Running head: My Philosophy of Education 1

Philosophy of Education

Courtney Dickinson

Ed W Clark High School: TEACH Internship

December 2, 2016
My Philosophy of Education
2

Abstract

Inspired by my experience in teaching, and my experience in the TEACH program, I have developed a

philosophy of education that dictates how I teach, what I believe is important, and why I believe it is

important. Through five sections, I explain why I want to be a teacher, my beliefs about education, my

beliefs about content and management, beliefs about inclusion of families, and making accommodations for

students in special education.

My Philosophy of Education
3

Student Focused Education: My Philosophy of Education

Introduction

Through my experiences and lessons in the TEACH program, tutoring, in my church, and other

activities, I have developed my own personal Philosophy of Education. My philosophy will affect my

teaching because it illustrates what is important to me and what my main focus will be as a teacher, and the

way I teach in general.

These experiences and lessons have also helped me to decide the grade level I plan to teach. I

plan to teach elementary school, though I am unsure now what grade exactly, just older than kindergarten. I

want to become an elementary school teacher because I want to be able to make a difference. I believe

that it is the elementary school teachers that change students the most. It is those teachers that students

remember, long after they graduate. It is those teachers that really help students to learn and grow as

people, and I want to one day be one of them, be someone who can do that for my students, as my

teachers did for me. I want to be the kind of teacher who enjoys their job and will show it through their

teaching. I have always loved teaching, and known that this is something I want to do as a career. From a

young age, I was always telling people what to do or pretending to be a teacher. So as I got older,

becoming a teacher became an expectation of my friends and family members. My parents encouraged me

to go after this goal because of that, and have been a big influence on my decision to go into the field of

teaching. Also, the volunteer work with kids at my church and things like that have given me the

experience needed to know that this is a career I want to do one day.

Of the modern philosophical orientations to teaching, the one that best fits my beliefs is

progressivism because I agree that education should be more about the whole student and their needs

than the teacher. I believe that students learn with and from each other, and that collaboration is more
My Philosophy of Education
4

important than competition (Kohn 2015). I believe that by teaching students to support each other and learn

from each other, rather than compete and be pinned against each other, more students will learn and

learning will be more effective. Progressivism also supports the idea of organizing education around

problems, projects, and questions, rather than listing facts and separate disciplines, because

interdisciplinary teaching is more effective. By providing connections for students rather than just facts and

information, the things they learn are more likely to last as long term memory and be a skill that the

students learn and use often in their lives as well as in school.

I believe that the three most important traits of a teacher are organization, knowledge of content

and methods of teaching it, and caring about their students. I believe that patience, believing in student

potential, and not allowing too harsh of discipline is also important.

Section1:BeliefsAboutEducation

I believe that the role of school in society is to provide education that is useful in life, give higher

knowledge, and to allow for social interactions between students (Parkay, Stanford 1998). I believe that a

schools role is to assist teachers in teaching students and to be an important place for children to be.

School should be considered a safe place that provides opportunities for students to learn how to work with

people and to learn to love learning, it should not be seen as a prison or a place that students hate to be for

six plus hours a day. I believe that the purpose of education overall is to give students the knowledge they

need in the world and in future careers. To assure that schools do this well, we should observe and look at

the school itself, not just at test scores, or graduation rates, or at the schools ability to meet unreasonable

standards,
My Philosophy of Education
5

I believe that the student is the most important part of education. The student should play a huge

role in their own education, and education should be focused on the student and their needs, rather than

the teacher or content area. And because learning is an active, not passive experience, students need to

be willing to, and want to learn in order for a teacher to be able to teach them. And it is often up to the

teachers that a student has early on to inspire a student to be willing to learn, to want to learn. I believe that

it is important that students learn early on how important of a role they play in their education, and how their

success depends on them, not on their teachers or their parents.

I believe that the role of the teacher is to facilitate that learning, taking into account the whole child,

their needs and interests, in order to teach successfully (Parkay, Stanford 1998). I know from experience

with students that teaching is much more effective when the teacher uses things and ideas that are

interesting to the student, not just what they believe is important. By using something that they are

interested in, they are able to connect the lesson to an outside idea, and thus learn more, and better. I

believe that some of the goals for the teacher is to prepare students for the future, limit violence, protect

learning opportunities, show students how to love learning, and communicate effectively (Berardinelli

2015). I think that these are very important, and that showing students to love learning is one of the most

important things teachers can do, especially elementary school teachers, who have a tremendous amount

of influence on their students and their attitudes about school in general.

