Philosophy

Philosophy Framing Statement

Rachel Ostler

ED 698 Master’s Portfolio Spring 2023

University of Alaska Southeast

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Philosophy of Education

The teacher demonstrates an understanding of how to promote learners’ growth and development
showing a commitment to using learners’ strengths as a basis for growth, and their misconceptions as
opportunities for learning and the recognition of the value of the input and contributions of families,
colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.

I did not decide to become a teacher until I had already completed my Bachelor’s degree in

Public Health. However, I was working at home raising my children and my children were at the age that

they were either in school or would be starting school soon. I found myself drawn away from my degree

in Public Health and looking toward instilling a love of leaning in children, my own and my those in my

community. I loved school growing up. I love to learn and I was inspired by the teachers that put forth

effort to get to know me and help me succeed. It was this love that led me to begin my career in

teaching. One of my first classes in my Master’s program had me write about my theory of teaching and

learning. I will use this paper to describe how my philosophy of education has evolved over my course as

a student as well as an educator.

Reflecting on the philosophy of education that I wrote two years ago, and before I had even

started teaching, I find that it still captures a lot of my current philosophy of education. I am currently

teaching first grade and a lot of the teaching I do centers around social development. Erikson’s stages of

psychosocial development say that my students would be in the industry versus inferiority stage

(Erikson, 1968). Students are beginning to turn to their teachers’ influences over their parents. They are

also beginning to create. As they feel that they are successful, they gain a sense of industry. If they feel

they are unsuccessful, they gain a sense of inferiority. Erikson states, “Good teachers who feel trusted

and respected by the community know how to alternate play and work, games and study” (Erikson,

1968, p. 124). My philosophy of teaching incorporates this knowledge of knowing when to incorporate

play and games. In my classroom, we use a combination of morning work and a soft start. Students

come into the classroom, do a page of morning work which consists of a review of things they have
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already learned. It is something that they can do on their own and feel successful in. This work usually

takes between 5-10 minutes. Then, students are allowed to play in STEM bins. These bins provide

students with things to create with. They have Lego, magnets, building blocks, and other toys that they

are able to use to build and be successful with. I also have students that choose to draw on white

boards. This also allows them to be creative. This soft start also allows students to interact with peers in

a safe environment where they can have fun. During the rest of our day, I often incorporate games into

our learning. I find that students enjoy learning more when they can do it in a way that involves play.

This can include whole class games that we play together, or small group games that we play during

center rotations. During literacy rotations, I have incorporated pop-its and magnetic tiles when

reviewing sight words. Students will use the pop-its to pop the number of sounds they hear in a word

and then use magnetic tiles to represent each sound. We then are able to use dry-erase markers to

write the letters that represent each sound on the magnetic tiles. This multi-sensory combination of play

and learning gets students excited and helps them feel successful, increasing their sense of industry.

Another aspect of my teaching philosophy that I focused on in my initial paper that still shapes

my current philosophy is the importance of getting to know my students. I believe that getting to know

our students can help us in our teaching in two ways. The first, by getting to know our students we are

able to create a relationship with them where they can feel comfortable and successful. The second, by

getting to know our students we can find the best way to teach them. I had the opportunity to teach my

current class of first graders the year prior in kindergarten. During this time I had a student that was very

emotional. The littlest problem would set her off and she would cry. She was very shy and was not one

to go out of her way to find other children to play with. When asked a question in the class, she would

whisper her answer to a peer, and they would share her answer with the class. I spent the year building

a relationship with her. I asked her about her family, interests outside of school, and I made sure that

she knew that I cared for her. This year, as a first grader, I have been able to see her grow tremendously.
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She is eager to raise her hand and answer questions and she easily find friends to play with. She has

even joined the after-school wrestling program. At her most recent parent teacher conference when

speaking to her grandfather, he told me that he can tell that she feels safe in this classroom. He can tell

by her ability to work hard, learn, and her attitude at home that she is happy at school and feels safe.

This is my goal as a teacher. I build relationships with my students so they know that they can come to

school, learn, and feel safe.

