assessments is a formal assessment involving judgements about the
success of a process or product. This type of assessment most likely occurs at the end of a unit of
study. On the other hand you have formative assessments. Formative assessments are a series of
assessments in a variety of formats that help monitor students progress. In my classroom, I will
use formative assessment. Formative assessment not only will check their progress on their
chosen subjects but will also motivate the students to keep learning throughout the unit.

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Summative assessments, I feel are more harsh on a students motivation and will discourage them
to learn more easily with one full assessment at the end on the unit vs small assessments
throughout the unit.
With the rising of new technology, I feel technology plays an important part in the
classroom. With students and teachers alike familiar with the social media wave (i.e. Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram) I will integrate the educational social media website Edmodo into my course.
Edmodo is a website where each student has their own personal page. On this page students can
ask questions to the teacher, other classmates, or other students in the course. This website makes
group work and submitting work easier when students aren't in the classroom. Since
collaboration and working together is a large part of the progressivist view on education, I feel
this website would be a great representation of technology integrating with progressivism views.
For myself, being a teacher is more than just teaching children what the world wants them
to know. At the high school age, which is where I see myself working in the future, most students
are beyond bored with school. If giving my students the ability to determine what is valuable and
what is worth their time encourages them to research, discover, and learn more, then so be it. If
my encouragement gives students the motivation to learn, I will be utmost satisfied. I want to
give to students the want to learn and the want to be themselves inside and outside of my
classroom.