Macy Lorz

3.1 Philosophy of Education

2.3.14 Develop a personal Philosophy of Education

The key to success in conducting an efficient and effective learning environment is

having a strong philosophy of education. With the right mindset and help of following many

famous theorists ideas this can be made possible.

Two theorists that I greatly admire for their thinking is Howard Gardner and B.F.

Skinner. Howard Gardner developed his theory of multiple intelligence. He believed that

teachers should structure their presentation in a style that acquires all learning styles:

visual-spatial, linguistic-verbal, interpersonal, intrapersonal, logical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic,

and naturalistic. I believe this is very important to incorporate in a classroom in order to

accommodate and meet the needs of each student's learning abilities. From a study at Walden

University, it was said that “the MI theory is widely adapted in all areas of education and is

popular because it allows educators to create educational programs that will help students use

their innate potentials to grow academically (Hassan et al., 2011)” (Evidence 3.1.1). If a teacher

incorporates more than one of these learning styles into their material, not only are they more

engaged, but each and every student is obtaining the proper content on the same level.

Additionally, theorist B.F. Skinner produced his theory of operant conditioning. Skinner was a

behaviorist who believed that students behavior is determined by its consequences, whether it is

reinforcements or punishments. I believe this to be crucial in the classroom environment,

especially considering my preference to teach elementary school students; this is a great way for

them to learn classroom management and their teachers expectations (Evidence 3.1.2). By
applying these theorists’ ideas into my classroom and philosophy of education, both myself and

my students will be able to experience major growth and success (Evidence 3.1.3).

Multiple people around the world admire these theorists much like I do. Linda N.

Kennedy-Murray decided to put Gardner's MI theory to the test. The experiment “included 61

middle school teachers who participated in Gardner’s MI familiarity and MI practices online

self-report survey”. The results showed “that a majority (61%) of teachers were unfamiliar or

only somewhat familiar with Gardner’s MI theory”. Murray took it upon herself to study the

effect of the multiple intelligence theory. It was “demonstrated that MI theory can be strongly

connected to special education, for MI theory fosters the inclusion of a wide range of practices

that allow teachers to perceive and help students develop their learning strengths (Fierros, 2004;

Hassan et al., 2011; Sulochana & Kumar, 2009)” (Evidence 3.1.4). Likewise, author sherman

frey studied the effectiveness of Skinner's theory of operant conditioning. A survey was

conducted of “406 elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers to determine their

understanding, acceptance, and use of the principle of operant conditioning” (Evidence 3.1.5).

The results showed that “126 use the technique, 116 do not, and 164 gave no response to the

question”. Frey concluded from his experiment that because of operant conditioning “educator[s]

have a way that [they] can improve the level of student performance individually and in a more

'predictable' way than you have ever been able to do in the past”. Based on these experiments

conducted on behalf of the theorists' ideas, many teachers are becoming aware of these assertions

and are able to make it a part of their philosophy of education.

I am only a Junior in highschool and have years away from me taking on a career in

teaching, however; I feel like I already have my own strong philosophy of education and goals I
want to reach as a teacher. The thing that I find most important when it comes to teachers is

making sure that my students look forward to coming to class everyday. From personal

experience, having teachers who were not understanding, unenthusiastic, unmotivated, really

impacted my desire to go to class. I hope to be that teacher that every student feels comfortable

to talk to and openly express their struggles. I also believe that every student should be provided

with equal education no matter their background or capabilities. Whether they come from a

family that struggles in poverty or they are a child that suffers from learning disabilities, I will

provide them with the same amount of help and respect, or more if necessary, as I do with other

students. Finally, I will stray away from letting my unconscious bias get in the way of my

teaching (Evidence 3.1.6). I believe I can do this by creating awareness of my biases, work to

increase empathy and empathetic communication, practice being mindful and kind, not tolerating

any negative behavior, and maintaining expectations.

Ever since I was in fifth grade I knew I wanted to become a teacher. In teacher academy

class, we took career self assessments that asked a few questions and provided results on our best

fit career and our biggest strengths and weaknesses (Evidence 3.1.7). Based on my results, I am

compatible for a career in education as education and training turned out to be my number one

recommended fit. As I grow to learn more about teaching, I can continue to grow my philosophy

of education. By having a strong philosophy, I can ensure that my students are retaining the

academic knowledge needed, as well as growing and expanding their human values and ethics.