Educational Philosophies By Luke Ericson "No written word, no spoken plea, can teach our. aryouth what they should be. Nor all the books on all the shelves, it's what the teachers are themselves." -John Wooden I believe the purpose of education is to improve the lives of our students by guiding, inspiring, and empowering them with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will enable them reach their full potential by discovering and achieving their goals for their lives. believe that establishing relationships is the first step to effective teaching, because students learn better from a teacher they know cares for them as a person. I believe students learn best with an educational approach that is balanced between teacher and student centered learning because students need some guidance in order to learn, but also need to be empowered to control their own learning. Ibelieve that the mark of a good science teacher is the ability to break down complex scientific concepts into smaller, simpler ideas that are easier to understand, and then connect those ideas together to form the larger concept. I believe that students should learn how to solve problems by thinking analytically, using what they know, and coming up with a systematic plan to find an answer because this type of thinking will benefit them greatly in the real world. I believe that learning should be practical, applicable, and related to the student's interests because students are more motivated to learn when they feel the content directly relates to them and their interests. Ihbelieve assessment is the most important tool that a teacher has to monitor the effectiveness of instruction. It should be an ongoing process, and instruction should be altered in response to the results of each formal or informal assessment. Ibelieve that the learning environment should be engaging, and that students should be actively participating in some way at ail times because this helps ensure that students are on task and makes the learning experience more enjoyable for them. ® PIKTOCHART