When I applied for a teaching post one year ago I wrote on my application letter that my primary reason for changing career path is so I can contribute to instilling positive changes in children and adolescents. I believe that the younger generation requires more shoulders they can lean and depend on, teachers who can motivate them in becoming great individuals so they can accomplish their goals. I want to make a difference in their lives, and I want to feel proud that my experience in the business world will aid them in confronting daily situations in life with the careers they take.
Everyone I met kept telling me am crazy to leave my desk job for a teaching job, which they classify as 'stress job'. Despite the negative comments I embraced my new life and welcomed the issues with open arms. A teacher has to have the passion and love, the inner drive that motivates them to get up each morning and enter the gates to impart a bit of their knowledge. Essentially I want my students to know more than me and I want them to also teach me new things. Despite the social problems they face, we have to find the balance between our career and our personal lives. My personal philosophy is to impart all the knowledge I have gained throughout my educational and working experience so my students can be open to change and can easily relate and benefit. I enjoyed this class very much and it opened my eyes more to many factors that affect children's learning capabilities and I will definitely apply my learnings in my classroom, after all that is the purpose for us teachers to further our education.
I applaud each teacher in Belize who aims and strives for excellence at their schools so that when graduation time is near we can proudly say, 'I contributed to their success' or when we see them accomplishing their goals we can add 'We steered them to the right direction'. Am proud to call myself a teacher and I see it everyday when I enter my classrooms, the expression on their faces says it all, 'Mrs. P is here, today we will learn'.
My Philosophy of Education Teaching is one of the most important jobs in a society. Through teaching one acquires the knowledge and skills needed to function in society. As a teacher you touch many lives, whether it be positively or negatively, preferably positively. From teaching comes the lawyers, doctors, dentists, thieves, drug addicts, drug dealers and the list goes on. Regardless of what our students become in life, we have touched their lives in some shape or form. This is something I always wanted to do. From childhood I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I am one that is very humanistic. This I believe is very important when one is a teacher. As a teacher I will try my utmost best to keep my students motivated, ensuring that I facilitate a learning process that encourages children's participation and active learning. It will be my top priority to find ways to challenge my students academically, using strategies that will support various learning abilities. For me learning is something that has to be hands on. I have seen how much my students enjoy the lesson when they get to do hands on activities. I can still see my children's faces when they made their first model of the solar system and got to go and make a representation of the solar system and its movement on the tennis court. I can tell this information will stay with my children for a long time, because it was something they enjoyed. Learning through realia is a strategy I find very effective and will always explore. It is my deepest longing to create students that are independent, great thinkers, able to meet challenges of life and metacognitize. These I believe are very crucial to our children's development. Throughout this course we have learnt that education can be formal as well as informal. By developing these I will be aiding my children with some important necessities of life. I will be improving self confidence and self esteem in my children, helping them to gain the needed drive to excel. How will achieve the things set out above? I will do so by taking full advantage of all professional workshops being offered, as well as always carrying out thorough research on the content area I seek to cover. If I don't know, don't understand or is unsure of something I will seek the assistance of my colleagues and principals. I strongly believe that education is to be child centered, not teacher centered. We need to always be educating ourselves. Asking ourselves what works best for our students, not what works best for ourselves. As teachers we always need to be educating ourselves and keeping up with time. You don't want time to catch up to you, you want to keep up with time or surpass time.
I like Julia's Philiosophy of Education. I too agree that education should be Student Centered, the education is for them and we seek to further our education for the benefit of our students. My mother always tells me that you learn new things everyday and it we should share it with someone and who better to share it with than with your students.
I enjoy being in a classroom where I can see my students participating freely and discussing what they have learnt from the teachings. Students learn in many ways and we as teachers need to know our students so we can accommodate their learning skills.
Education is vital to the development and continued progress of society. The education process is not limited to the impartation of knowledge. It involves the development of the whole person. The Goal of education is to produce well round, symmetrical characters. True education develops students in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. True education occurs when teaching is accompanied by learning.
No other vocation is more important or noble. As a teacher my objective is to produce students who have the necessary tools to take the “road less traveled” and still be competitive in a changing and challenging world. I intend to impart to students by precept and example the mental, the physical, the social, the emotional and the spiritual skill they need to sail beyond the stormy seas of life. Nonetheless, to measure up to the high bar of true, effective education is a daunting Endeavour. Education begins from the womb and ends in the grave. Education is a life- long process. Educators, including teachers and parents have the responsibility to produce critical thinkers with moral and spiritual fortitude to weather the storms of life. A person who has been educated a right is one whose life is characterized by discipline, morally sound judgments and continuous advancements in their human experience. A rightly educated person is self critical and is not easily swayed to follow the crown in wrong paths. Many times, educators need to help students un-learn misconceptions and break down mental blocks before true education can begin. Teachers are facilitators and motivators in the education process. A classroom or learning centre is an environment in which students feel motivated to learn and are actively involved in the learning process. Success is perhaps the most powerful of all motivators. Educators therefore need to cater for the different intelligences of students by implementing multiple teaching methods and assessment strategies to meet the requirements of different types of learners. By taking the multiple intelligence approach to lesson execution, teaching styles and learning styles will synchronize and “No student will be left behind” . Therefore, all students will attain an appreciable level of success and remain motivated to continue to learn. Education is not just the impartation and reception of facts, ideas and skills. True education teaches one to value the power of knowledge and aims to make students self or discovery learners. . Students must be taught how to teach themselves. They need to know how to discriminate between opposing viewpoints and develop convictions of their own. Students need to be able to know where and how to get the information they need to solve their problems. In other words, true education imparts good problem solving skills. Indeed, the education process is a complex one. Producing successful students is a difficult task. However, the aim is worthy of the cost. Successful education prepares students to be winners in the game of life. Successful education produces students who are good role models, positive thinkers and contributing members of society. It is undoubtedly true that, “To educate is to redeem”.
Teaching is universal. Education starts from inside the womb. Some may not believe it or understand it, but it has been proven to be true. Parents, family and society play a major role in education. Parents are our first teachers and without their input in their child's progress, it would be even harder for teachers to mold that child into what it is that society wants of them. If we fail, then children will become pests to society. It takes a village to raise a child and without the help of the parents and society who should set good examples and be good role models, there will not be a good outcome because we the teachers and the schools cannot do it on our own; we need help and support. Whatever we teach our children of today, they will carry it with them for a lifetime. This is the same as what society does to let children see. If society chooses to be ethical in everything they do, then children will follow, but if they do the opposite, then children will follow as well. Everything around us influences education. Television, radio, internet are three biggest influence of today. Children tend to follow what they see on television; fashion, music, pornography etc. Some people may say that children are not stimulated because they are not exposed. But we must stop and ask ourselves…exposed to what extent? Some children are too much exposed that they are out of control. Both parents and ourselves must guide and facilitate these children and set boundaries as to how far they must go with certain things. For example, it is okay to watch television from this time to that time etc. Discipline is one of the key factors to become a good educator for children. Without discipline they will not stand; it will be hard for them to get along with other people. All in all, my philosophy of education is beyond just teachers, books and school.
My Philosophy of Education can be summarized by the popular Chinese proverb “Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand. As a teacher who endorses discovery learning I whole-heartedly have confidence that an individual acquires knowledge best when he/ she is actively involved in the teaching learning process. Each student is a unique individual who has his/her perspective and outlook on a given subject matter. Thus, it is imperative that as a facilitator of learning I embrace alternative methods for transmission of knowledge to convey to my pupils. In light of this, students will be able to reinforce and increase their understanding of the content being taught. Clearly then, to my understanding philosophy includes encouraging a lot of individual thoughts and creativity in the classroom. In this situation, causing students to become adequate problem solvers and analytical thinkers and in the process essentially allowing for the students to educate one another and the traditional role of a teacher, over time becoming transformed into more of a classroom facilitator. Hence, allowing all learners to become achievers at the most basic level and also given the ability to excel and to be competent at their greatest capacity. Student centered cooperative activities is the core of productivity in the school system as far as I am concern. As a teacher who has been involved in educating young students for over a decade I believe that all students desire to feel as if though he/she is an integral member of the learning environment. These learner psychological needs have to be met before transmissions of learning can occur. Moreover, all learners regardless of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, religious background, and/or any other classification are deserving of a holistic education. More now than ever our children need love, commitment, understanding, patience and respect. Every learner has to have a sense of belonging in my classroom. Besides that I have confidence that cooperatively working along with parents aids to maximize the full potential of a child. Together with partnering with all stakeholders of education pupils blossom into confident and well-rounded adults. In final consideration, I am a firm believer of educating our students first begins with placing God at the focal point of learning. Through him all things are possible. If we would incorporate all these positive pointers to our lives I am sure that our societal problem will be minimized and we would all be able to live in peace and harmony as our creator indents us to live.
Stephanie, I must commence my response to your blog by addressing one of your primary statements which emphasizes the notion that disbursement of information starts in the mother’s womb. Studies have proven that educators and health professionals alike have long stressed the importance of cognitive development for children ages zero to three. While this period of development is undeniably crucial, it is important to note that a baby’s brain actually begins to form cells during the third week of pregnancy a time when the brain is also open to stimulation and learning and a time when such an enriched environment is absolutely necessary in every regard (www.HealthNewsDigest.com) Indeed, parents have an obligation to provide their offspring with the appropriate environment for positive growth and development. There are so many factors that contribute to the development of a child. It is the role of the parents to positively transmit good values to their children. The teacher’s role in all of this is to assist with nurturing, educating, and disciplining our children in a fair and impartial manner. As you rightly said “: education is beyond teachers, books and school”. That is so very true! The lessons we learn in life are far more meaningful than the knowledge which can be had through book. Nevertheless, we as facilitators of learning must use our esoteric knowledge to bring all members of our community on board in educating our nation. “It takes a community to raise a child”. Educators, parents, students and other stakeholders of education must work together to teach our children universal teaching that will be required for their life long acquisition of knowledge in this world.
