Elyse Casilas

LBS400

Philosophy of education

I realize that in America education is a necessity, and to others, a

luxury; therefore we should not take it for granted. As a person who strives
to become an educator, one of my main goals is to make a positive
difference, not only in the lives of my students but a difference in their
perspectives of their future as well. I will explain what the purpose of
education is to me, describe what I believe a productive learning
environment should consist of, how to promote social justice in the
classroom and what I believe an optimal curriculum is. Lastly, I will inform
you of what I need to do in order to be an excellent teacher.
The purpose of education is to encourage and mold students to
become productive members of a democratic society. As cited in Lipton and
Oakes article, Creative and rational thought must be the foundation of
orderly and stable modern societies (2003, p.88). Prior to reading many
educational articles, I did not realize the importance of molding children to
prepare for a society like ours. A democracy is where all eligible people can
participate equally, and I have concluded that even people that are eligible
sometimes do not participate in helping make political decisions because
their lack of knowledge. Many people prefer to complain about their
circumstances rather than attempt to change them. Through education, we
can empower individuals to participate in benefitting their future, opposed to

Elyse Casilas
LBS400

doing nothing about it. Aside from education serving democratic purposes, I
believe that education is fundamental in enabling students to grow
personally and socially and also is key in helping students discover their
qualities.
There are many factors that contribute to an effective learning
environment. Of course it does help when the school is financially stable and
can afford the latest in technology. However many schools in United States
are not that fortunate. Therefore, aside from tangible objects that can
contribute to a better learning environment, the actions that I perform and
the feedback that I want from my students is what can produce a high
quality learning environment. Having students actively engaged in the
learning process, is the most important. I would like to, as Wilson and
Peterson (2006) state, move away from conception of learner as sponge
toward an image of learner as active constructor of meaning (p. 108). In
the process of students constructing meaning, it encourages them to ask
questions and enable them to become more interested in the content. I also
believe that it is important for students to know that it is acceptable to make
mistakes, if they fear to ask questions because they are embarrassed, it will
only hinder the learning process and prevent them from making future
inquiries.
In order to promote social justice in the classroom, I will encourage
students to believe in themselves and understand that they can make a

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LBS400

difference. Social justice education, among other things, is meant to examine

systems of power and privilege that give rise to social inequality
(Hackman, p.84). Students need to understand the concept of oppression on
multiple levels including cultural, institutional and individual. By encouraging
students, especially underprivileged minorities, to believe in themselves, it
will encourage them to not get to that level of oppression. Students that
have academic or socio economic advantage should be taught to see their
privilege. According to Hackmans article Five Essential Components for
Social Justice Education, Dominants are taught to see their life and its
privileges as the norm for society and humanity (p. 107).
The optimal curriculum is one that covers fewer concepts but more in
depth, also one that promotes inquiry. The optimal curriculum needs to
motivate students and should involve organizing students work in settings
that provide access to challenging content and frequent assessments of their
progress, coupled with feedback and opportunities to revise and
improve(Hammond & Bransford, no year stated, p.84). Feedback to
students is important as what you teach them, without the student knowing
what mistakes they are making, they will not be adequate to fix them. I also
believe that the best curriculum consists of implementing group work. I have
learned from experience in my recent college endeavors, that group work
and group discussions are extremely beneficial to the learning process.
Understanding different points of view and communicating with classmates is
essential to the learning process. According to Wilson and Petersons article

Elyse Casilas
LBS400

the social occasions of conversation, discussion, joint work, and debate

play a critical role in learning (p. 110).
First of all in order to be an excellent teacher I need to understand that
there is no one right way to behave as a teacher (Bransford et. al.)
contrary to my prior beliefs, there is no blueprint on the way I should behave.
I need to have an organized framework and have knowledge of learners and
how they learn and develop, have conceptions of curriculum and goalsunderstand subject matter, and an understanding of teaching in light of the
content and learners to be taught (p. 72). Knowing the way that my
students learn is as important as knowing the content of what I am teaching,
to help students learn, I think it is best to know how they learn. Being self
reflective and being a good example are also essential. However, the most
important factor in becoming an excellent teacher is being passionate about
teaching. I have had teachers in the past who encouraged me and taught me
to persevere, no matter what my circumstances were, they instilled in me
that I had the potential to succeed. I would like to be like these teachers by
setting a positive example and letting my students know that they too, have
the potential to become what they want in life.