Segler- Philosophy of Education

I believe students learn best when they are motivated to learn, by seeing the value, and
importance in the information given. Students are less likely to learn the information if
they are not interested in the material. A fun interactive classroom is essential to
effective learning. Making interesting lessons are also very important to me. If students
are involved, and actively participate, the learning outcome is greater. I believe you learn
by “doing”. Hands on activities and applying information from class to real life situations
is crucial for students to learn. This type of learning represents the constructivism
theory which states t learners construct knowledge rather than just passively take in
information. As students experience the world and reflect upon those experiences, they
build their own representations and incorporate new information into their pre-existing
knowledge (schemas).

The teachers’ role in student learning is to motivate. The teacher should be a builder of
confidence and encourage thinking. The teacher is the bridge to the real world for the
students. The teacher should create a safe environment and be available to help
students. My main goals for my students are to develop and help apply their reading,
writing, speaking, listening, problem-solving, and study skills to their full potential and
have fun while doing so. Creating relationships with students helps this. The more
comfortable students are, the more they will engage and collaborate with others.
Problem Based Learning encourages this environment. Students will be working
together, collecting data, and solving problems as a team. If the students can learn to
contribute, participate and cooperate in this type of environment, they will be able to
succeed in the real world.
Differentiating lesson plans are an important factor to a student’s learning. I will help
develop my beliefs in the classroom by incorporating different learning styles into my
lessons. I will use a combination of lecture, reading, classroom interaction, applications
of concepts to real world situations, and a variety of visual and tactile components. I will
stimulate interest, by being engaging, and by illustrating the importance of the material
presented.

Additionally, I will accomplish this by speaking in a comforting tone, when discussing

information in class, and encouraging participation in classroom discussion. Also, I will
use constructivism, by helping them interpret, and reinterpret, old, and new information
together. I will encourage students to raise their hands and ask questions often and let
them know it is okay to give a guess. I will use many hands-on activities, and encourage
students’ creativity with cooperative learning, and at home projects.
When appropriate while teaching spelling and reading, I use technology not for its own
sake, but rather to support and enhance a love of reading. Examples of technology
use/instruction in the classroom are finding and listening to eBooks, knowing how to
search the catalog, and utilizing our databases for research purposes. For math, we use
interactive learning programs or apps to work on various number skills. We can also
relate this to real life situations using technology. Science and Social Studies is usually
integrated into reading and math and students use research methods and other learning
programs to enrich their learning. Students use ipads, computers, and laptops when
using technology.
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To summarize, I feel in order to achieve the ultimate goal of student learning it is
important to use a combination of teaching methods and to make the classroom
environment as stimulating and interactive as possible. Also, to motivate, encourage
questions and be available to the students. This will ultimately help students learn and
apply the course content to their future careers.