Jaclyn Swasey: “Knowledge is an instrument for managing experiences”, therefore teaching should not be just classical educating or imparting knowledge but must be dynamic, challenging and combined with developing good attitudes and moral values. The learning environment should be warm and non-threatening filled with diverse activities that will stimulate the young minds and develop reasoning. To accomplish this is no easy task, as students are not all the same; they come from diverse backgrounds, learn differently and establish different goals in their lives. Knowing your students strengths and weaknesses can help a teacher build on areas of weakness and help them with positive learning strategies such as constructive learning or discovery learning. I believe that if we know how our children learn best it will help us shape their minds to reach success. Teaching is a profession with great demands for which I am prepared to give my best and ensure that my students are not discouraged. I pledge to be an advisor, guide and fellow traveler rather than a dictator. I will follow a curriculum that incorporates the needs and interests of my students. I will adopt a child-centered classroom where democracy and free-discussion of ideas will enhance a cooperative and progressive learning. I will help my students develop their own individual character and have a sense of moral reasoning. They will learn through experiencing the consequences of their acts and not through physical punishment. I will adopt an “inclusive learning-friendly classroom’ which welcomes, nurtures and educates all children regardless of their gender, physical, intellectual, social, emotional, or linguistic characteristics. As teachers we must insure that all our students come to school and remain in school. No one should be left behind. I will support discovering new knowledge and sharing this new knowledge to all. I will use positive discipline measures instead of negative ones that will humiliate and frustrate my students. Nothing is more rewarding than to see positive changes in the lives of my students. I hope to make an effective and permanent impression in their lives. That’s my philosophy! Children should not be protected from learning.
Jaclyn Swasey: I totally agree with Sandy in that teaching is a job that requires patience and passion. We need to definitely love it before we decide to take up the responsibility of educating young minds. I think she has made a good decision to join us in making a positive change in the lives of our future generation. Hands out to you Sandy!
Education is the foundation of any economy. Education is all around us. We never stop learning. Being a teacher is an honor that I got the opportunity to share in the education process that will impact any child life. Teachers are mothers, fathers and counselors to the children we teach so we play a vital role in their personal development. Other than educating our students we prepare them for life challenges in a whole. All of us are here for a purpose and if my purpose is to share knowledge and make a positive impact on a child life I want to be a part of that. Education starts at home, the community you live in and then it continues at school and as you get older these factors continue to influence your education. Some teachers as I observe don’t take the role seriously as being a teacher and realize how they can mold a child to be productive citizen of society. Teachers need to be more concern about their students as they do their own and guide them in reaching their full potential. All students can learn so as teachers we cannot give up on them. As they say children are the future and if I could be apart in creating a better and positive society I want to be included. As a child life continue to change their outlook on life does also but if you as a facilitator have done your job the impact you made on the child will be instilled in them as they continue their journey through life. It makes me proud to be a teacher and help make a difference in someone’s life.
I do agree with Stephanie. Many times as parents we forget that education is a learning process from within the womb. Parents often forget that they are their children's first teachers, so as parents we need to do our part. When we make that decision to be a parent we need to start educate the child from within the womb.
I share Stephanie's views about education.Indeed, parents are vital instruments in the education of children. Second, I agree that education is the business of everyone. Teachers, parents,community etc.Third, I concur with the notion that we receive education from our environment. This process maybe conscious or unconscious."By beholding we become changed.Fourth, I fully support the idea that discipline is apart of the education process. The extent of a man's education is determined not only by information but also by character.
shaunna said The form of education has consistently been changing in this new era. Teachers are expected to keep up with a variety of approaches, strategies and techniques to implement the solid education our students so rightly deserve. I have been in the education field for the past nineteen years and during this time, I have had to make adjustments to the way I educate my students. This has been somewhat challenging because I realize that I have to be proactive and flexible to facilitate learning in my classroom environment. Good comes from within unselfishly, a good person is one who is committed service above self, is humanitarian, strives for the best to make positive changes in society, has integrity, good moral values and never gives up this is my philosophy. I believe each and every child has the potential to bring something unique and special to the world. I will help children to develop their potential by believing in them as capable individuals to make them productive citizens. I will assist children in discovering there inner sense of who they are, so they can express their own opinions and nurture their own ideas into something meaningful and beautiful for the world to see. I have a vision for my Community, Toledo, Belize where people learn to respect, accept, and embrace the differences between us, as the core of what makes life so fascinating and interesting.
As a professional my role is to guide, providing access to information rather than acting as the primary source of information, the students' search for knowledge is met as they learn to find answers to their questions. For students to construct knowledge, they need the opportunity to discover for themselves and practice skills in authentic situations. Providing student’s access to hands-on activities and allowing adequate time and space to use materials that reinforce the lesson being studied creates an opportunity for individual discovery and construction of knowledge to occur. Teaching is guiding, monitoring and teaching students to learn. An excellent teacher believes that all students can learn and make the classroom conducive to learning. An excellent teacher has the ability to reach students in a meaningful way, developing innovative approaches to mandated content while motivating, engaging and inspiring students to prepare for a more ever advancing technology society. For myself, teaching provides an opportunity for continual learning and growth. One of my hopes as an educator is to instill a love of learning in my students, as I share my own passion for learning with them. I feel there is a need for compassionate, strong, and dedicated individuals who are excited about working with children. In our competitive society it is important for students to not only receive a solid education, but to work with someone who is aware of and sensitive to their individual needs. I am such a person and will always strive to be the best educator that I can be. I believe that each child is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially. It is my desire as an educator to help students meet their fullest potential in these areas by providing an environment that is safe, supports risk-taking, and invites a sharing of ideas. There are three elements that I believe are conducive to learning establishing such an environment, the teacher acting as a guide, allowing the child's natural curiosity to direct his/her learning, and promoting respect for all things and all people.
I share the same views as TWilliams Education is the foundation of any economy. We as teachers are educating the future leaders of our country. We as teachers need to keep our students in the classroom or else we will be living in caves. The crime rates will be on the increase and we will have to have big dangerous dogs and high fences to try and protect us. I also concur with her comment “teachers are mothers, fathers and counselors to the children we teach so we play a vital role in their personal development”. We as teachers do not know the homes these children are coming from, the only home or tranquil place would be at school. We have to nurture and mold our children they are our teachers. We can make and we can break a student. I am very concern about our students that are suffering silently. They have all this anger inside and we can only do so much for them while they are at school.
joseph Said I believe that each and every child has the potential and capability to learn once he/she is given the opportunity. My philosophy is thus rooted to some extent in four of the major schools of philosophy, pragmatism, behaviorism, realism and progressivism. I say pragmatism because we are a part of, and live in our environment and as such our interaction with it allows us to learn and form certain knowledge from it. It also focuses on creating independent individuals who are not afraid of change. Very importantly it also focuses on current issues as a vehicle of teaching and learning. Progressivism, because it allows us to use our past and modify it to cope with the present and thus progress. Progressivism also seeks to promote holistic education and thus a democratic society. Humans are creatures of habits and so if desired behaviors are cultivated then effective learning can take place using strategies and scopes of the other schools of philosophy. I also see behaviorism as important because if certain basic academic skills are not mastered then learning that requires these skills will not take place effectively regardless of the methods and strategies used. Realism forms a part of my philosophy because we are surrounded by matter that we perceive through our senses and to acquire a deeper understanding of our world we must begin with that which we can feel, see, touch and taste. As an educator I believe that there exists a supernatural being called God and that all our actions are in one way or another geared towards Him. What I hold as true is also a part of my belief but it is also formed as I go along and is able to prove some of them. I also hold that truth concerning certain things is relative, what may be true today may not be true tomorrow. Each and everyone have their own likes and dislikes and what they value is based on their taste, experience and education. I believe that each child is special, and needs to be in an environment that is loving, caring, secure and conducive to learning. I also believe in the holistic education of my students. Education provided should help the children to grow and mature emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually, thus the whole education of the child to be an active part of society. Teachers should act as facilitators and guides in assisting students to acquire knowledge and experiences they need to survive. At times they will be the sole provider of the knowledge and information as they are the ones who possess it and are responsible to transmit it. They should be the ones to create environments that are inviting and appealing to the students. Teachers should be the friends of their student and not just possessors of information. I also believe that the children should be equipped with knowledge, skills and values that will be of use to them. Education should be relevant to them and it should be based on their immediate needs and society. It should prepare them to live and interact and be a productive part of their society and nation. I firmly believe that education should prepare the individual within his/her capacities to go out unafraid and face whatever challenges he/she may encounter and thus do and be his/her best.