I agree that children are worth the time teaching responsible behavior (Mitchell 2015). I think that

it is very important that any teacher believes that their student is worth teaching, if they do not, then there

really is not any point in being a teacher in the first place. I believe that the idea of a student being worth

their teachers time is also something that a student should know. For their own self esteem, it is important

that students know that they are worth the effort that they and their teacher are putting into their education.
My Philosophy of Education
6

If a student believes that they and their education are important, they will act like it, and show it through

their work and their actions. This will improve behavior, as well as grades, giving students a motivation that

can only come from themselves.

I believe that to learn one must pay attention (Rodas 2015). Meaning that in order for a student to

learn anything, they must first pay attention to you, so the teacher must be capable of keeping attention,

and inspiring students to pay attention and to enjoy school and learning in general. This often only comes

when a teacher has a relationship with their students, as students are more likely to learn from a teacher

who they like, and who likes them, than one who does not.

Section2:BeliefsAboutContentandManagement

I believe that curriculum should be designed through an integrated curriculum approach, where

several subject areas are brought together to focus on a theme/concept, rather than a specific subject or

topic (Parkay,Stanford 1998). This allows for students to better connect ideas and knowledge, because

studies on the brain have shown that knowledge is better retained when connections are made. By putting

the information into perspective, it will be learned easier and the information will be better retained by

students, and more easily taught by the teacher as well.

I believe that students learn best by hands on activities, and by doing things, rather than just being

shown ideas (Yoo 2015). I want my students to have the time and ability to experience things and learn

through those experiences, rather than just showing it to them, or explaining it in a lecture, and having them

sit in a desk for hours. I want to use more interactive, hands-on work than other methods. I want to use

music, and visual things to try to get the students involved and interested in learning, because I know that it
My Philosophy of Education
7

works for me personally, and for many other students. I want to use projects as well, giving students the

opportunities to learn in many different ways, so that at least one of them will work for each student.

I would try to use a balance of group and individual activities. While collaboration is important, it is

also important that they learn to do some things by themselves. I believe that it is also important to be

involved in the groups as the teacher, to be aware when students are struggling and to be aware of any

conflict in order to help solve it if needed. I would try to use this method for assignments and all activities

within my class. I also know that all students and all classes are different, so what works well for one class

of students, would not necessarily work for another, so it is important to get to know the students and how

they learn best, and then teach in a way that will be effective for the students that I have.

I want to teach in a way that uses the positive experiences I have had with my elementary school

teachers, and not use the negative experiences I had in elementary school. I know that I could see which of

my teachers were good at what they did, and which were not back then, so I want to be able to show my

students that I know what I am doing. Also, I want my students to see that I enjoy what I do, because I

know it is difficult to learn from a teacher who does not want to be teaching.

I also believe that positive reinforcements helps students control themselves (Wenzinger 2015). I

believe that it is better to give students rewards and positive reinforcement, rather than harsh punishments.

I know from experience that students respond very well to the rewards and positive reinforcement, more so

than to harsh discipline. I believe that as a teacher, punishments should not be the main focus, teaching the

proper behavior and expectations should be the focus. I believe that if positive reinforcements are used

enough, and well enough, the harsh punishment will be no longer necessary.

I know that all behavior has a purpose (Mitchell 2015) and that as a teacher, you cannot change it,

and you can only influence the behavior or a change in behavior (Feil 2015). I think that this is an important
My Philosophy of Education
8

thing to remember as a teacher and because I know that this would take a lot of patience to stay calm in a

situation where a student is misbehaving or not listening to instruction or to the teachers attempt at

discipline.

I also believe that students want to choose the appropriate behavior, but sometimes need

assistance. And when given expectations and follow-through, they will choose the correct behavior (Leon

2015). This is a very important one to remember when a teacher has a particularly difficult student who

does not seem to be even capable of doing the right thing. But when a teacher remembers that students

want to choose the appropriate behavior, they just need assistance, it will help. I also think that situational

assistance by 1. Making sure students know classroom routines, 2. Allowing misbehaving students to be

alone or providing a time-out, 3. Removing seductive objects (games, pictures, comic books, etc.) that

draw attention away from the educational task, planning ahead to eliminate temptations and

overstimulation, 5. Helping a student overcome a hurdle or frustrating roadblock (Gudjonis 2015). I think

that situational assistance is one method that would really work in the classroom and would be useful in

classroom and behavioral management.

