Running head: PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 1

Philosophy of Education

Harrison Boltin

Liberty Univesity
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 2

Abstract

This paper explores a personal philosophy of education. This philosophy grows from the personal

view of the world. This view enables one to be an effective practitioner who knows methods of

teaching that will produce the development of ideas, the adaptation to new situations, and critical

thinking. Without personal beliefs, an educational philosophy is impossible to maintain.

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Introduction
McNergney (2009) defines philosophy as a set of ideas about the nature of reality and

about the meaning of life (p. 119). For a teacher, life is partially about the classroom and what

happens within it. Education is a process that most in America must go through, and this

mandatory journey is the center of much debate. It is known that the educational system is what

prepares children to enter society, take jobs, and influence the future, but it is debated as to what

philosophy of education should dominate and guide this process. The saying goes that

Knowledge is power, but does knowledge truly have the ability to shape a child in the necessary

way if the child is not also taught to use this knowledge? This candidate believes that the

philosophy of Progressivism is the one that equips students to be ready for the challenges

presented in the world. In a diverse world, a teacher must be an effective practitioner who

challenges students to think, know the roles of those involved, and can synthesize their

beliefs with their teaching.

Philosophy of Education
Progressivism, like most educational philosophies, houses many diverse ideas under the

umbrella of its name. However, Progressivists share two core beliefs- that students are individuals

and should be recognized as having unique abilities, interests, ideas, needs, and cultural identities

in the diverse learning environment, and that the development of critical, socially engaged

intelligence is vital for education. This philosophy is regarded as child centered and pushes

towards social reconstruction by building thinkers who can view the diversity in society critically.

A teacher needs to be an effective practitioner who helps students to develop ideas and think

critically.
Effective Practitioner
The title effective practitioner applies to a teacher who is the most able to create

positive learning in his or her students. An effective teacher should have beliefs about teaching,
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know methods for teaching, and be able to self- assess as an educator.

Beliefs About Teaching
Education is an important aspect in our society. Most people believe that educations only

function is to make our generations smarter, but this is not true. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther

King, Jr. (1947), he says that education has two purposes: The one is utility and the other is

culture. Education must enable a man to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility

the legitimate goals of his life. This means that education should be there to teach the main

subjects, but it should also help students learn the necessities of life. To be more efficient, students

and teachers should learn to to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the

real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction (King, 1947, para. 2).
Methods of Teaching
Teaching in todays society now requires motivation, but it also requires having a bag of

tricks. Teachers should be able to use many different methods to display the information that

needs to be taught. For example, the normal way of teaching math is through lecture and practice.

Even though this way is the most direct, students are not going to be able to understand

everything through this method of teaching. It is, on occasion, the best way to reciprocate the

information, but should be used only with classes that respond to that teaching.
One method that should be used in the classroom is that of hands-on manipulative

resources. Students like to move around, use objects, and make things to learn. Teachers should

learn to use activities that promote these alternative methods of learning. Using many different

types of resources can help our students make connections between learning in school and life

outside of school.
Technology is another great method of teaching. New software for students is consistently

coming out and teachers can find and employ these in the classroom. Also, calculators can be

considered in the technology category. Even though students should be able to do math without
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the use of a calculator, making sure they also know how to use the calculator is equally important.

Technology should be used to enhance learning by graphing, visualizing, and computing. When

classrooms are lead by real-life, application-centered problems, the students should be able to

spend more time reasoning and problem solving, therefore permitting the technology to achieve

the measures that it was created to achieve and not the end that many believe it has become

(Brahier, 2009, p. 182).