I believe that each and every child has the potential and capability to learn once he/she is given the opportunity. My philosophy is thus rooted to some extent in four of the major schools of philosophy, pragmatism, behaviorism, realism and progressivism. I say pragmatism because we are a part of, and live in our environment and as such our interaction with it allows us to learn and form certain knowledge from it. It also focuses on creating independent individuals who are not afraid of change. Very importantly it also focuses on current issues as a vehicle of teaching and learning. Progressivism, because it allows us to use our past and modify it to cope with the present and thus progress. Progressivism also seeks to promote holistic education and thus a democratic society. Humans are creatures of habits and so if desired behaviors are cultivated then effective learning can take place using strategies and scopes of the other schools of philosophy. I also see behaviorism as important because if certain basic academic skills are not mastered then learning that requires these skills will not take place effectively regardless of the methods and strategies used. Realism forms a part of my philosophy because we are surrounded by matter that we perceive through our senses and to acquire a deeper understanding of our world we must begin with that which we can feel, see, touch and taste. As an educator I believe that there exists a supernatural being called God and that all our actions are in one way or another geared towards Him. What I hold as true is also a part of my belief but it is also formed as I go along and is able to prove some of them. I also hold that truth concerning certain things is relative, what may be true today may not be true tomorrow. Each and everyone have their own likes and dislikes and what they value is based on their taste, experience and education. I believe that each child is special, and needs to be in an environment that is loving, caring, secure and conducive to learning. I also believe in the holistic education of my students. Education provided should help the children to grow and mature emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually, thus the whole education of the child to be an active part of society. Teachers should act as facilitators and guides in assisting students to acquire knowledge and experiences they need to survive. At times they will be the sole provider of the knowledge and information as they are the ones who possess it and are responsible to transmit it. They should be the ones to create environments that are inviting and appealing to the students. Teachers should be the friends of their student and not just possessors of information. I also believe that the children should be equipped with knowledge, skills and values that will be of use to them. Education should be relevant to them and it should be based on their immediate needs and society. It should prepare them to live and interact and be a productive part of their society and nation. I firmly believe that education should prepare the individual within his/her capacities to go out unafraid and face whatever challenges he/she may encounter and thus do and be his/her best.
Hi shaunna i agree with your statement"I believe that each child is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially". As teachers we must mold our students so they can be successful in their goals. Each student is different and they can contribute significantly to our country Belize.
I concur with these statements, "There are three elements that I believe are conducive to learning establishing such an environment, the teacher acting as a guide, allowing the child's natural curiosity to direct his/her learning, and promoting respect for all things and all people".
Students must have a good learning environment, the teacher must guide the students and let them learn through discovery.
I have always viewed education to be one of the most important things that life has to offer an individual. However, when I was younger I never saw myself as being in an educator’s shoe; but I always wanted to know how things work and why they work the way they do. I guess to some degree I was inquisitive and that in itself led to a quest for knowledge. I found myself reading quite frequently, taking apart any and everything I can get my hands on just to know about things for the sake of knowing. Therefore, as I got older I realize that I wanted to do something whereby I could make a difference somehow. I saw teaching to be the best option there is. As a teacher I am able to contribute to the development of our society by producing well rounded individuals through education. Therefore, my personal philosophy of education is not only to ‘talk the talk’, but to ‘walk the walk’ as well. I am there not only to impart knowledge but also to set examples for our young minds. I am there to help students develop into their ‘true’ self by providing them with a nurturing environment in which they can discover life outside the ‘box,’ by experimentation and questioning. My job as a teacher is to instil in students the value of education, and take them out of the mentality that their circumstances should dictate their future. Being an educated individual affords one endless possibilities. I pride myself on the fact that I have one of the most interesting jobs there is; which is the moulding of one’s mind into something of great value to society one day.
I like Jaclyn's philosophy a lot, especially the part where she mentioned about being an advisor, guide and fellow traveler. I see myself as exactly that, as a teacher I am there to let students see a things from as many point of view as possible, and in the end step back and let them make that choice themselves. Due to the diverse backgrounds that students come from, we as teachers are gaing addtional knowledge that these students bring along with them as well, hence the reason for me to see myself as a fellow travel as well, we are all on the journey of acquiring knowledge. I in turn support discovering new knowledge and sharing new knowledge with others.
Some recurrent recent causes of domestic violence are jealousy this when your partner is not happy when you socialize with other individuals and enjoying yourself. Another cause is insecurity this is when your partner does not like when you are around certain individual or certain place that he believe is not safe for you to be around, social upbringing of partner, this is when your partner was being brought up in a home whereby he saw his/her father hitting his mother. Furthermore, frustration may build up when the male is experiencing stress in his life and can’t cope or solve the different problems he is going through home and thus may take it out of his wife. Another cause is the use of alcohol and drug use. This is when the male goes out to drink then comes home and physical and mental abuses his wife and family for no appointed reasons. Also infidelity is when he/she is cheating with another partner. This is very important in a relationship.
The only thing mentioned is that men are afraid and ashamed to report domestic violence to the authorities. In reports more women complain that they are victims of domestic violence than men. There are few differences between men and women domestic violence. A woman may use verbal abuse towards men such as using curse words in the house; they would try and embarrass them around their friends and manipulate men. On the other hand, men are physically stronger than female and will want to try hitting female to show dominance in the relationship. The similarities are that there self esteem suffers, the victims feel helpless, and their mental health is frail.
When I shift career from nursing to teaching I taught I would be doing something completely different; but as I progressed in the educational field I realized that I just changed the setting in which I was working. As a nurse I did a lot of teaching geared mostly towards health education. However, along the way, I passed on values, morals, ethics, beliefs, etc. that changed the lives of many individuals in a positive manner. My philosophy is to foster learning, bearing in mind that: 1. Students are holistic beings; meaning that they not only have educational needs but also psychological, spiritual, etc. 2. These needs must be in harmony in order for the students to be at optimal productivity level. 3. It’s is the teacher’s role to assist the child as best as possible in any area that he/she is lacking 4. Also the teacher should not just impart book knowledge to students but allow them to explore/discover knowledge for themselves; this should be done with guidance from the teacher. Allowing them to relate to real – life experience fosters true learning. 5. Teachers must not look at themselves as the person with omnipotent knowledge on the subject area or content being taught in the classroom but instead they must understand that they too can learn from their students. 6. Teachers must understand that they need to participate in continuous education that will not only benefit themselves but others as well.
Response to Julia
I agree with Julia in that teachers have the most important job in the society. I echo what she is saying, in that teachers are the ones who teach the community. They even teach the teacher. However what they fail to realize is that they have such a huge impact on individuals that their influence could actually determine how students shape their lives. E.g. an effective teacher can influence a child who may have turned out to be a criminal to change and be a pastor. Hence, teachers must be intrinsically motivated to impart not only knowledge to these students but also guidance and direction as to how they should live a humble, peaceful live in this world. This of course, should not only be done by words but by deed as well, they should “do as they preach”. Also I cancer with Ms. Julia’s comments in that teachers should take full advantage of workshops being offered to them as this adds to their contentious education as mentioned in my blog. I also commend her for taking up the challenge.
I am personally drawn to this philosophy for many reasons. Constructivism empowers the students and gives them the opportunity to take learning into their own hands. Its motives are to give the students the tools to make personal and independent decisions, making them problem solvers. Constructivism also emphasizes scaffolding, building upon past knowledge and making connections. My personal view is that this is the most logical and effective teaching strategy. The emphasis of hands-on, activity based lessons also appeals to my teaching style. I feel that students learn best through experience, which often comes about through hands-on activities. Most importantly, constructivism promotes instilling the love of learning into students. The only complaint about the philosophy would be that it relies too heavily on one type of learning and relies too much on the assumption that students have past knowledge to build upon. Teaching literacy through a constructivist point of view would be worthwhile. Teaching local literacy knowledge (phonics, grammar) by building knowledge and skills upon one another is logical and effective. Students are also given some freedoms and choices as to what to write or read. It promotes creativity, which is important in both writing and reading. Once again, it supports the idea of instilling the love of reading and writing into students. The humanistic philosophy of education is the idea of studying the whole person or student. It looks at a child’s behavior not only through the eyes of the observer, but through the eyes of the child doing the behaving. Humanistic psychologists believe that an individual’s behavior is associated to his inner feelings and self-image. The humanistic approach also believes that individuals are internally directed and motivated to fulfill their human potential. The humanistic educational philosophy believes that students should be able to choose what they want to learn. It is believed that students will be motivated to learn a subject if it is something they need and want to know. The perspective of this philosophy is that the goal of education should be to foster students’ desire to learn and teach them how to learn. The humanistic teacher is opposed to objective tests because they test a student’s ability to memorize and do not provide sufficient educational feedback. They believe in self-evaluation and feel that grades are irrelevant. Grading encourages students to work for a grade and not personal satisfaction. I most identify with this philosophy and strongly agree with the majority of its principles. As stated above, the most important lesson a teacher can teach a child is the importance of learning, the enjoyment of learning and how to learn. Above all, this is the most important lesson. I agree that students are self-motivated if the desire to know something. The job of the teacher is to make the student want to learn, not make the student learn. I agree that self-evaluation and self satisfaction should weigh above grades. Grades should be a measure more for the teacher, not the student. In Belize this is not the case at all students’ performance on BJAT or PSE determines whether or not that child is ready for further education. I personally hate it. One or two days can never determine a child worth to me. The humanistic philosophy can be effectively applied to literacy mainly with its ideas of choice and desire. Students will be more inclined to write to their best ability and read at a high level if they are the ones choosing the topic to write on or the book to be reading. Humanism parallels with my strongest conviction of teacher and once again I will repeat what I have repeated throughout this entire paper. The goal of literacy learning is to instill a love of reading and writing within them and to give them the tools to continue with that love. I strongly believe if children are taught how to learn, write and read in our schools without a set curriculum to a certain extent our society would be a better place.
i totally agree with what TWilliams said. we touch the foundation of our society. eventhought all of us can think and make our own decision and choices we all influence our children growth in some way or the otheras teacher we have the most important job in the building of our society.
