Philosophy of Education The idea of school is a very ambiguous one in which people need to develop their own philosophy.

I believe that there are multiple purposes for school including educating children academically, teaching them social norms and allowing for social interactions, introducing them to their future responsibilities as citizens, and making them aware of global issues. Each school should be teaching all of these aspects in one way or another. These are all important because they prepare students for life outside of the classroom. The skills taught should be tools that can be incorporated into everyday life. Each school district seems to emphasize one of the purposes more than the others. Personally, I believe the social aspect of school is most important; entailing understanding other cultures, other learning styles, and other beliefs. A social interaction emphasis allows children to feel comfortable and safe in their environment, which is the only way they will be willing to take risks and be open to learning in the classroom. Without this, leaning would not be able to take place. To truly learn, one must fully understand the information that is being taught. Not only must they be able to recite back the information but also demonstrate that they know it. One of the best ways to know if a student has truly learned is to have them teach the concept to another person. By explaining it, one must be able to answer questions and know the material better than just through memorization. A teacher can tell if learning has occurred if they have improved since the last time they were tested. If the student is given a pretest to measure what they know before the lesson was taught and then a posttest to see what information the student has retained, the teacher will be able to tell if the student truly learned the concept. There are a variety of ways in which children learn and I do not believe that one sole way is correct. Children learn using all of their senses and take in information visually, audibly, and kinesthetically. For example, it is good to use charts, power points, and pictures as visual tools;

songs, rhythms, and repetition as audio tools; and role playing, physical models, and building replicas as kinesthetic tools. I believe that students learn best by using a variety of instructional strategies ranging from student-centered to teacher-centered such as projects, guided discovery, cooperative groups, and discussions. A balance between these two approaches would be best for students since each individual learns in a unique way. I also believe children learn best when information is put into real life context such as using money in math. While it is clear how I believe children learn, this needs to closely mirror how I would like to teach children. I would like to use a semi directed teaching approach, leaning more towards being student centered. I believe children learn best through projects, role play, guided discovery, cooperative groups, and discussions. I want my students to discover for themselves what they are learning. Doing things first hand helps to remember and does not give anyone the chance to check out like in a lecture or while simple reciting memorized information. I believe this would be best because since every child learns differently, a nice balanced mix could help all students. Although I know how I would like to teach, I also know that I must follow a specific curriculum. I feel that a quality curriculum is one that helps students inside and outside of school. The more relevant a topic is to childrens lives, the more engaged they will be because they will feel like it is truly benefiting them. It is important for a curriculum to teach a general overview of information to all students nationwide, but then narrow in on specific regions and what they will need to know to survive in their environment. To integrate and address the curriculum in the classroom, the teacher must review and know the standards of the school and state. Also, it is important to let the students know where exactly each lesson is headed and why so that they can understand and get the full effect of what they are learning. With all of this, students will be able to learn and grow into the best well-rounded people they can be.