When considering getting to know a student so that you are aware of how they learn, Gardner

described nine multiple intelligences. These intelligences are logical/mathematical, musical, spatial,

bodily/kinesthetic, naturalistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, existential, and linguistic (as cited in Slavin,

2015). By becoming aware of how my students best learn, I can plan lessons that use their intelligence

to their benefit. In my classroom we often use music to help us learn. We play classical and instrumental

music in the background while students work as well as come up with songs to help us recall

information. We use our bodies to help us segment sounds in words by tapping out the sounds on our

arms. We build, draw, and complete puzzles. We go outside when learning about nature and animals.

We take field trips to go snow shoeing when learning about animal adaptations, and to greenhouses to

learn about how plants grow and what they need to live. By getting to know my students and how they

learn I am able to provide them opportunities in the classroom that will help them feel successful, safe,

and loved.

Another aspect of my philosophy of teaching that goes along with getting to know my students

and helping them to feel successful is teaching within the zone of proximal development. Vygotsky

believed that a child is able to learn most effectively when they are working in this zone. He defines the

zone of proximal development as “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined

by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem

solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers” (Vygotsky, 1978, p.86). When
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planning my teaching, I plan activities that students will be able to do mostly independently, with peer

or teacher guidance. I often let students work together as an opportunity for them to learn from each

other. I have found that if I have to sit with a student the entire time they are working, the work is most

often too challenging for them. Instead of them learning, they get frustrated that they are unable to be

successful on their own. I have to get to know my students individually to see where their personal zone

of proximal development may be, as every student will not be in the same place.

Along with wanting students to be successful, I also push them to do their best. I went through

school with teachers that pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of. I found that because they

expected greatness from me, I was eager to meet their expectations. As students are looking more

toward their teacher influences than their parents, as previously stated in Erikson’s stages of

psychosocial development, they will be eager to receive reinforcement from their teachers. I believe in

the importance of a teacher’s attitude. Positive teachers are important to create resilient students

(Slavin, 2015). I also believe that teachers are responsible in helping students feel capable and

worthwhile. When I am met with a student who tells me, “I can’t do this. It’s too hard,” my response is

typically along the lines of, “It is hard, but I know you can do it. You can do hard things.” By remaining

positive, challenging students, and letting them know you believe in them, you can help instill the sense

of self-efficacy as well as safety in the classroom.

Finally, I believe in building a relationship with my community. While students spend the

majority of their time at school, it is important to develop a positive relationship with their families.

When met with parents and guardians that have considered pulling their child and homeschooling them

because of instances that come up in the school, my mentor teacher would guide me through how to

respond, but ultimately she would say, “You can do everything you can to make them feel comfortable,

but in the end, they need to do what they are willing to support.” It is crucial that students have their

parents’ support in and out of the classroom. Because of this, I need to make sure I develop
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relationships with them and the community. This also means that I must be aware of diversity in my

classroom and community. Perrone (1991), quoting Donald Thomas says, “Attainment of equal

educational opportunity depends upon recognition of diversity first, in all its aspects and then deliberate

acting to sustain that diversity with honor” (p. 54). By being aware of diversity, I can plan ways to instill a

love for culture, whatever that culture may be. Hanging in my classroom is a map of Indigenous Peoples

and Languages of Alaska. We talk about the people whose land we live on. I believe that it is import to

learn about your heritage as well as learn about the heritage of others. This means during the month of

December, we talk about not only Christmas, but we take the opportunity to learn about Hannukah, as I

have a student who is Jewish. It also means that we embrace differences. We have an inclusive

classroom where everyone is welcome and will have a place to learn no matter their ability, race, or

ethnicity.

Overall, my philosophy of teaching has not changed much in the last two years. It was

interesting to look back on what I wrote at the beginning of my journey to become a teacher and see

how my teaching style has grown. I know that, as I finish my Master’s program, this is still the beginning

of my teaching journey and my philosophy might see change over the years. However, I know that the

importance of cultivating relationships and making a child feel safe in their environment will always stay

the same.
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References

Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity, youth and crisis. New York: Norton.

Perrone, V. (1991). A letter to teachers: Reflections on schooling and the art of teaching. Jossey-Bass.

Slavin, R. (2015). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge,

MA: Harvard University Press.