Domestic Violence against men and against women in my opinion is not too different. What I see is that very few men report that they are victims of domestic violence, while statistics have shown that through the years that more women have reported that they are victims of domestic violence. In addition, in Belize we live in a macho society where the man rules and he is king of his domain. So in reality, if a man would enter the police station and reported that is wife had just beaten him up. He would be laugh at or scorn. Fellow men would think that he is a “sissy boy” or a “soft man”. More advocacy and publicity have been raised particularly in connection to women and domestic violence than men. The idea that a woman can abuse a man physically is still unthinkable in our minds. However, it does occur and it is definitely wrong when both sexes behave in this manner. There is no differences in my opinion, violence is wrong and should not be condone. Although, different dynamics and reasons might exist for a woman to abuse her partner, but there have not been any studies done in this area that I know of. Similarities involved are, whether the victim is a man or woman is that he or she feels or stay because of the following: Isolated and alone Fearful and intimidated Self-esteem will be low Stay because of children Stay because he or she might be economically dependent on the partner Stay because he or she has no place to go. I am sure that there are many more reasons that I have not thought of, so by no means is the above list exhaustive. Domestic violence occurs because of several reasons, the perpetrator may be using alcohol and other hard core drugs, have seen domestic violence in the family where he or she was brought up and therefore thinks that this is normal behavior, jealousy and anger, insecurity, and perhaps mental illness. However, it is important to note that there is no good reason for domestic violence to occur. It is imperative that no one should be beaten. No one has the right to abuse you physically, mentally, verbally, or sexually.
I personally believe that teachers play a significant role in moulding a child and shaping our society. Many people aspire to become many other great professions but of all the jobs or careers in this world none of them would be possible without teachers. Those of us who are educators take on the task of providing children with the knowledge and social experiences that they will need to improve their future and also develop a better society. As a teacher I hope to be able to influence many lives and help my students to understand the value of education and what it can do for their future. I remember back in primary school, my standard six teachers felt like a parent to me. She took on the role of teaching me the curriculum and what I needed to know academically along with giving me advice about life and expectations in my next level of schooling. This is something I had always cherished and tried to implement myself while in the classroom. It’s not just about teaching the subjects or teaching from books, but teaching life and social values. Many of the times a lot of children do not have support from their homes be it financial, love and sad to say even safety. So as a teacher you need to be aware of things affecting our students. A lot of the times teachers like to complain that this job designates them as babysitters, but were more than that. We’re “multi-taskers”. We’re psychologist/councillors when issues are affecting them or they just need someone to talk to, we’re medics when they get minor cuts and scrapes and require attending to, we’re sponsors when they haven’t eaten anything and require nourishment for their bodies among many other minor roles. Therefore to function successfully as a teacher you must be dedicated to love and cherish our children for the betterment of our society. I also personally believe that as a teacher my students and I should not be limited to the classroom. Education can occur in any setting and there is no better way to teach social values than getting my students involved in a community project.
I embrace teaching as an opportunity to inspire and empower. As a teacher, it is my goal to enhance student learning as a transformative experience. Ideally, I want students to feel personally changed by their participation in the subjects Ii am teaching, transformative learning is most likely to occur when my students become personally engaged with the materials and perceive the subject matter to be directly relevant to their own lives. For me, understanding the diversity of learning styles and student experience is the key to enhancing this engagement. Learning about the students i teach and listening to their experience has helped me to reconsider ways of making subject material relevant and fostering critical thinking skills. My philosophy of education is about inspiring and empowering students to become the best they can be. My hope is to make a positive difference in each child’s life and instill a love of learning that is interactive. Also, my goal is to ensure that I instill values, manners, social values, patience and acceptance. Education is a very important tool in our lives today. As educators we touch the lives of our students on a daily basis. What i found out is that I need to always be cognizant of what I say or do on a daily basis. My philosophy of education clearly outlines principles and values which is crucial in our lives today. Education is about teaching our children to live, to learn and to be. Teaching our children how to live is also paramount to this profession. We need to teach our children through the curriculum how to live and how to make a living. Our curriculum needs to be relevant to our Belizean society whereby our students can be productive and exemplary citizens.
Comments on Julia Julia, I strongly support the idea of child-cantered teaching. That is the way to go! We need to certainly get our students engaged in the teaching/learning process. Using the humanistic approach is a good theory whereby we foster students in the process holistically. Teachers must be mindful to teach our children how to build their self-esteem and self-concept. We are responsible to these children and we must be constantly up to date by doing research and attend the Professional Development Workshops offered by the M.O.E during the summers. Julia expresses her taught and feeling clearly about how she values education. This is a vocation, a mission and we must be visionary teacher because the children we teach will be “product” for the future.
In response to Mr. Petillo’s blog I agree that education is an important tool in our lives today. I particularly liked the phrase “Education is about teaching our children to live, to learn and to be” because it basically sums up the role of educations in one nutshell. We as educators are charged with responsibilities to ensure that our students maximize their potentials and abilities to become exemplary productive citizens.
It is a powerful feeling knowing that I can change the lives of so many lives. Everything taught in school will someday benefit the child whether he holds a job in that field, or has to figure out a real life problem that can be solved by using what he learned in school. Without education, the training of the human minds is incomplete. I believe that every child has the ability to learn, but it takes a good teacher to be able to bring this ability out. Education is inevitable. It is all around us because we can learn from virtually anything. When you are cooking, dancing, talking or any other activity you have actually had to learn several things to be able to do them. In the educational perspective, I am a pragmatist and I tend to follow after Dewey’s footsteps. The concept of Pragmatism is one that developed in the 20th century. My philosophy is based on the idea that learning should involve real-life situations. Learning becomes more concrete to a student when they apply it to real-life situations, as where learning things that do not connect to them has more of an abstract sense. They learn from the teacher being a positive role model. Personally, I would have to agree with Dewey when he said, “I believe that education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living.” (Dewey 22) Education is a process of living. I want children to learn to be able to think for themselves and be problem solvers that will be able to use these skills in real life situations. My philosophy can be explained throughout the definition of a pragmatist, how I would relate it into practice in the curriculum and A Pragmatist is one of the four philosophies of education. In this situation, a teacher would be considered a facilitator; one who guides the students into their curriculum. The teacher in this philosophy must use all of their skills and introduce subjects to the children in ways that are stimulating to the students. The reason being is because in a Pragmatist model the curriculum is child-centered; it revolves around the child’s interest. Therefore, the teacher’s role is to bring that child into a certain subject by arousing their interest. The methodology a pragmatist teacher uses is hands-on. The students need those hands-on activities to help them relate to the lesson. Hands-on experiences are authentic experiences that the child will carry with them longer than a lesson out of a book. Dewey sums it up for me in saying, “I believe that education which does not occur through forms of life, or that are worth living for their own sake is always a poor substitute for the genuine reality and tends to cramp and to deaden.” (Dewey 23) In my opinion, it is truly pointless to teach children without letting them experiment and become a part of the lesson. My philosophy was quite encouraged by the underlying branches of philosophy that are found in a Pragmatist. I strongly believe that we are here to educate the children, if we are not attending to their needs then we are truly not teaching. I agree with Jaclyn in saying that students, “They will learn through experiencing the consequences of their acts and not through physical punishment.” Take a cue from the student's behavior and perhaps see a need to change the environment so it will be more conducive to the children. "Children need discipline but not hitting." Dawn Walker
Philosophies of education have been an issue of debate for many years by different leaders throughout the centuries. We can trace back to the time immemorial of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. They all had their way of teaching and assessing information. Each one thought that their method and techniques were the best and no one would have a better idea. Nevertheless, in today modern society a combination of the three are used. In different areas, places, and subject areas different techniques are used. At the end of the day, information must be thought for all, in a methodology that is best understood by majority. This is what I believe, it should be child centered, and sometimes, it must be rendered for the slow learners in a variety of ways that will ignite their critical thinking. The philosophy of each educator impacts the students in different dimensions. Philosophy is about beliefs, methods, techniques, and theories of learning and the general concept of how information must be learned and acquired. Overall, I can go with a an aphorism by Mary Lynn Crow “ In the main, a person’s value beliefs, and philosophy can easily be ascertained by way he or she teaches. The instructional strategies an techniques that are adopted by a teacher bespeak his attitude about himself, his students and their perspective roles in the teaching-learning process.” As of a good philosophers, I believe that we must be very well prepared to enter the classroom. Not only to be a philosopher we must be prepared, but also be what is consider to be a professional. The more one is prepared the better one will perform at class. According to Wilson, Floden, & Mundy (2001) stated that “ It is no surprise that research shows a positive connection between teachers’ preparation in their subject matter and their performance and impact on the class room”. The more we know the field, the better we will understand the needs and act upon the needs. In all multicultural societies, we will encounter social problems and by understanding them we will be able to tackle them appropriately with its proper measurement. Consequently, the greater the impact on learning.
reference: Wilson, S. M., Floden, R. E., & Mundy, J. F. (2001, February). Teacher preparation research: Current Knowledge, Gaps, and Recommendations. A research Report prepared for thhe U.S Department of Education . Michigan, United States of America.
In response to Julia. Julia brought something very interesting about her philosophy. She stated that education is the manufacturer of most professions, such as doctors, crooked lawyers, teachers, legal thieves and so on. It is through education that all of them move forward in through the vertical social class mobility in an open system. In an open system, it is clear that education do move people to the higher classes because of their income or status. At some point in their lives, these “professionals” whatever is their profession, were touched by vibrant teachers who ignited their motivation spirit to continue on with their education. We recognize that school equips most people with skills that are required to perform on certain jobs or at least to make somebody a better citizen. Also school doesn’t guarantee to anybody a good life, it can help it, through preparation but at the end is how much an individual put himself in accomplishing his dreams. It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. ~Aristotle
Primilee says:My philosophy of education is that teachers must be pragmatic about the quality of their work, rather than trying to make sure that it reflects their philosophy of it. That is to say, teaching should be based on what the relevant empirical evidence indicates is the most cost- and time-effective way to develop students’ academic skills and knowledge.
When I applied for a teaching post one year ago I wrote on my application letter that my primary reason for changing career path is so I can contribute to instilling positive changes in children and adolescents. I believe that the younger generation requires more shoulders they can lean and depend on, teachers who can motivate them in becoming great individuals so they can accomplish their goals. I want to make a difference in their lives, and I want to feel proud that my experience in the business world will aid them in confronting daily situations in life with the careers they take.
