Connor Plumb

Education Philosophy Assignment Revised

My Educational philosophy is a student centered learning approach that meets the

individual at their needs. My philosophies coincide with the humanist perspective.
Humanism meets the students at their level by making the information relative and
insightful to the individual and meets them at their level. Personal growth and
development is at the forefront of the humanist perspective. Their achievements are
largely centered on personal success. One of my favorite humanist teachers would be
Carl Rogers or as most people know him as Mr. Rogers. Mr. Rogers is one of the greatest
humanist philosophers of all time, and taught many lessons on difficult topics in a way
that meets the individual. Mr. Rogers believed that the educator was the facilitator of
learning but allows the individual student to develop their own unique ideas. My
discipline is science and it is important to address the question of how the material is
relevant to their daily lives. Why the material is relevant should be addressed each day
and should still relate to learning outcomes and objectives. Students should be able to
drive their success while the educator nudges them in the right direction as students
create their own unique ideas on the subject matter while being guided in the right
direction.
Students should have plenty of opportunity for creativity and independence. This
could include project ideas or freedom to choose what activity or research they should
conduct. This in turn should allow the individual to grow and develop at their own pace
while also making the information relevant to them. Since every student learns a different
way and has different interest it is important to allow the individual to make decisions
based on what they feel is relevant. Allowing students to take their own approach is
crucial in allowing the student to succeed at the individual level. This creativity can allow
the student to express themselves in ways they might not be able to if the assignments are
all standardized. For example, if a student is allowed to choose their end of year project
as opposed to assigning it. This allows them the chance to get involved with subject
material that is important and meaningful to them. Not all students will become scientists
or doctors but by providing real world examples this allows students to get involved and
become interested. If a student were allowed to take a sample of something in their
backyard and put it under a microscope this could allow the individual to relate the
activity to their own lives. There are tons of ways to incorporate new ideas into the
classroom and is it up to the educator to encourage creativity.
The role of the educator should be to provide an outline with guided examples of
how the work should be accomplished through modeling and direct instruction. Students
should also be pushed out of their comfort zone and be pushed a little in terms of what
they are capable of. It is important to not set the bar too high or too low but set the bar for
each student. This does not mean making the tests so difficult the students are overly
stressed and cannot comprehend the material, but a fair assessments that are meant to be
challenging and provoke an engaging train of thought. The instructor should lead by
modeling examples that are well thought out and deliberate in their intent to show the
class what to strive for. Another thing that is important is for the students to have fun. I
got the opportunity to lead a lesson on homeostasis where we measures heart rates before
and after exercise.I also demonstrated the idea of equilibrium by bringing my guitar and
playing both in tune and out of tune and related that back to how our bodies go in and out
of balance and we maintain homeostasis by many different mechanisms in our bodies.
This was a ton of fun and the students were all participating and learning at the same
time. The educator needs to cover the material and guide students to their learning. The
educator should provide students with the necessary repertoire to succeed and learn the
required material. Almost like showing students how to drive before giving them the
wheel. A good instructor should motivate students by allowing them to become inspired
by the material. Knowing your students is an important part of this process. By getting to
know your students you see firsthand what they’re capable of and bring the best out of
them by motivating them to always achieve their best. Someone’s best may not be as
intuitive as someone else’s best. This is why it is important to recognize individual
growth and progress as opposed to looking at the class as a whole. The student body is
not one entity but a group of individuals that need to be encouraged and motivated. The
humanist perspective is all about motivating and meeting students at their level and
striving for them to do their best by making the information meaningful and relevant to
their daily lives by providing a plethora of real world examples backed by scientific data
to make lessons more engaging.
My personal educational goals involve meeting the student at their individual
level to establish a foundation of learning and development and to establish a foundation
that enables growth. My role as an educator is to provide students with the necessary
tools and knowledge to succeed and learn the required content. My core discipline is
biology, which is an important part of many different fields and careers. It is my duty to
encompass the core central ideas of the subject while also allowing for students growth
and development at the individual level. While it may be difficult to ensure student
engagement, this can be made easier by motivating the students to want to complete their
work and learn more about the material. By providing essential takeaways you can ensure
that the class is meeting their core main standards. While many students may not see the
need or appeal for the material. It is important to make the information relevant to all
students and to remind them of current employment opportunities within the field. Some
students may never want to learn about biology and some of the science behind these
concepts, but it is important to make the information relevant to everyone. My goal as an
educator is to provide a productive learning environment where all students can benefit
from their own personal growth and development.
I also would like to establish a classroom that uses a culture of learning while also
having fun. I would like my classroom to have many fun educational posters and
motivational quotes. I have a class pet tortoise named Bob who is looking forward to
meeting students. I will probably allow students to choose seats but would like them to be
put into pairs for most assignments to maximize productivity for lab assignments. I feel
that two people working together is productive and beneficial. I feel that larger groups
can sometimes minimize personal achievement and one person can get stuck doing a
majority of work. I plan on implementing a culture of respect by getting to know students
and setting the ground rules at the beginning of the semester. This can help when
enforcing discipline and gaining respect from students. Many times during my
observations I was able to get students to participate by establishing a positive rapport
with individuals. Certain students would repeatedly b off task and I would approach them
with questions asking about their work in an effort to get the ball rolling. Bullying is
never tolerated. There will be consequences for such actions such as dean referrals or
possible meetings with parents. I believe it is important to follow through with the
consequences of such instances to ensure the classroom knows what is and is not
tolerated. Grading coursework will reflect individual achievement. I would like to have
tests with less weight than classwork. I would like to make sure students have the
opportunity to make up missing points and given second chances because I feel that the
number one priority is ensuring students understand the material. I got the opportunity to
grade students work and I would always provide feedback based on what they did well as
well as areas that could use improvement. I made lot of notes for students so they could
feel a good sense of accomplishment and recognition. I would like to have the students
create a fun project that holds a lot of graded weight where they choose their topics and
present a fun and exciting display that encompasses what they learned throughout the
semester.