I believe that discipline is very important in the classroom, but there are many different methods of

using discipline that are more effective than others. One method I liked was inner discipline, which stated

that students are not punished physically or by destructive language (Mitchell 2015). I think that this is

important for some pretty obvious reasons, the main one being that it goes against rules, and can damage

a child emotionally and cause them to dislike learning and school.

Another discipline technique I would use would be to have clear expectations, giving them a say in

these rules (Berardinelli 2015), and using appropriate consequences (Whalen 2015), while also making

sure to handle anger appropriately, giving students a face-saving exit (Spencer 2015). And then on the
My Philosophy of Education
9

opposite end of those consequences, making sure to provide positive reinforcements and reward the good

behavior (Camacho 2015). I believe that having clear expectations are important because it is hard to get a

class to behave when they are unsure of how the teacher wants them to behave. I believe that when

students have a say in the class rules, they understand the reasoning behind the rules, and are more likely

to follow them than if they are given a long list of wordy rules. A face-saving exit is important because if a

teacher hurts a childs dignity, for example by scolding them in front of the whole class, it can cause more

problems, and can stop a child from enjoying school and learning.

I also really believe in the idea of self-discipline (Gudjonis 2015) and that a teacher should be sure

to assist with this, instead of taking up too much power. The teacher should provide nonverbal cues, or talk

to the student away from the attention of the class, and the power of the non-verbal cues are obvious in a

classroom, once the teacher has established a relationship with the class.

I agree with the idea that students should be involved in decision making and should be involved

with something on a daily basis. This encourages the connection with students and helps the students to be

invested in what they are doing in the classroom and enjoy it more. I believe that when students are

invested in their class and in school, they are more likely to come to school and to learn things in the

classroom than when they do not care about what they are learning.

I believe that FISH philosophy is also an effective way of educating. Inspired by World Famous

Pike Place Fish market, FISH philosophy has four main components that help to enrich curriculum, making

it more adaptable and flexible, making it possible to teach for any student. The four components are: (1) Be

there- be emotionally present for students, emphasizing communication, (2) Play- be creative and have fun,

encourages students to be creative and think outside the box (3) Make Their Day- finding simple ways to

serve or delight students in a meaningful, memorable way, makes a difference for students, (4) Choose
My Philosophy of Education
10

your Attitude- taking responsibility for how you respond to what life throws at you. These four components,

if done effectively, encourage collaboration and improve student achievement.

Section3:BeliefsAboutInclusionOfFamilies

I believe that a students parents and family members are very important to their education.

Families set up their children for the future by influencing learning from the very beginning. I believe that it

is therefore very important to include them in the continuing education of their children. I believe that it is

important to send students home with homework that the parents are able to help them on if needed, and I

want to be able to give parents the ability to do so by offering tutoring for help in things like common core

math if needed, or extra resources to help parents and students to be more successful.

I believe that given the diversity of families, there are many different ways to try to include them in

the education of their children. I believe that active listening (Voris 2015) between parents, teachers, and

students is very important, and allows the students to feel involved and like the teacher really cares about

them. I also believe that it is important to connect as a teacher with the parents, students and peers (Feil

2015). I believe that using various means of communication and holding events like parents breakfasts or

nights, teachers can form relationships with the parents, and students can show their parents what they

have learned or are learning. I would also allow for parent volunteers to come in and help with class, or to

read a book to the students. My elementary school did this, and my dad came in to read to the class a few

times, and this was a very good experience because it bonded me and my dad, and my dad was able to

get to know who my teachers were.

I know that it is often difficult to get parent participation in many educational situations because of

busy schedules, or just apathy, but I hope to be able to convey to parents the importance of their role in

their childs education.