ReplyDeleteEveryone I met kept telling me am crazy to leave my desk job for a teaching job, which they classify as 'stress job'. Despite the negative comments I embraced my new life and welcomed the issues with open arms. A teacher has to have the passion and love, the inner drive that motivates them to get up each morning and enter the gates to impart a bit of their knowledge. Essentially I want my students to know more than me and I want them to also teach me new things. Despite the social problems they face, we have to find the balance between our career and our personal lives. My personal philosophy is to impart all the knowledge I have gained throughout my educational and working experience so my students can be open to change and can easily relate and benefit. I enjoyed this class very much and it opened my eyes more to many factors that affect children's learning capabilities and I will definitely apply my learnings in my classroom, after all that is the purpose for us teachers to further our education.
I applaud each teacher in Belize who aims and strives for excellence at their schools so that when graduation time is near we can proudly say, 'I contributed to their success' or when we see them accomplishing their goals we can add 'We steered them to the right direction'. Am proud to call myself a teacher and I see it everyday when I enter my classrooms, the expression on their faces says it all, 'Mrs. P is here, today we will learn'.
My Philosophy of Education
ReplyDeleteTeaching is one of the most important jobs in a society. Through teaching one acquires the knowledge and skills needed to function in society. As a teacher you touch many lives, whether it be positively or negatively, preferably positively. From teaching comes the lawyers, doctors, dentists, thieves, drug addicts, drug dealers and the list goes on. Regardless of what our students become in life, we have touched their lives in some shape or form. This is something I always wanted to do. From childhood I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I am one that is very humanistic. This I believe is very important when one is a teacher.
As a teacher I will try my utmost best to keep my students motivated, ensuring that I facilitate a learning process that encourages children's participation and active learning. It will be my top priority to find ways to challenge my students academically, using strategies that will support various learning abilities.
For me learning is something that has to be hands on. I have seen how much my students enjoy the lesson when they get to do hands on activities. I can still see my children's faces when they made their first model of the solar system and got to go and make a representation of the solar system and its movement on the tennis court. I can tell this information will stay with my children for a long time, because it was something they enjoyed. Learning through realia is a strategy I find very effective and will always explore.
It is my deepest longing to create students that are independent, great thinkers, able to meet challenges of life and metacognitize. These I believe are very crucial to our children's development. Throughout this course we have learnt that education can be formal as well as informal. By developing these I will be aiding my children with some important necessities of life. I will be improving self confidence and self esteem in my children, helping them to gain the needed drive to excel.
How will achieve the things set out above? I will do so by taking full advantage of all professional workshops being offered, as well as always carrying out thorough research on the content area I seek to cover. If I don't know, don't understand or is unsure of something I will seek the assistance of my colleagues and principals.
I strongly believe that education is to be child centered, not teacher centered. We need to always be educating ourselves. Asking ourselves what works best for our students, not what works best for ourselves. As teachers we always need to be educating ourselves and keeping up with time. You don't want time to catch up to you, you want to keep up with time or surpass time.
I like Julia's Philiosophy of Education. I too agree that education should be Student Centered, the education is for them and we seek to further our education for the benefit of our students. My mother always tells me that you learn new things everyday and it we should share it with someone and who better to share it with than with your students.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy being in a classroom where I can see my students participating freely and discussing what they have learnt from the teachings. Students learn in many ways and we as teachers need to know our students so we can accommodate their learning skills.
Education is vital to the development and continued progress of society. The education process is not limited to the impartation of knowledge. It involves the development of the whole person. The Goal of education is to produce well round, symmetrical characters. True education develops students in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. True education occurs when teaching is accompanied by learning.
ReplyDeleteNo other vocation is more important or noble. As a teacher my objective is to produce students who have the necessary tools to take the “road less traveled” and still be competitive in a changing and challenging world. I intend to impart to students by precept and example the mental, the physical, the social, the emotional and the spiritual skill they need to sail beyond the stormy seas of life.
Nonetheless, to measure up to the high bar of true, effective education is a daunting Endeavour. Education begins from the womb and ends in the grave. Education is a life- long process. Educators, including teachers and parents have the responsibility to produce critical thinkers with moral and spiritual fortitude to weather the storms of life. A person who has been educated a right is one whose life is characterized by discipline, morally sound judgments and continuous advancements in their human experience. A rightly educated person is self critical and is not easily swayed to follow the crown in wrong paths. Many times, educators need to help students un-learn misconceptions and break down mental blocks before true education can begin.
Teachers are facilitators and motivators in the education process. A classroom or learning centre is an environment in which students feel motivated to learn and are actively involved in the learning process. Success is perhaps the most powerful of all motivators. Educators therefore need to cater for the different intelligences of students by implementing multiple teaching methods and assessment strategies to meet the requirements of different types of learners. By taking the multiple intelligence approach to lesson execution, teaching styles and learning styles will synchronize and “No student will be left behind” . Therefore, all students will attain an appreciable level of success and remain motivated to continue to learn.
Education is not just the impartation and reception of facts, ideas and skills. True education teaches one to value the power of knowledge and aims to make students self or discovery learners. . Students must be taught how to teach themselves. They need to know how to discriminate between opposing viewpoints and develop convictions of their own. Students need to be able to know where and how to get the information they need to solve their problems. In other words, true education imparts good problem solving skills.
Indeed, the education process is a complex one. Producing successful students is a difficult task. However, the aim is worthy of the cost. Successful education prepares students to be winners in the game of life. Successful education produces students who are good role models, positive thinkers and contributing members of society. It is undoubtedly true that, “To educate is to redeem”.
Teaching is universal. Education starts from inside the womb. Some may not believe it or understand it, but it has been proven to be true. Parents, family and society play a major role in education. Parents are our first teachers and without their input in their child's progress, it would be even harder for teachers to mold that child into what it is that society wants of them. If we fail, then children will become pests to society. It takes a village to raise a child and without the help of the parents and society who should set good examples and be good role models, there will not be a good outcome because we the teachers and the schools cannot do it on our own; we need help and support. Whatever we teach our children of today, they will carry it with them for a lifetime. This is the same as what society does to let children see. If society chooses to be ethical in everything they do, then children will follow, but if they do the opposite, then children will follow as well. Everything around us influences education. Television, radio, internet are three biggest influence of today. Children tend to follow what they see on television; fashion, music, pornography etc. Some people may say that children are not stimulated because they are not exposed. But we must stop and ask ourselves…exposed to what extent? Some children are too much exposed that they are out of control. Both parents and ourselves must guide and facilitate these children and set boundaries as to how far they must go with certain things. For example, it is okay to watch television from this time to that time etc. Discipline is one of the key factors to become a good educator for children. Without discipline they will not stand; it will be hard for them to get along with other people. All in all, my philosophy of education is beyond just teachers, books and school.
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ReplyDeleteMy Philosophy of Education can be summarized by the popular Chinese proverb “Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand. As a teacher who endorses discovery learning I whole-heartedly have confidence that an individual acquires knowledge best when he/ she is actively involved in the teaching learning process. Each student is a unique individual who has his/her perspective and outlook on a given subject matter. Thus, it is imperative that as a facilitator of learning I embrace alternative methods for transmission of knowledge to convey to my pupils. In light of this, students will be able to reinforce and increase their understanding of the content being taught.
ReplyDeleteClearly then, to my understanding philosophy includes encouraging a lot of individual thoughts and creativity in the classroom. In this situation, causing students to become adequate problem solvers and analytical thinkers and in the process essentially allowing for the students to educate one another and the traditional role of a teacher, over time becoming transformed into more of a classroom facilitator. Hence, allowing all learners to become achievers at the most basic level and also given the ability to excel and to be competent at their greatest capacity. Student centered cooperative activities is the core of productivity in the school system as far as I am concern.
As a teacher who has been involved in educating young students for over a decade I believe that all students desire to feel as if though he/she is an integral member of the learning environment. These learner psychological needs have to be met before transmissions of learning can occur. Moreover, all learners regardless of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, religious background, and/or any other classification are deserving of a holistic education. More now than ever our children need love, commitment, understanding, patience and respect. Every learner has to have a sense of belonging in my classroom. Besides that I have confidence that cooperatively working along with parents aids to maximize the full potential of a child. Together with partnering with all stakeholders of education pupils blossom into confident and well-rounded adults.
In final consideration, I am a firm believer of educating our students first begins with placing God at the focal point of learning. Through him all things are possible. If we would incorporate all these positive pointers to our lives I am sure that our societal problem will be minimized and we would all be able to live in peace and harmony as our creator indents us to live.
Stephanie, I must commence my response to your blog by addressing one of your primary statements which emphasizes the notion that disbursement of information starts in the mother’s womb. Studies have proven that educators and health professionals alike have long stressed the importance of cognitive development for children ages zero to three. While this period of development is undeniably crucial, it is important to note that a baby’s brain actually begins to form cells during the third week of pregnancy a time when the brain is also open to stimulation and learning and a time when such an enriched environment is absolutely necessary in every regard (www.HealthNewsDigest.com) Indeed, parents have an obligation to provide their offspring with the appropriate environment for positive growth and development.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many factors that contribute to the development of a child. It is the role of the parents to positively transmit good values to their children. The teacher’s role in all of this is to assist with nurturing, educating, and disciplining our children in a fair and impartial manner. As you rightly said “: education is beyond teachers, books and school”. That is so very true! The lessons we learn in life are far more meaningful than the knowledge which can be had through book.
Nevertheless, we as facilitators of learning must use our esoteric knowledge to bring all members of our community on board in educating our nation. “It takes a community to raise a child”. Educators, parents, students and other stakeholders of education must work together to teach our children universal teaching that will be required for their life long acquisition of knowledge in this world.
