Education Philosophy

Taylor L. Holen

April 2017
Introduction

Humans have spent centuries on redefining what it means to go to school, to obtain an

education, and the definition of intelligence. At the early stages of life, human beings generally

learn from the people around them, such as caretakers, siblings, and the environment. Much of

behavior is learned or adapted to meet personal needs, whether consciously or unknowingly.

Depending on culture, what is a suitable education may change. Even as decades move forward,

that definition of education may change. I believe that school is just one environment in which

human beings learn. I believe obtaining an education is not signified by a degree or diploma, but

the personal achievement that each person desires for themselves throughout their life. The

definition of intelligence cannot be ascertained by the grade of wrong answers on a paper, or lack

their of, but of the pursuit of knowledge the knowledge that no one knows everything but that

wont be a reason to stop learning as long as they live.

Development

Humans have several series of development they go through. Emotional, physical,

cognitive, moral, and social developments occur independently. Children are not willed through

a stage of development. A person cannot simply guide another person through the stages. It takes

time, it takes trial and error, and it takes an understanding of what is known and what is pushing

the boundary of the known. I am not discrediting the will for learning to precede or follow

development. Two theorists I am going to mention have opposing views when it comes to

thinking that a developmental level is needed to learn or the learning takes place prior to moving

through a developmental stage.

Piaget (1928) theorized an understanding about the cognitive development of children. It

begins with sensorimotor stage from birth to around the age of two. It continues with the
preoperational stage from there to seven years old, the concrete operational stage extends until

the age of eleven, and then the formal operational stage from that point onto adulthood. Piaget

explains the way people can process the information and stimuli in their world. Understanding

this allows one to evaluate individual students readiness for the challenges they may face in the

learning process in school.

In addition, Vygotsky (1978) originally instilled upon the values of scaffolding and the

understanding of the zone of proximal development, or ZPD. I have learned through my time

teaching that scaffolding is one of the paramount tools that helps students learn, that helps them

see expectations and realize the possibilities.

As Kohlbergs moral development theory (1975) models, children are gradually more

aware of the abstract meanings of order and social norms. My connection with studying

anthropology and world history supports my interest and reflection on Kohlbergs theory.

Learning Theory

My learning theory idealizes constructivism, but requires direct and implicit instruction in

early education and even later down the pathway. The time for direct instruction is for learning

completely new skills. Furthermore, collaboration is increases learning potential and outcomes. I

have and will continue to collaborate with educators and other professionals in education to learn

and help my students learn. Just as well, children learn through social processes, one of which is

through collaborative effort.

My learning theory bases learning through motivation and relevance. It puts a hefty

weight on me being able to relate content and standards to each individual, and then having

appropriate assessments to measure what they have learned. Nevertheless, I believe that

preparing lessons in a way that will let students pursue their own reasoning and purpose for
learning elevates their level of thinking and aids in their passageway to becoming a lifelong

learner.

Standards and Assessments

I believe that assessments are tools for the quality checking of student learning, in

contrast to the need of quantitative data for student success and achievement. Assessments are

ongoing process that gives feedback to student and teacher alike for the sake of the student. Its

not for competition for school success or funding, but the sake of knowledge perusal. As they

grow older, the more exposure and experience children have to language and activities, the easier

it will be to continually grow in academics. Standards are important for order and assessments

gauge the current understanding of the student for that particular test. However, assessments are

static measurements for understanding the ongoing dynamic process that is learning. Truly viable

assessments requires an understanding of Garnders multiple intelligence theory (n.d.) in the

light that students dont all grasp content the same way, and they also dont all test well the same

way. There needs to be differentiation in order to more accurately represent what the student

comprehends about the subject matter. Lastly, standards and assessments shouldnt be about

failing that means that the child is failing, or the teacher, school, curriculum. There are

numerous reasons why that student might not have done well on that test or assessment and its

quite possibly that they are being reprimanded for something that is out of their or anyones

control.

Foundations

My foundation is based on the fact that I know everyone is a learner. All sorts of

organisms learn we learn through experience, behavior, and countless of ways I might not be

able to describe. My core belief is that we are all learners and are motivated to absorb and test
what we learn. Some cases the motivation to learn is intrinsic or relies of are stage of one type of

development. Other times, we are extrinsically motivated and as a teacher, I know, and will

continue to learn, many ways to motivate the people I am around to learn in the best way.

Foundationally, I am going to do my best to work on the individual growth of learning of the

human beings I am around. As I spoke of earlier, the definition of school, education, and

intelligence is a bit clouded; however, I will work with the semantics of the student, school,

parents, and myself in order to best support the dreams and potential of my students.

Diversity

As I have mentioned before, I have sought further education within the field of

Anthropology. As such, empowering and teaching about diversity is something I am passionate

about. Using the Alaska Native Knowledge Network (1999), I have created a multitude of

lessons that explore the different ways to explore cultures represented and not represented in the

classroom.

Cultural relativism is one of my key concepts for having a diverse classroom. Allowing

each culture and custom to stand on its own without being judged by another is key to

developing diversity and respect towards one another. I am proud of my minor emphasis with

anthropology because it has taught me so much. It is one reason why I take many moments to see

through someone elses eyes and value others. I will demonstrate as a teacher the values I wish

for my students to adopt. I will incorporate other cultures/views in my class like Alaska Native or

other indigenous groups to be a guest and teacher in my classroom. Members of the community

or another community will have a presence in my classroom as a way of showing my class the

commitment to them that the community has. Its important for students, myself included, to

experience early in that each person has innate value.

 References

Alaska Native Knowledge Network. (1999). Guidelines for preparing culturally responsive
teachers for Alaskas schools.

Davis, K., Christodoulou, J., Seider, S., & Gardner, H. (n.d.). The theory of multiple
intelligences. Retrieved December 2, 2015, from
https://howardgardner01.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/443-davis-christodoulou-seider-
mi-article.pdf

Kohlberg, L. (1975). The cognitive--developmental approach to moral education. Phi Delta

Kappan. Retrieved November 25, 2010 from ERIC database (EJ119219).

Piaget, J. (1928). Summary. In M. Warden (Trans.), Judgment and reasoning in the child.
Edinburgh: The Edinburgh Press. Retrieved on December 1 2015
from https://archive.org/details/judgmentandreaso007972mbp

University of Alaska Southeast, School of Education. (2004). Conceptual framework of the

center for teacher education.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Interaction between learning and development. Mind and Society (p. 79-
91). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Reprinted in Readings on the
Development of Children. Retrieved on February 28, 2017
from http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~siegler/vygotsky78.pdf