Philosophy of Education

Educators who establish a strong sense of educational purpose, create a positive learning

environment, incorporate social justice in the class content, and adjust lessons to students needs

help mold students into productive citizens of society.

Learning is what prepares young people for meaningful citizenship, employment, and

active participation in a global society. Educators must use potent teaching to inspire students to

have a sustained and meaningful encounter with education in order to transmit culture, promote

social progress and exercise social control (Intrator, 2003). Through the years, the goals of

education have gone through a metamorphosis, refocusing and assessing what the youth of

America needs to be successful in their life. The goal of education in the United States is to

create empowered, democratic, critical thinking citizens to better today’s society.

In a classroom where values and roles remain constant and focus is placed on the positive

aspects of learning, students are more open to actively participating in class. Fostering a healthy

relationship between teacher and students is significant to obtaining a positive atmosphere

(Intrator, 2003). A positive atmosphere allows a student to feel comfortable, have a sense of

understanding with their teacher and peers, and believe that they can be successful. Educators

who provide a positive learning atmosphere for their students help facilitate higher levels of

achievement as well as enhance, promote, and encourage students’ learning in all academic

settings.

Social justice education is not mandatory, but educators need to take it upon themselves

to teach it within their classrooms to promote good citizenship and a productive environment.

The instruction of social justice is vital to create students that will strive in their communities and

diminish the power of their oppressors as well as the inequality in society. Brian Mooney uses
relevant material to engage his students, which allows them to identify with material linking it to

real-world problems (Mooney, 2015). The instruction of Social Justice is beneficial for students

because gives students the knowledge it takes to become productive citizen and an advocate for

change in society.

It is vital that educators take a look at school and community needs with the idea of using

those needs as real-world catalysts for learning, instead of inventing problems for the kids to

solve (Murray, 2000). Learning is made more tangible and real when students are able relate to

the material being taught. Relevance is a major factor because students’ experiences can be used

as a basis for new learning. When course material is connected to real-life situations, it sparks a

natural interest for students because they are learning by experience. Students build their

knowledge through trial and error making them more experienced learners.

As an educator, one must have a plan of what students need to learn and how it will be

done effectively during the class time. When provided with texts and other materials for their

classroom, educators must create a curriculum for their students in response to standards, the

particular needs and prior learning of their students, and the resources and demands of the

communities (Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005, p. 35). In order to build new knowledge, it

is vital for teachers to identify what prior knowledge the students have so they can build on it

with new material for better understanding.

 References

Darling-Hammond, L., & Bransford, J. (2005). Introduction. In Preparing teachers for a

changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do (pp. 1-39). San Francisco,

CA: Jossey-Bass.

Intrator, S. M. (2003). The kids were on fire. In Tuned in and fired up (pp. 1-13). New Haven,

CO: Yale University Press.

Mooney, B. (2015) Why I dropped everything and started teaching Kendrick Lamar’s new

album. http://bemooms.worspress.com

Murray, B. (2000, January). Learning Strategies: Learning from real life. Retrieved from

http://www.apa.org/monitor/jan00/ed5.aspx