Jaclyn Swasey:
ReplyDelete“Knowledge is an instrument for managing experiences”, therefore teaching should not be just classical educating or imparting knowledge but must be dynamic, challenging and combined with developing good attitudes and moral values. The learning environment should be warm and non-threatening filled with diverse activities that will stimulate the young minds and develop reasoning. To accomplish this is no easy task, as students are not all the same; they come from diverse backgrounds, learn differently and establish different goals in their lives. Knowing your students strengths and weaknesses can help a teacher build on areas of weakness and help them with positive learning strategies such as constructive learning or discovery learning. I believe that if we know how our children learn best it will help us shape their minds to reach success. Teaching is a profession with great demands for which I am prepared to give my best and ensure that my students are not discouraged. I pledge to be an advisor, guide and fellow traveler rather than a dictator. I will follow a curriculum that incorporates the needs and interests of my students. I will adopt a child-centered classroom where democracy and free-discussion of ideas will enhance a cooperative and progressive learning. I will help my students develop their own individual character and have a sense of moral reasoning. They will learn through experiencing the consequences of their acts and not through physical punishment. I will adopt an “inclusive learning-friendly classroom’ which welcomes, nurtures and educates all children regardless of their gender, physical, intellectual, social, emotional, or linguistic characteristics. As teachers we must insure that all our students come to school and remain in school. No one should be left behind. I will support discovering new knowledge and sharing this new knowledge to all. I will use positive discipline measures instead of negative ones that will humiliate and frustrate my students. Nothing is more rewarding than to see positive changes in the lives of my students. I hope to make an effective and permanent impression in their lives. That’s my philosophy! Children should not be protected from learning.
Jaclyn Swasey:
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Sandy in that teaching is a job that requires patience and passion. We need to definitely love it before we decide to take up the responsibility of educating young minds. I think she has made a good decision to join us in making a positive change in the lives of our future generation. Hands out to you Sandy!
Education is the foundation of any economy. Education is all around us. We never stop learning. Being a teacher is an honor that I got the opportunity to share in the education process that will impact any child life. Teachers are mothers, fathers and counselors to the children we teach so we play a vital role in their personal development. Other than educating our students we prepare them for life challenges in a whole. All of us are here for a purpose and if my purpose is to share knowledge and make a positive impact on a child life I want to be a part of that. Education starts at home, the community you live in and then it continues at school and as you get older these factors continue to influence your education. Some teachers as I observe don’t take the role seriously as being a teacher and realize how they can mold a child to be productive citizen of society. Teachers need to be more concern about their students as they do their own and guide them in reaching their full potential. All students can learn so as teachers we cannot give up on them. As they say children are the future and if I could be apart in creating a better and positive society I want to be included. As a child life continue to change their outlook on life does also but if you as a facilitator have done your job the impact you made on the child will be instilled in them as they continue their journey through life. It makes me proud to be a teacher and help make a difference in someone’s life.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Stephanie. Many times as parents we forget that education is a learning process from within the womb. Parents often forget that they are their children's first teachers, so as parents we need to do our part. When we make that decision to be a parent we need to start educate the child from within the womb.
ReplyDeleteI share Stephanie's views about education.Indeed, parents are vital instruments in the education of children. Second, I agree that education is the business of everyone. Teachers, parents,community etc.Third, I concur with the notion that we receive education from our environment. This process maybe conscious or unconscious."By beholding we become changed.Fourth, I fully support the idea that discipline is apart of the education process. The extent of a man's education is determined not only by information but also by character.
ReplyDeleteshaunna said
ReplyDeleteThe form of education has consistently been changing in this new era. Teachers are expected to keep up with a variety of approaches, strategies and techniques to implement the solid education our students so rightly deserve. I have been in the education field for the past nineteen years and during this time, I have had to make adjustments to the way I educate my students. This has been somewhat challenging because I realize that I have to be proactive and flexible to facilitate learning in my classroom environment.
Good comes from within unselfishly, a good person is one who is committed service above self, is humanitarian, strives for the best to make positive changes in society, has integrity, good moral values and never gives up this is my philosophy. I believe each and every child has the potential to bring something unique and special to the world. I will help children to develop their potential by believing in them as capable individuals to make them productive citizens. I will assist children in discovering there inner sense of who they are, so they can express their own opinions and nurture their own ideas into something meaningful and beautiful for the world to see. I have a vision for my Community, Toledo, Belize where people learn to respect, accept, and embrace the differences between us, as the core of what makes life so fascinating and interesting.
As a professional my role is to guide, providing access to information rather than acting as the primary source of information, the students' search for knowledge is met as they learn to find answers to their questions. For students to construct knowledge, they need the opportunity to discover for themselves and practice skills in authentic situations. Providing student’s access to hands-on activities and allowing adequate time and space to use materials that reinforce the lesson being studied creates an opportunity for individual discovery and construction of knowledge to occur. Teaching is guiding, monitoring and teaching students to learn. An excellent teacher believes that all students can learn and make the classroom conducive to learning. An excellent teacher has the ability to reach students in a meaningful way, developing innovative approaches to mandated content while motivating, engaging and inspiring students to prepare for a more ever advancing technology society.
For myself, teaching provides an opportunity for continual learning and growth. One of my hopes as an educator is to instill a love of learning in my students, as I share my own passion for learning with them. I feel there is a need for compassionate, strong, and dedicated individuals who are excited about working with children. In our competitive society it is important for students to not only receive a solid education, but to work with someone who is aware of and sensitive to their individual needs. I am such a person and will always strive to be the best educator that I can be.
I believe that each child is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially. It is my desire as an educator to help students meet their fullest potential in these areas by providing an environment that is safe, supports risk-taking, and invites a sharing of ideas. There are three elements that I believe are conducive to learning establishing such an environment, the teacher acting as a guide, allowing the child's natural curiosity to direct his/her learning, and promoting respect for all things and all people.
shaunna said
ReplyDeleteI share the same views as TWilliams Education is the foundation of any economy.
We as teachers are educating the future leaders of our country. We as teachers need to keep our students in the classroom or else we will be living in caves. The crime rates will be on the increase and we will have to have big dangerous dogs and high fences to try and protect us.
I also concur with her comment “teachers are mothers, fathers and counselors to the children we teach so we play a vital role in their personal development”.
We as teachers do not know the homes these children are coming from, the only home or tranquil place would be at school. We have to nurture and mold our children they are our teachers. We can make and we can break a student. I am very concern about our students that are suffering silently. They have all this anger inside and we can only do so much for them while they are at school.
joseph Said
ReplyDeleteI believe that each and every child has the potential and capability to learn once he/she is given the opportunity.
My philosophy is thus rooted to some extent in four of the major schools of philosophy, pragmatism, behaviorism, realism and progressivism. I say pragmatism because we are a part of, and live in our environment and as such our interaction with it allows us to learn and form certain knowledge from it. It also focuses on creating independent individuals who are not afraid of change. Very importantly it also focuses on current issues as a vehicle of teaching and learning.
Progressivism, because it allows us to use our past and modify it to cope with the present and thus progress. Progressivism also seeks to promote holistic education and thus a democratic society.
Humans are creatures of habits and so if desired behaviors are cultivated then effective learning can take place using strategies and scopes of the other schools of philosophy. I also see behaviorism as important because if certain basic academic skills are not mastered then learning that requires these skills will not take place effectively regardless of the methods and strategies used.
Realism forms a part of my philosophy because we are surrounded by matter that we perceive through our senses and to acquire a deeper understanding of our world we must begin with that which we can feel, see, touch and taste.
As an educator I believe that there exists a supernatural being called God and that all our actions are in one way or another geared towards Him. What I hold as true is also a part of my belief but it is also formed as I go along and is able to prove some of them. I also hold that truth concerning certain things is relative, what may be true today may not be true tomorrow. Each and everyone have their own likes and dislikes and what they value is based on their taste, experience and education.
I believe that each child is special, and needs to be in an environment that is loving, caring, secure and conducive to learning. I also believe in the holistic education of my students. Education provided should help the children to grow and mature emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually, thus the whole education of the child to be an active part of society.
Teachers should act as facilitators and guides in assisting students to acquire knowledge and experiences they need to survive. At times they will be the sole provider of the knowledge and information as they are the ones who possess it and are responsible to transmit it. They should be the ones to create environments that are inviting and appealing to the students. Teachers should be the friends of their student and not just possessors of information.
I also believe that the children should be equipped with knowledge, skills and values that will be of use to them. Education should be relevant to them and it should be based on their immediate needs and society. It should prepare them to live and interact and be a productive part of their society and nation.
I firmly believe that education should prepare the individual within his/her capacities to go out unafraid and face whatever challenges he/she may encounter and thus do and be his/her best.
joseph said
ReplyDeleteI believe that each and every child has the potential and capability to learn once he/she is given the opportunity.
My philosophy is thus rooted to some extent in four of the major schools of philosophy, pragmatism, behaviorism, realism and progressivism. I say pragmatism because we are a part of, and live in our environment and as such our interaction with it allows us to learn and form certain knowledge from it. It also focuses on creating independent individuals who are not afraid of change. Very importantly it also focuses on current issues as a vehicle of teaching and learning.
Progressivism, because it allows us to use our past and modify it to cope with the present and thus progress. Progressivism also seeks to promote holistic education and thus a democratic society.
Humans are creatures of habits and so if desired behaviors are cultivated then effective learning can take place using strategies and scopes of the other schools of philosophy. I also see behaviorism as important because if certain basic academic skills are not mastered then learning that requires these skills will not take place effectively regardless of the methods and strategies used.
Realism forms a part of my philosophy because we are surrounded by matter that we perceive through our senses and to acquire a deeper understanding of our world we must begin with that which we can feel, see, touch and taste.