My Philosophy of Education
11

I believe that it is important to be aware of the cultural iceberg. The cultural iceberg is the idea that

like an actual iceberg, where only 10% is visible above the waterline and the majority is hidden below the

surface, culture is the same. The external, visible surface of culture is only a very small part of it. Beneath

surface things like behavior, traditions, customs, and anything easily observable with touch, taste, smell or

sound, there are many other important aspects of culture. These are the internal things, which are the an

individuals core values, beliefs, attitudes, priorities, assumptions, perceptions and other things more

difficult to observe. As a teacher it is important to know this, especially in terms of interaction with families,

that there are other cultures, and there are aspects to a students life that as a teacher, are just impossible

to really know. It is important to know in order to stop bullying as well. The cultural iceberg would also be a

good thing to teach students as well, and can involve parents. By teaching students about different

cultures, and not just the surface things and stereotypes, there is less bullying, and parents can be invited

into the classroom to talk about their own personal cultures, and teaching the students the meaning and

how to accept it.

Section4:MakingAccommodationsforSpecialEducationStudents

I believe that it is important to make accommodations for Special Education Students because it is

stated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that these students are to be in the least

restrictive environment (LRE), which, depending on the student, may be a regular classroom like my own.

This means that students with a disability should have the opportunity to learn with non-disabled peers.

These students therefore should have access to the general education curriculum, but get supplementary

aid when needed, in the form of accommodations made by the school or by the teacher, and stated in the

students Individualized Education Plan (IEP) (IDEA, 2016).

My Philosophy of Education
12

I also believe that it is important to have an inclusive classroom in order to teach special education

students that they are important and that they belong in a classroom and in a school. It is also important for

the students that are not in special education to work with these students to learn acceptance and that

these students are just like them, they want to be included just as much as they do, but that they are just a

little different.

To make these accommodations, there are many possible ways. Most of the time, it is possible to

adjust a certain lesson so that it is able to reach these students in special education. By providing a

simplified reading page, or pictures, or large print pages, or even just more time than other students, a

student with a disability, depending on the disability, can participate and learn in a general education class,

with students that do not have disabilities. Other accommodations may be allowing the student to record

lectures, or have another student help them with note taking or in general, help on tests from calculators,

dictionaries, or the option of oral tests instead of written ones. All of these accommodations are not one

size fits all, and vary depending on the student and on the disability. If I knew I was going to have students

with disabilities in my class, I would do my research on the disability as well as getting to know the students

themselves in order to make the accommodations that are necessary and that will work for them in the

classroom.

Through my experiences and lessons in the TEACH program, tutoring, in my church, and other

activities, I have developed my own personal Philosophy of Education. My philosophy will affect my

teaching because it is the core of my beliefs, how I plan to teach and to manage a classroom, and why I

believe that being a teacher is an important thing to do.

My Philosophy of Education
13

References

Bennion, K. (2015). Lecture: Jacob Kounin, Preventive Discipline.

Berardinelli, J. (2015). Lecture: Richard Curwin and Allen Mendler, Discipline with Dignity.

Camacho, T. (2015). Lecture: B.F. Skinner, Behavior Modification and Operant Conditioning.

Feil, M. (2015). Lecture: Linda Albert, Cooperative Discipline.

Gudjonis, M. (2015). Lecture: Fritz Redl and William Wattenberg.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - Disability.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved December 01,

2016, from https://www.disability.gov/individuals-disabilities-education-act-idea/

Leon, M. (2015). Lecture: Lee and Marlene Canter, Assertive Discipline.

Mitchell, D. (2015). Lecture: Barbara Coloroso, Inner discipline.

Mitchell, T. (2015). Lecture: Rudolf Dreikurs, Social Discipline.

Parkay, F. W., & Stanford, B. H. (1998). Becoming a teacher. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Progressive Education (#) - Alfie Kohn. (2015). Retrieved December 01, 2016, from

http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/progressive-education/

Rodas, A. (2015). Lecture: Albert Bandura, Social Learning.

Solorzano, B. (2015). Lecture: Fredric Jones, Positive, Discipline.

Spencer, H. (2015). Lecture: Haim Ginott, Congruent Communication.

Szirbik, E. (2015). Lecture: H. Jerome Freiberg, Consistency Management and cooperative

discipline.

Voris, K. (2015). Lecture: Thomas Gordon, Active Listening.

Wenzinger, L. (2015). Lecture: Alfie Kohn, Beyond Discipline.

Whalen, H. (2015). Lecture: William Glassner, Choice Theory.

My Philosophy of Education
14

Yoo, P. (2015). Lecture: John Dewey, Progressive Education.