Philosophy of Education

It is the job of the teacher to facilitate learning. As a teacher, I believe learning should

consist of academic lessons as well as a safe environment. Academics are necessary to build the

student’s knowledge and to promote critical thinking skills and curiosity. Upon leaving, students

should be prepared to make decisions in the outside world and be able to communicate

effectively and efficiently with their peers, employers, coworkers, and/or professors. It is my job

as an educator to teach students how to communicate and to execute tasks and decisions quickly

and efficiently. To do this, I will build on three key ideals about teaching and learning: (1)

creating a safe and effective learning environment for students to learn and grow (Strong &

Fiebert, 1985; Smith, 2011); (2) practicing a strong growth mindset to promote academic success

and motivation (Aditomo, 2015); and (3) using a variety of activities and assignments to meet the

needs of different types of learners based on their personal intelligence (Bas, 2016; Davis,

Christodoulou, Seider, & Gardner, 2013).

The two major theorists associated with these ideals are Abraham Maslow and Howard

Gardner. Maslow is most well-known for his theory of motivation and the hierarchy of needs.

Gardner is credited with the Multiple Intelligences Theory, which details that each person is

intelligent in his or her own way.

Creating a Safe and Effective Learning Environment for Students to Learn and Grow

The school environment should be a safe, hospitable place for students. As students come

from many diverse, and sometimes harmful backgrounds, the classroom should be a place to

foster comfort to grow and provide freedom to think and to live creatively. To learn, a student

should be comfortable to speak out and able to say what is on his or her mind. Smith (2011)

claims, “Urban high schools that create warm and welcoming environments in which teachers
can teach, students can learn, and parents and community members collaborate in operational

teams have shown success.” I believe this statement to be true of any school setting, be it urban,

suburban, or rural, and I seek to foster success through a safe, welcoming classroom

environment.

A classroom should be a safe space, and as such, the teacher should be a suppliant of

basic needs that students may or may not receive at home. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

embodies the idea that to engage higher order thinking, students must first be physiologically

satisfied, feel a sense of security, love, and belonging, and be praised and respected by their

teachers and peers (Strong & Fiebert, 1985). I plan to supply these needs in any way I can, from

keeping healthy snacks in the room for those who do not receive enough nourishment at home, to

going to football games, beauty pageants, and band competitions to show my love and support,

to praising them on good work that they have accomplished.

Practicing a Strong Growth Mindset to Promote Academic Success and Motivation

The growth mindset is an important way of thinking that can expand many students’

potentials within the classroom. It is most evident in engaging students and targeting lack of

motivation. While correlation between the growth mindset and academic achievement is limited,

Aditomo (2015) states that “[the] growth mindset about academic ability prompts students to

adopt a learning goal and attribute outcomes to effort, which in turn buffered against

demotivation.” Without motivation and purpose, even high achievers can struggle to complete

assignments. The growth mindset instills in students the idea that every person can achieve if he

or she chooses to do so, which can be highly motivating for students who are not supported in

the home, in social settings, or in other classrooms. This ties into the third ideal that different

learners have individual intelligences and strengths to bring to the classroom.

Using a Variety of Activities and Assignments to Meet the Needs of Different Types of

Learners Based on their Personal Intelligence

One of my favorite theories during my time at Judson is Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

Theory. His theory states that there are eight types of intelligences: (1) Linguistic; (2) Logical-

Mathematical; (3) Spatial; (4) Musical; (5) Naturalist; (6) Bodily-Kinesthetic; (7) Interpersonal;

and (8) Intrapersonal (Davis, Christodoulou, Seider, & Gardner, 2013). Throughout my lesson

planning and student teaching, I have endeavored to include at least one assignment relating to

each intelligence in a unit plan. Doing so illustrates not only my desire to meet students’ learning

needs but also my wish that all students feel intelligent and autonomous in the classroom.

Multiple types of activities play on students’ strengths and give each student a chance to take on

the role of leader, guiding their peers through the assignments in which they excel. According to

Bas (2016), “The significant difference brought by this theory emphasizes individual differences

instead of defining one as smart or stupid.” The idea that a person is intellectually fixed on one

number is not only outdated but also ineffective in pedagogical practice, because it assumes that

a student’s ability can only meet a quantitative quota instead of recognizing that the human

intelligence is multi-dimensional and is always changing. Even the number on an IQ test changes

over the course of an individual’s life, further denoting that intelligence is fluid—living, even—

and not necessarily limited to a statistic.

References
Aditomo, A. (2015). Students’ response to academic setback: “Growth mindset” as a buffer

against demotivation. International Journal of Educational Psychology, 4(2), 198-222. doi:

10.17583/ijep.2015.1482
Bas, G. (2016). The effect of multiple intelligences theory-based education on academic

achievement: A meta-analytic review. Educational Sciences: Theory And Practice, 16(6), 1833-

1864.

Davis, K., Christodoulou, J., Seider, S., & Gardner, Howard. (2013). “The theory of multiple

intelligences.”

Smith, S. M. (2011). Creating safe learning environments for at-risk students in urban schools.

Clearing House, 84(4), 123-126.

Strong, L. L., & Fiebert, M. S. (1985). Using paired comparisons to assess maslow's hierarchy

of needs.