As an educator I believe that there exists a supernatural being called God and that all our actions are in one way or another geared towards Him. What I hold as true is also a part of my belief but it is also formed as I go along and is able to prove some of them. I also hold that truth concerning certain things is relative, what may be true today may not be true tomorrow. Each and everyone have their own likes and dislikes and what they value is based on their taste, experience and education.
I believe that each child is special, and needs to be in an environment that is loving, caring, secure and conducive to learning. I also believe in the holistic education of my students. Education provided should help the children to grow and mature emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually, thus the whole education of the child to be an active part of society.
Teachers should act as facilitators and guides in assisting students to acquire knowledge and experiences they need to survive. At times they will be the sole provider of the knowledge and information as they are the ones who possess it and are responsible to transmit it. They should be the ones to create environments that are inviting and appealing to the students. Teachers should be the friends of their student and not just possessors of information.
I also believe that the children should be equipped with knowledge, skills and values that will be of use to them. Education should be relevant to them and it should be based on their immediate needs and society. It should prepare them to live and interact and be a productive part of their society and nation.
I firmly believe that education should prepare the individual within his/her capacities to go out unafraid and face whatever challenges he/she may encounter and thus do and be his/her best.
Joseph said
ReplyDeleteHi shaunna i agree with your statement"I believe that each child is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially".
As teachers we must mold our students so they can be successful in their goals. Each student is different and they can contribute significantly to our country Belize.
I concur with these statements, "There are three elements that I believe are conducive to learning establishing such an environment, the teacher acting as a guide, allowing the child's natural curiosity to direct his/her learning, and promoting respect for all things and all people".
Students must have a good learning environment, the teacher must guide the students and let them learn through discovery.
I have always viewed education to be one of the most important things that life has to offer an individual. However, when I was younger I never saw myself as being in an educator’s shoe; but I always wanted to know how things work and why they work the way they do. I guess to some degree I was inquisitive and that in itself led to a quest for knowledge. I found myself reading quite frequently, taking apart any and everything I can get my hands on just to know about things for the sake of knowing. Therefore, as I got older I realize that I wanted to do something whereby I could make a difference somehow. I saw teaching to be the best option there is. As a teacher I am able to contribute to the development of our society by producing well rounded individuals through education.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, my personal philosophy of education is not only to ‘talk the talk’, but to ‘walk the walk’ as well. I am there not only to impart knowledge but also to set examples for our young minds. I am there to help students develop into their ‘true’ self by providing them with a nurturing environment in which they can discover life outside the ‘box,’ by experimentation and questioning. My job as a teacher is to instil in students the value of education, and take them out of the mentality that their circumstances should dictate their future. Being an educated individual affords one endless possibilities. I pride myself on the fact that I have one of the most interesting jobs there is; which is the moulding of one’s mind into something of great value to society one day.
I like Jaclyn's philosophy a lot, especially the part where she mentioned about being an advisor, guide and fellow traveler. I see myself as exactly that, as a teacher I am there to let students see a things from as many point of view as possible, and in the end step back and let them make that choice themselves. Due to the diverse backgrounds that students come from, we as teachers are gaing addtional knowledge that these students bring along with them as well, hence the reason for me to see myself as a fellow travel as well, we are all on the journey of acquiring knowledge. I in turn support discovering new knowledge and sharing new knowledge with others.
ReplyDeleteSome recurrent recent causes of domestic violence are jealousy this when your partner is not happy when you socialize with other individuals and enjoying yourself. Another cause is insecurity this is when your partner does not like when you are around certain individual or certain place that he believe is not safe for you to be around, social upbringing of partner, this is when your partner was being brought up in a home whereby he saw his/her father hitting his mother. Furthermore, frustration may build up when the male is experiencing stress in his life and can’t cope or solve the different problems he is going through home and thus may take it out of his wife. Another cause is the use of alcohol and drug use. This is when the male goes out to drink then comes home and physical and mental abuses his wife and family for no appointed reasons. Also infidelity is when he/she is cheating with another partner. This is very important in a relationship.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing mentioned is that men are afraid and ashamed to report domestic violence to the authorities. In reports more women complain that they are victims of domestic violence than men. There are few differences between men and women domestic violence. A woman may use verbal abuse towards men such as using curse words in the house; they would try and embarrass them around their friends and manipulate men. On the other hand, men are physically stronger than female and will want to try hitting female to show dominance in the relationship. The similarities are that there self esteem suffers, the victims feel helpless, and their mental health is frail.
ReplyDeleteWhen I shift career from nursing to teaching I taught I would be doing something completely different; but as I progressed in the educational field I realized that I just changed the setting in which I was working. As a nurse I did a lot of teaching geared mostly towards health education. However, along the way, I passed on values, morals, ethics, beliefs, etc. that changed the lives of many individuals in a positive manner.
ReplyDeleteMy philosophy is to foster learning, bearing in mind that:
1. Students are holistic beings; meaning that they not only have educational needs but also psychological, spiritual, etc.
2. These needs must be in harmony in order for the students to be at optimal productivity level.
3. It’s is the teacher’s role to assist the child as best as possible in any area that he/she is lacking
4. Also the teacher should not just impart book knowledge to students but allow them to explore/discover knowledge for themselves; this should be done with guidance from the teacher. Allowing them to relate to real – life experience fosters true learning.
5. Teachers must not look at themselves as the person with omnipotent knowledge on the subject area or content being taught in the classroom but instead they must understand that they too can learn from their students.
6. Teachers must understand that they need to participate in continuous education that will not only benefit themselves but others as well.
Response to Julia
I agree with Julia in that teachers have the most important job in the society. I echo what she is saying, in that teachers are the ones who teach the community. They even teach the teacher. However what they fail to realize is that they have such a huge impact on individuals that their influence could actually determine how students shape their lives. E.g. an effective teacher can influence a child who may have turned out to be a criminal to change and be a pastor.
Hence, teachers must be intrinsically motivated to impart not only knowledge to these students but also guidance and direction as to how they should live a humble, peaceful live in this world. This of course, should not only be done by words but by deed as well, they should “do as they preach”.
Also I cancer with Ms. Julia’s comments in that teachers should take full advantage of workshops being offered to them as this adds to their contentious education as mentioned in my blog. I also commend her for taking up the challenge.
I am personally drawn to this philosophy for many reasons. Constructivism empowers the students and gives them the opportunity to take learning into their own hands. Its motives are to give the students the tools to make personal and independent decisions, making them problem solvers. Constructivism also emphasizes scaffolding, building upon past knowledge and making connections. My personal view is that this is the most logical and effective teaching strategy. The emphasis of hands-on, activity based lessons also appeals to my teaching style. I feel that students learn best through experience, which often comes about through hands-on activities. Most importantly, constructivism promotes instilling the love of learning into students. The only complaint about the philosophy would be that it relies too heavily on one type of learning and relies too much on the assumption that students have past knowledge to build upon.
ReplyDeleteTeaching literacy through a constructivist point of view would be worthwhile. Teaching local literacy knowledge (phonics, grammar) by building knowledge and skills upon one another is logical and effective. Students are also given some freedoms and choices as to what to write or read. It promotes creativity, which is important in both writing and reading. Once again, it supports the idea of instilling the love of reading and writing into students.
The humanistic philosophy of education is the idea of studying the whole person or student. It looks at a child’s behavior not only through the eyes of the observer, but through the eyes of the child doing the behaving. Humanistic psychologists believe that an individual’s behavior is associated to his inner feelings and self-image. The humanistic approach also believes that individuals are internally directed and motivated to fulfill their human potential.
The humanistic educational philosophy believes that students should be able to choose what they want to learn. It is believed that students will be motivated to learn a subject if it is something they need and want to know. The perspective of this philosophy is that the goal of education should be to foster students’ desire to learn and teach them how to learn. The humanistic teacher is opposed to objective tests because they test a student’s ability to memorize and do not provide sufficient educational feedback. They believe in self-evaluation and feel that grades are irrelevant. Grading encourages students to work for a grade and not personal satisfaction.
I most identify with this philosophy and strongly agree with the majority of its principles. As stated above, the most important lesson a teacher can teach a child is the importance of learning, the enjoyment of learning and how to learn. Above all, this is the most important lesson. I agree that students are self-motivated if the desire to know something. The job of the teacher is to make the student want to learn, not make the student learn. I agree that self-evaluation and self satisfaction should weigh above grades. Grades should be a measure more for the teacher, not the student. In Belize this is not the case at all students’ performance on BJAT or PSE determines whether or not that child is ready for further education. I personally hate it. One or two days can never determine a child worth to me.
The humanistic philosophy can be effectively applied to literacy mainly with its ideas of choice and desire. Students will be more inclined to write to their best ability and read at a high level if they are the ones choosing the topic to write on or the book to be reading. Humanism parallels with my strongest conviction of teacher and once again I will repeat what I have repeated throughout this entire paper. The goal of literacy learning is to instill a love of reading and writing within them and to give them the tools to continue with that love. I strongly believe if children are taught how to learn, write and read in our schools without a set curriculum to a certain extent our society would be a better place.
i totally agree with what TWilliams said. we touch the foundation of our society. eventhought all of us can think and make our own decision and choices we all influence our children growth in some way or the otheras teacher we have the most important job in the building of our society.
ReplyDeleteDomestic Violence against men and against women in my opinion is not too different.
ReplyDeleteWhat I see is that very few men report that they are victims of domestic violence, while statistics have shown that through the years that more women have reported that they are victims of domestic violence. In addition, in Belize we live in a macho society where the man rules and he is king of his domain. So in reality, if a man would enter the police station and reported that is wife had just beaten him up. He would be laugh at or scorn. Fellow men would think that he is a “sissy boy” or a “soft man”. More advocacy and publicity have been raised particularly in connection to women and domestic violence than men. The idea that a woman can abuse a man physically is still unthinkable in our minds. However, it does occur and it is definitely wrong when both sexes behave in this manner.
