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My Philosophy of Education Now

Rebekah Pinedo

Vanguard University

Foundations in Teaching

Dr. Hittenberger

December 12, 2023

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My Philosophy of Education Now

Education may often be described as the core subjects taught at school: English, Math,

and Science. However, the true meaning of education is simply the dissemination of true

knowledge. It is the passing down of knowledge that will work to assist individuals in better

navigating the world and contributing to society. Education is important for the very reason of

bettering individuals and assisting in their development. The most important goals of education

consist of equipping students to help them in achieving their full potential. Because no individual

can reach their full potential, education becomes a lifelong journey. Thus, the goal of education

is to assist students in achieving their full potential so that they are able to contribute to society.

My Guides for Education

The philosophy of education that I am most drawn to at this point is Progressivism. This

is because the main goal of Progressivism is to prepare students to be lifelong learners in a

society that is ever changing so that they will be able to use the education they have received to

foster positive change in the world. Furthermore, Progressivism encourages students to engage in

higher order thinking. Teachers behave as a coach in the lives of students. As opposed to

behaving as the sole informer of students, teachers are to guide students in exploring their own

interests and providing direction on challenges that students may face. From this, students will be

able to make sense of their world and ideas so that they are able to contribute to society.

Progressivism’s focus on teacher’s acting as facilitators of education to foster student

understanding of the world so that they are able to contribute to society is the reason why I am

drawn to Progressivism.
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With this, the educational thinker that has had an influence on my thinking is Carol

Dweck. Dweck researched growth mindset within students. What was found in her research was

that growth mindset is not about a student’s intelligence. Rather, it’s about a student’s process in

education. Dweck’s study revealed that “praising the process children engaged in” (Dweck,

2017, p. 3) was what led to the development of a growth mindset. The way that students viewed

failure also attributed to whether a student maintained a growth mindset. Those who viewed

failure as “something they could not control in the moment” (Dweck, 2017, p. 1) resulted in a

“helpless” attitude. On the other hand, if students viewed failure as something that they could

control, they displayed a “mastery-oriented” mindset (Dweck, 2017, p.1). Dweck’s findings on

the mindset of children revealed to me what I should focus on as a teacher – the progress, not the

product.

From my understanding of education, philosophies of education, and education thinkers,

the three ideas that are the foundations of my philosophy of education is: (1) any individual is

fully capable of learning anything, (2) all students have the capability of growing, and (3) all

students are to be treated as if they have the right to be present in that space. My foundations of

my philosophy of education heavily support the growth mindset. In addition, my foundations

support that education is not limited to select individuals. Rather, all individuals have the

capability of learning.

Controversies

Controversies in education are often related to competing philosophies of education. An

example of this is the differing stances on the implementation of Ethnic Studies in school

curriculum. On the one hand, individuals are stating that it is important that underrepresented
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cultures are taught in school, which is most aligned with the Reconstructionist philosophy. The

opposing viewpoint states that schools should stick to teaching the “core subject” of education:

English, Math, and Science. In other words, schools should be teaching students how to think

and not what to think, which is most aligned with the Essentialist philosophy. Another example

would be the discussion of the role of a teacher in the classroom. Perennialism claims that

teachers are to impart knowledge, whereas Progressivism believes teachers to be guides. The two

philosophies may have a difficult time teaching in the same classroom as they have differing

ideas of what the role of a teacher is. A third example is the controversy on Social Emotional

Learning. The Essentialism philosophy would be against the implementation of Social Emotional

Learning as it is not included in the mastery of basic skills (reading, writing, math, and STEM).

On the other hand, the Reconstructionism philosophy believes that students are to find solutions

to the problem of society and therefore highly values Social Emotional Learning. Thus, it

becomes evident that controversies in education are highly related to competing philosophies.

My Vision

My vision for education is for it to be valued for what it is – the dissemination of

knowledge. Often times, I feel as though education is misconstrued as no longer applicable

because some individuals believe that college is no longer necessary. However, what I hope

those individuals begin to understand is that college is not the only form of education. Education

is valuable no matter the form. It not meant to be a chore. Rather, it is meant to assist individuals

in achieving their full potential. It is important to be educated not only to achieve potential, but

because it is heavily valued in the Bible as well. The Book of Proverbs is entirely about wisdom.

To have an entire book about wisdom reveals how important it is to not only be wise, but to

bestow wisdom upon others as well. Wisdom and education go hand in hand as both are the
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dissemination of knowledge. Thus, education is highly valuable and should be taught as such in

public education. While public education prohibits teachers from teaching the Bible, teachers can

hold the same attitude that the Bible has about education: with great respect and importance. All

in all, education is important as it prepares individuals for the world and assists in their

development to reaching their full potential so that they are able to contribute to society.