Assessment
Actors after a performance will watch a recording of their performance in order to be

prepared for the next show. Educators need to do this same thing. Assessment of what is done in

the classroom is the only way to determine if the activity was effective and should be brought

back. Teachers should be able to look at all parts of their lesson, on a class-by-class basis, and

objectively assess what took place. Assessment needs to begin with how the students took in the

presentation of the information. The information needs to be presented in a way that is worthwhile

and fitting to the curriculum. The manipulative resources for the lesson need to be appropriate and

it should be determined if there are any resources that should be added to this lesson. Another

thing that should be considered when assessing is whether or not a learning environment was

established. In Mathematics Teaching Today, it is said that the learning environment is [m]ore

than just a physical setting with desks, bulletin boards, and posters, the classroom environment is

suggestive of a hidden curriculum with message about what counts in learning and doing

mathematics (NCTM, 2007).

Develop Ideas, Adapt to New Situations, Think Critically
An effective teacher will strive to teach students to develop ideas, adapt to new situations,

and to think critically. These are all building blocks of Progressivist philosophy, which will enable

a student to thrive in our ever-diversifying world. The Progressive philosophy intends to educate
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students to develop ideas. Ideas are the backbone of a democratic society. A cursory search on

Google reveals that the majority of the sites users are looking for the answer to how. There is a

need for ideas on how to accomplish a plethora of tasks, and to answer these students must be

able to think creatively from the foundation of knowledge provided for them. This kind of

teaching involves a great deal of real world application, as was previously discussed in the

methods for teaching.

This growth of ideas must be adaptable to more than one situation, though. For this to

occur, students need to be taught a firm foundation of basic knowledge from which they can grow

and adapt. In the typical classroom, students will renounce their ability to grasp a math concept

because they just arent good at math, while across the hall, the class may be claiming that

reading just is not their thing. This line of thinking must be unacceptable to the educator. In an

article debunking the claim that Einstein uttered the quote about a fish being judged by climbing a

tree, Professor Todd Pettigrew wrote about the danger of this line of thinking, This notion is

anathema to education because the whole notion of learning is that you can, well, learn things.

(Pettigrew) Because students can learn, it is imperative that the educators teach them to adapt this

learning to all situations.

Education must also be adaptable beyond intellectual situations. Students must become

comfortable with diversity while in the classroom in order for them to be able to adapt socially to

new surroundings. Diversity occurs across many fronts including race, cultures, genders,

intellectual abilities, sexual orientation, socio-economic standing, family situation, and other areas.

Progressivist teaching encourages students to see themselves as unique in this diverse world.

Students need to value their individual setting, but they also need to be exposed to and to learn to

appreciate the uniqueness of others as well. With the world becoming more connected than ever,
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students will be greeted by a work force and society that reflects a Jackson Pollock painting rather

than a silent movie. With a strong understanding of core knowledge and generalizable skills,

students will successfully be able to adapt to new situations and begin to think critically.
The final point of education could be called the crux of the other two, though none are

fully independent of each other. In order for a student to generate ideas and adapt to situations in

the face of diversity, they must posses the skill of critical thinking. Jobs are demanding workers

that can think and solve problems. Society is in need of students who will judicially evaluate the

crises plaguing the world and find solutions. Albert Einstein declared, The demands of life are

much too manifold to let such a specialized training in school appear possible...The development

of general ability for independent thinking and judgment should always be placed foremost

(Pettigrew).
The Roles of Teachers, Students, and the School
A teacher needs to be someone students feel comfortable with, but hold in high respect.

Experience shows that being a controlling, dictator-like teacher does not bring students into a

classroom willingly. The teacher should be someone who facilitates and welcomes class

discussion. Studies show that having fun in the classroom is also needed. Too many times the

stereotypical classroom is one where the teacher lectures the entire time, then students leave half

asleep. At home the students then struggle through homework and make little to no progress

because they were not engaged to learn during the lesson. One of the simplest ways that this can

be remedied is by having an attitude that is contagious and excited about the subject.
It is also the role of the teacher to provide a safe and inviting environment, while still

being professional. Through providing this environment, the teacher will give each student a sense

of trust and safety where they can do well academically. Along with this, the teacher must show an

interest in his/her students. A teacher cannot be effective without getting to know their students.
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The first days of school are the most crucial in achieving the essential knowledge about the

students. This can be done through surveys, talking to the students, and simply listening to what

they have to say. The teacher should try to greet each of his/her students by name each day. One

thing that should happen in the classroom and is acrucial aspect to the role of the teacher is that

the teachers should expect more of themselves than they do of their students.
The most important role for students is to be an active participant in their education. There

is nothing more saddening or upsetting than a child who does not care about their education.