There is no differences in my opinion, violence is wrong and should not be condone. Although, different dynamics and reasons might exist for a woman to abuse her partner, but there have not been any studies done in this area that I know of. Similarities involved are, whether the victim is a man or woman is that he or she feels or stay because of the following:
Isolated and alone
Fearful and intimidated
Self-esteem will be low
Stay because of children
Stay because he or she might be economically dependent on the partner
Stay because he or she has no place to go.
I am sure that there are many more reasons that I have not thought of, so by no means is the above list exhaustive.
Domestic violence occurs because of several reasons, the perpetrator may be using alcohol and other hard core drugs, have seen domestic violence in the family where he or she was brought up and therefore thinks that this is normal behavior, jealousy and anger, insecurity, and perhaps mental illness. However, it is important to note that there is no good reason for domestic violence to occur. It is imperative that no one should be beaten. No one has the right to abuse you physically, mentally, verbally, or sexually.
I personally believe that teachers play a significant role in moulding a child and shaping our society. Many people aspire to become many other great professions but of all the jobs or careers in this world none of them would be possible without teachers. Those of us who are educators take on the task of providing children with the knowledge and social experiences that they will need to improve their future and also develop a better society. As a teacher I hope to be able to influence many lives and help my students to understand the value of education and what it can do for their future. I remember back in primary school, my standard six teachers felt like a parent to me. She took on the role of teaching me the curriculum and what I needed to know academically along with giving me advice about life and expectations in my next level of schooling. This is something I had always cherished and tried to implement myself while in the classroom. It’s not just about teaching the subjects or teaching from books, but teaching life and social values. Many of the times a lot of children do not have support from their homes be it financial, love and sad to say even safety. So as a teacher you need to be aware of things affecting our students. A lot of the times teachers like to complain that this job designates them as babysitters, but were more than that. We’re “multi-taskers”. We’re psychologist/councillors when issues are affecting them or they just need someone to talk to, we’re medics when they get minor cuts and scrapes and require attending to, we’re sponsors when they haven’t eaten anything and require nourishment for their bodies among many other minor roles. Therefore to function successfully as a teacher you must be dedicated to love and cherish our children for the betterment of our society. I also personally believe that as a teacher my students and I should not be limited to the classroom. Education can occur in any setting and there is no better way to teach social values than getting my students involved in a community project.
ReplyDeleteI embrace teaching as an opportunity to inspire and empower. As a teacher, it is my goal to enhance student learning as a transformative experience. Ideally, I want students to feel personally changed by their participation in the subjects Ii am teaching, transformative learning is most likely to occur when my students become personally engaged with the materials and perceive the subject matter to be directly relevant to their own lives. For me, understanding the diversity of learning styles and student experience is the key to enhancing this engagement. Learning about the students i teach and listening to their experience has helped me to reconsider ways of making subject material relevant and fostering critical thinking skills. My philosophy of education is about inspiring and empowering students to become the best they can be. My hope is to make a positive difference in each child’s life and instill a love of learning that is interactive. Also, my goal is to ensure that I instill values, manners, social values, patience and acceptance.
ReplyDeleteEducation is a very important tool in our lives today. As educators we touch the lives of our students on a daily basis. What i found out is that I need to always be cognizant of what I say or do on a daily basis. My philosophy of education clearly outlines principles and values which is crucial in our lives today. Education is about teaching our children to live, to learn and to be. Teaching our children how to live is also paramount to this profession. We need to teach our children through the curriculum how to live and how to make a living. Our curriculum needs to be relevant to our Belizean society whereby our students can be productive and exemplary citizens.
Comments on Julia
ReplyDeleteJulia, I strongly support the idea of child-cantered teaching. That is the way to go! We need to certainly get our students engaged in the teaching/learning process. Using the humanistic approach is a good theory whereby we foster students in the process holistically. Teachers must be mindful to teach our children how to build their self-esteem and self-concept. We are responsible to these children and we must be constantly up to date by doing research and attend the Professional Development Workshops offered by the M.O.E during the summers. Julia expresses her taught and feeling clearly about how she values education. This is a vocation, a mission and we must be visionary teacher because the children we teach will be “product” for the future.
In response to Mr. Petillo’s blog I agree that education is an important tool in our lives today. I particularly liked the phrase “Education is about teaching our children to live, to learn and to be” because it basically sums up the role of educations in one nutshell. We as educators are charged with responsibilities to ensure that our students maximize their potentials and abilities to become exemplary productive citizens.
ReplyDeleteIt is a powerful feeling knowing that I can change the lives of so many lives. Everything taught in school will someday benefit the child whether he holds a job in that field, or has to figure out a real life problem that can be solved by using what he learned in school. Without education, the training of the human minds is incomplete. I believe that every child has the ability to learn, but it takes a good teacher to be able to bring this ability out.
ReplyDeleteEducation is inevitable. It is all around us because we can learn from virtually anything. When you are cooking, dancing, talking or any other activity you have actually had to learn several things to be able to do them.
In the educational perspective, I am a pragmatist and I tend to follow after Dewey’s footsteps. The concept of Pragmatism is one that developed in the 20th century. My philosophy is based on the idea that learning should involve real-life situations. Learning becomes more concrete to a student when they apply it to real-life situations, as where learning things that do not connect to them has more of an abstract sense. They learn from the teacher being a positive role model.
Personally, I would have to agree with Dewey when he said, “I believe that education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living.” (Dewey 22) Education is a process of living. I want children to learn to be able to think for themselves and be problem solvers that will be able to use these skills in real life situations. My philosophy can be explained throughout the definition of a pragmatist, how I would relate it into practice in the curriculum and A Pragmatist is one of the four philosophies of education. In this situation, a teacher would be considered a facilitator; one who guides the students into their curriculum. The teacher in this philosophy must use all of their skills and introduce subjects to the children in ways that are stimulating to the students. The reason being is because in a Pragmatist model the curriculum is child-centered; it revolves around the child’s interest. Therefore, the teacher’s role is to bring that child into a certain subject by arousing their interest. The methodology a pragmatist teacher uses is hands-on. The students need those hands-on activities to help them relate to the lesson. Hands-on experiences are authentic experiences that the child will carry with them longer than a lesson out of a book. Dewey sums it up for me in saying, “I believe that education which does not occur through forms of life, or that are worth living for their own sake is always a poor substitute for the genuine reality and tends to cramp and to deaden.” (Dewey 23)
In my opinion, it is truly pointless to teach children without letting them experiment and become a part of the lesson. My philosophy was quite encouraged by the underlying branches of philosophy that are found in a Pragmatist. I strongly believe that we are here to educate the children, if we are not attending to their needs then we are truly not teaching.
I agree with Jaclyn in saying that students, “They will learn through experiencing the consequences of their acts and not through physical punishment.” Take a cue from the student's behavior and perhaps see a need to change the environment so it will be more conducive to the children. "Children need discipline but not hitting." Dawn Walker
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ReplyDeletePhilosophies of education have been an issue of debate for many years by different leaders throughout the centuries. We can trace back to the time immemorial of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. They all had their way of teaching and assessing information. Each one thought that their method and techniques were the best and no one would have a better idea. Nevertheless, in today modern society a combination of the three are used. In different areas, places, and subject areas different techniques are used. At the end of the day, information must be thought for all, in a methodology that is best understood by majority. This is what I believe, it should be child centered, and sometimes, it must be rendered for the slow learners in a variety of ways that will ignite their critical thinking. The philosophy of each educator impacts the students in different dimensions. Philosophy is about beliefs, methods, techniques, and theories of learning and the general concept of how information must be learned and acquired. Overall, I can go with a an aphorism by Mary Lynn Crow “ In the main, a person’s value beliefs, and philosophy can easily be ascertained by way he or she teaches. The instructional strategies an techniques that are adopted by a teacher bespeak his attitude about himself, his students and their perspective roles in the teaching-learning process.”
ReplyDeleteAs of a good philosophers, I believe that we must be very well prepared to enter the classroom. Not only to be a philosopher we must be prepared, but also be what is consider to be a professional. The more one is prepared the better one will perform at class. According to Wilson, Floden, & Mundy (2001) stated that “ It is no surprise that research shows a positive connection between teachers’ preparation in their subject matter and their performance and impact on the class room”. The more we know the field, the better we will understand the needs and act upon the needs. In all multicultural societies, we will encounter social problems and by understanding them we will be able to tackle them appropriately with its proper measurement. Consequently, the greater the impact on learning.
reference:
Wilson, S. M., Floden, R. E., & Mundy, J. F. (2001, February). Teacher
preparation research: Current Knowledge, Gaps, and Recommendations. A research Report prepared for thhe U.S Department of Education . Michigan, United States of America.
In response to Julia.
ReplyDeleteJulia brought something very interesting about her philosophy. She stated that education is the manufacturer of most professions, such as doctors, crooked lawyers, teachers, legal thieves and so on. It is through education that all of them move forward in through the vertical social class mobility in an open system. In an open system, it is clear that education do move people to the higher classes because of their income or status. At some point in their lives, these “professionals” whatever is their profession, were touched by vibrant teachers who ignited their motivation spirit to continue on with their education. We recognize that school equips most people with skills that are required to perform on certain jobs or at least to make somebody a better citizen. Also school doesn’t guarantee to anybody a good life, it can help it, through preparation but at the end is how much an individual put himself in accomplishing his dreams.
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. ~Aristotle
Primilee says:My philosophy of education is that teachers must be pragmatic about the quality of their work, rather than trying to make sure that it reflects their philosophy of it. That is to say, teaching should be based on what the relevant empirical evidence indicates is the most cost- and time-effective way to develop students’ academic skills and knowledge.
ReplyDeleteIt was wondering if I could use this write-up on my other website. I will link it back to your website though.Great Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWeiterbildung