Sheila Tipon

Educ 214

Task 1: Reflections on One's Teaching Practices

What influence/s my own teaching practices based from curriculum foundations? In what way
these/this influence/s me?

I believe that progressivism is the educational philosophy that is the most applicable to
my style of teaching as a future educator. Progressivism is based on real-world problem-solving
activities in a democratic and cooperative learning environment. What this means to me is that as
an educator, I am to give my students the skills and abilities to know what works for them when
learning. I must be able to promote a classroom setting that rather than being a competition
within itself, encourages cooperation all around. It means basing instruction on the needs,
interests and developmental stage of the child; it means teaching students the skills they need in
order to learn any subject, instead of focusing on transmitting a particular subject; it means
promoting discovery and self- directed learning by the student through active engagement; it
means having students work on projects that express student purposes and that integrate the
disciplines around socially relevant themes; and it means promoting values of community,
cooperation, tolerance, justice and democratic equality.

When taking all of this into consideration and thinking about what it means, I can see
myself providing this type of instruction, environment, and direction for my students. Through
progressivism, students are in control of their learning and the environment they are in. Teaching
students how to learn puts them in control of their learning and makes them dependable. In
teaching the students how to learn, we are preparing them not only to succeed in the class they
currently are in, but in future ones and life as well. We present students with material and it is in
their hands to decide how to go about learning it. A teacher should be more of a facilitator than
someone that recites facts over and over in order for simple memorization from the student. Not
every kid learns by doing things one way. I believe in the progressive philosophy of teaching
because the curriculum is built around personal experiences, interests, and the needs of students.
It is important for students to actually experience what is being taught. Also, I believe it is also
important to help the students develop their social and interaction skills, and they will do this
with group work and activities throughout the year. John Dewey, a philosopher, psychologist,
and educator believed that education was about growth of a child and the school played a crucial
role in creating an environment that was responsive to the child's interests and needs, and would
allow the child to flourish. I couldn't agree more with this statement because education can really
challenge a child and help them grow into a productive member of society. Their needs and
interests need to be taken into consideration and worked with.
 In my future classroom, my approach to what I would teach would be experienced-
centered, relevant and reflective. Meaning that I would allow for my students to not simply learn
traditional math, history, and etcetera, but also, information that will help them in a real-world
experience. I would attempt to include interests that my students enjoyed and take them out to
the community and implement these while they also learn about social skills and be introduced to
a world of diversity.
I believe in cooperation and hands-on learning which can be through group projects.
Applying and encouraging critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making would also be
vital in my methods of teaching. Through being hands on and working on projects together,
students can easily be supportive of one another in times of confusion. This would both limit my
need to intervene and also establish the cooperative setting I wish to see. Students often listen to
and learn more from their peers rather than an adult so this will help them in that sense as well.
Education should not be based on the assumption that all students learn one way or that they
should all learn what adults believe to be necessary. I believe in allowing students to take their
learning into their hands and guiding them on the correct path to mastery of the material. We
should prepare students to one day become the next President, the doctor that finds a cure for the
unknown, or whatever it is that they wish to be. Always pushing them to think outside the box
and be able to back that up. Limiting students’ thinking from an early age cuts their imagination
and creativity short and builds walls up around their thoughts. Teaching them to work well with
others, who may not always think like they do, prepares them for the real world. Our world is not
black and white and so we should allow them to always venture out and think into the gray area.