Students should be willing to ask questions, answer questions, do their work to the best of their

ability, and ask for help. The need to appear cool or popular is often too controlling over

whether or not our children do well in school and this needs to be stopped. Students need to learn

to take responsibility for their actions and choices in life. A teacher can pour their life into a

student, but unless that student wants to make something better of them, the teacher is wasting

their time. Along with being active participants, students need to work with the teacher to achieve

more than the goals that they have set for themselves.
The role of the school is to facilitate all of this. The school is a place where learning should

occur; where there is a development of ideas, adaptations to new situations, critical thinking, and

where diversity is celebrated. Both teacher and student should feel safe and welcome in the

school. The same atmosphere fostered by a teacher in their classroom should be fostered by the

administration and district in the school as a whole.

Synthesis of Beliefs and Philosophy
This philosophy of education is unique to this teacher candidate not because the ideas

generated are a copyrighted piece, but because it will be applied through the personal beliefs this

candidate holds about diversity and faith. Respect for human diversity flows from a belief that

God created all life and continues to be the only one capable of breathing life into a human. Thus,
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no human is an accident, and all human cultures are made of people created in the image of God.

As a Christian, diversity should be a welcome opportunity to love the world as Christ did and to

share the Gospel in new ways. In the well known passage 1 Corinthians 9:20-23, Paul speaks of

becoming many things from Jew to Greek to slave to free in order to win people for the Gospel.

According to Paul, Christians are not only to respect diversity but also to love and cherish it as a

blessing wherein some may be saved. This does not mean abandoning the morals of Christianity as

Paul himself says, but rather it is about embracing the differences that should not divide humanity.
Faith is seen in this cry for Biblical diversity. The very soul of the Bible rests in teaching

people so that they may know God. Famously, the author of Romans asks how people will hear

the Gospel if they do not have a preacher sent to them. This candidate asks how students will live

in a world fraught with sin if they cannot think. How will a child learn of the Gospel and accept it

if they cannot develop ideas independently? How will a sinner adapt to being a believer if they

cannot transfer information? Education does not have to be rooted in a Christian school for a

Christian educator to steer a child towards God. By teaching a child with this philosophy of

education, the teacher is providing them with their best chance in life- both their earthly life and

the chance to enjoy a heavenly life with Christ.

Conclusion
Education is very important to the well being of our society. A teacher should be able to

build a classroom that is inviting and that will improve the level of learning by using different

methods. Teachers should be willing to grow and seek for ways to grow stronger as an educator.

While teachers heavily influence education, students need to be active participants in their learning

and work with the teacher to achieve more than their goals that they have set for themselves. The

hope for education lies in the skill of thinking that is passed to a student. Can the student generate

ideas? Is the student able to adapt to an ever-changing world? When faced with unforeseen issues,
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is the student able to apply problem-solving skills and critically think of a solution? If these are

answered yes, then the education has been a success, even if the students cannot fully recall the

anatomy of a cell.
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References

Brahier, D. J. (2009). Teaching secondary and middle school mathematics. Boston: Pearson

Education, Inc.

King Jr., M. L. (1947). The purpose of education. "The Maroon Tiger".

McNergney, R. F., & McNergney, J. M. (2009). Why teachers behave as they do. In M. Fossel

(Eds.), Education: the practice and profession of teaching (pp.6890, 118136). Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2007). Mathematics teaching today: Improving

practice, improving student learning (2nd ed.; T. Martin, Ed.). Reston, VA: National

Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Pettigrew, T. (2013, July 05). Why we should forget Einsteins tree-climbing fish.
Retrieved from http://www.macleans.ca/education/uniandcollege/why-we-should-forget-

einsteins-tree-climbing-fish/