My Educational Philosophy

My educational philosophy is an eclectic mix of the different branches

and schools of philosophy. The main reason I decided to become an educator
is because I had the opportunity to see how the present day schools operate
when it comes to teaching subject matter, and how things were much better
in my schooling, especially in elementary schools. I want to make some
much needed changes in educating the future generations, and possibly
inspire the next individual who will change the world we live in.
My personal metaphysical beliefs about education are that students
should question the concepts of reality, existence, and the meaning of
existence. I think it is important to have students ask questions involving
subject matter and the physical sciences, because observing the tangibles
pertaining to education is important but I think that observation of the very
basics should not be all that is observed. Being that metaphysics is the
search for order and wholeness, the observation of the individual existence
and real life should be taught to students for them to gain the understanding
of the world as a whole, and not just the very basic subject matter of
knowledge. My epistemological beliefs of how and what is learned, is that we
should gauge the importance of the knowledge that is learned through
observation and human intuition. Not every piece of information is worth
knowing or holding on to, and the decision to retain that information should
be based on its importance to the individual. We must question the
information that we receive and pass back out to students is true, and that

should be determined by observation and research. Also, as a teacher, we

should be able to assess the essential knowledge and determine if it is worth
teaching. My axiological beliefs on what is worth knowing depends on the
knowledges relevance to the subject matter that is under discussion or how
it applies to an individuals values and beliefs. When it comes to the
discussion of ethics, I think teaching students to respect themselves so no
cheating, or plagiarizing of ideas, will take place is of essential importance.
Also, to stress to students why the act of cheating is a negative act because
when cheating an individual usually never actually learns the information
that was needed, and not just because the teacher said do not do it. Now
when it comes to aesthetics, I think it is up to the student to determine what
is beautiful and as a teacher inspire students to be creative and/or become
interested in art. In axiology as a whole, I think we should teach students
good citizenship, honesty, and correct human relations.
My philosophical orientation is student-centered, but there are some
aspects of teacher-centered philosophies that I believe in. From the teachercentered philosophies of essentialism I believe that there are core standards
of knowledge that should be taught to students, and from positivism I am in
favor of clear and direct instruction so I believe in teaching students in the
same way. Now in the student-centered philosophies I think I fall into the
philosophies of Progressivism and Constructivism. I agree with the
Progressivist concepts of ideas should be tested by experimentation and that
learning is rooted in questions developed by the learner. I also agree that as

teachers we should teach students how to think, allow for the beliefs of
individuals, and prepare students for change. I believe students should be
taught to be an experiencing, thinking, and exploring individual, and also
teach students to analyze world events, explore controversial issues, and
develop a vision for a better world. When it comes to the philosophy of
Constructivism I believe in the concept of developing personal meaning
through hands-on, activity-based teaching and learning, and giving students
opportunities to construct their own frames of thought. I personally learn well
through hands-on activities, and so I want to teach in that way. I also believe
in having students develop their own answers to questions through critical
thinking and the understanding of big ideas. I believe in implementing
problem-based learning, focusing curriculum on student interests and current
societal problems and concerns, and acting as a guide for students. I want to
encourage students to think, and have them internalize, shape, and
transform information. This is my concept of my personal student-centered
educational philosophy.
SSI
According to the educational philosophy inventory I am pretty much
where I personally thought of myself to be. It says that I correlate with the
philosophies of Progressivism, Reconstructionism, and Existentialism. I
personally thought of myself as a Progressivist, and Reconstructionism is
closely related to Constructionism mainly in the ways that both philosophies
call for education and the school to develop societal change, but I did not see

the philosophy of Existentialism coming in. I do agree with some of the

concepts of Existentialism. I believe in the importance of the student use of
individual choice, and Jean Paul Sartres, an Existentialist philosopher, belief
that students must define themselves through their personal choices. This
philosophy of Existentialism is an addition to my already eclectic
combination of educational philosophy.