Canaan Fairley Teaching Professions (ED201) 4/28/2013

Philosophy of Education The purpose of education is to provide to students the skills, tools, and direction from which they can use to achieve success in whatever field they choose. Education should also be a place where all students, no matter their gender, race, ethnicity, family background, income, or religion, can learn comfortably. Education should be a development process for students: social, intellectual, emotional, and academic development should be achieved throughout their years in the school system. Students learn by getting a basic understanding of a concept, applying that concept on their own, and then are reminded of that concept over and over again. It is the teachers responsibility to make sure the students are doing the work correctly so they do not carry the misunderstanding on to the next concept. The introduction and repetition of a concept are the most important aspects for students to learn. I believe there are several things all students should have to learn. The core classes and basic knowledge all students should have are reading, writing, and math. The other major thing students need to learn is problem solving and strategies that go along with it. The students should be able to identify problems in a variety of areas. In the classroom or in life, in general, students can apply problem solving to all situations. With good problem solving skills, students will definitely put themselves in the position to succeed the majority of the time. Problem solving may be the most important knowledge a student can acquire in school.

Students should be taught in a way that helps them acquire knowledge most efficiently. It is the teachers responsibility to get an understanding of how his/her students learn the best. Students may be kinesthetic, audio, or visual learners and the teacher should know which students are what kind of learners. If music, movement, or visual aids are needed to get the point across then they should be used when necessary. In the classroom, students should be treated as equals with no one student having more or less priority than the others. Environment is one of the most important aspects of the learning process. The community and the parents are the most important keys for a teacher to be effective. If students feel that they are not being supported by the community then they will most likely feel like getting an education is useless. The community may have some effects on the students, but if the parents of the individuals are not on board with the teachers decisions and strategies in the classroom, then the students will not take anything seriously. I believe that a teacher must build relationships with the students as well as their parents in order to be successful. With the support of the community and parents, kids will be able to learn much more. Although students are kids and have not matured to the fullest, they are still human beings and deserve to be treated as human beings. They deserve the same respect that a teacher would give to a fellow colleague or to the students parents. However, students need to be disciplined to a certain degree so they understand and respect that the teacher has control. Students will give respect if they feel respected and if discipline is handled properly by the educator, the students will respond with full attention.

Students need to feel the care and compassion in the instruction of the teacher. It is the teachers job to show care towards the students. It is a privilege to educate kids and young adults, not a job, and the students need to feel that or they may not give full effort in the classroom. Teachers should have a wide range of knowledge in their area, patience, understanding, compassion, drive, self-control, discipline, and most importantly a passion to educate. With these qualities as a base, teachers can guide students and put them in the right direction for success. My philosophy is most like that of a Constructivist. Constructivism puts the learner at the center of the educational stage and asserts that knowledge cannot be handed down from one person to another, but must be constructed by each learner through interpretation and reinterpretation of a constant flow of information.