When I become a teacher, I will espouse an anti-traditionalist education philosophy. That is, I will reject the traditions that have stymied the critical thinking and democratic values that schools should inculcate in American youth and instead focus on creating a curriculum
Regardless of the curricular mandates imposed on me, I will teach what I think young people need to know. Namely, I hope to inform my students about how education administrations and governments run, reform, and maintain public schools as well as alternative schools. Before citizens can implement any changes to any oppressive system, those citizens must understand how that system of dominance oppresses the subordinate and perpetuates itself. However, schools likely will not openly accept subversive teaching units. For this reason, I want to sneak in subversive ideas. For example, I will ask students what they expect to get from school besides just getting a better job and inquire why and how they expect to get smarter from attending school. These questions may imply condescension on school as an institution, but what is important is that students don't blindly accept that school is necessary. Additionally, I will scrutinize my curriculum constantly to ensure that my students can relate with the material. Every school year will require major alterations and minor tweaking to keep the topics relevant to current issues and to improve on any mistakes I may have made in the past. In short, I don't want to simply go through the motions of teaching, following the instruction manual provided by my superiors. Treating my curriculum as an evolving, ever-changing text will protect it from stagnating, help me to avoid assumptions regarding older information, and determi...
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...ique ability to act as role models for students. If the main goal for schools is to transfer democratic ideals and engender critical thought to students, then teachers must epitomize these ideals and practice critical thinking. This means constantly analyzing all behavior and always avoiding making assumptions regarding curriculum and class exercises. Additionally, my students will trust my decisions and judgment when they have a perception of me as an expert in my field. For example, a person will trust the writing tips of a teacher when that teacher has published a book before. Teachers who can create a professional persona for themselves will legitimate their roles as authority figures or experts in their field. Moreover, students need to see their teachers have an active role in our local communities, especially those that directly affect the school community.
As I read these articles, I agreed with almost everything that was said. The Great Teacher Question: Beyond Competencies, by Edward R. Ducharme begins with a sentence that basically sums up my reason for teaching, “I begin this essay by defining a great teacher as one who influences others in positive ways so that their lives are forever altered” (Ducharme, 1991 p. 2). Over the course of a student’s education they will have many teachers, but there are maybe only one or two who are THE teacher. The teacher who impacts this child’s life in a positive way forever. The rest of the articles follow this same theme, suggesting ways that teachers can become THE teacher. One of the most important qualities I found in these articles (and one I
Schools across North America at present can be situated on a continuum extending between the limits of completely progressive and completely traditional – or, more accurately, on a continuum reflecting the various components of each model (Kohn, 2008). For many generations, the traditional educational model was and continues to be widely accepted and practiced (Wile, n.d). Teachers who practice this approach to teaching are concerned with transmitting a body of factual and cultural knowledge to students. The curriculum traditionally emphasizes the importance of textbooks to obtain knowledge and the accuracy of the learner's understanding of said knowledge, which is objectively tested or measured at the end of term (Kohn, 2008). Progressive principles have never been the predominant mode of teaching, state systems of common or public schooling primarily attempted to achieve cultural uniformity, not diversity, and to educate dutiful, not critical citizens. The term “progressive” arose in the 1890s and was further studied and enforced by the philosopher and educator, John Dewey (Gutek, 1991). In the 21st century, progressive educators have pursued ideas and practices that aim to make schools more effective agencies of a democratic society; this entails participation by all citizens in social, political and economic decisions that will affect their lives. To achieve this, educators encourage free activity, learning through experience, and a student-centered curriculum to cultivate individuality, equality and diversity (Columbia University, 2013). While Dewey circulated his ideas in numerous works, lectures, and articles, and went so far as to establish a Laboratory School to test his theories, there was still strong resistance agains...
To conclude, I believe that I, as a future teacher, can promote good values among my students. To do this, I have outlined my personal views on education. These views include the nature of students; the nature of knowledge, the purpose of education; the method of teaching; and the curriculum. With these views, I hope to be a teacher that inspires her students to always strive to achieve knowledge and understanding.
Teachers must promote independent thinking but also awareness of self and others. Teachers must create an environment where prior opinions are encouraged but temporary left at the door and present goals where students share ideas and collaborate with each other effectively. Students must learn to understand that everyone has different beliefs and views that differ from their own. Public education is safe place where students can become an active member in the learning community. Teachers create opportunities and provide knowledge for students to pave their own pathways on becoming productive
This book, Dare The School Build a New Social Order by George Counts, is an examination of teachers, the Progressive Education Movement, democracy and his idea on how to reform the American economy. The book is divided into 5 different sections. The first section is all about the Progressive Education Movement. Through this, George Counts points out many downsides and weaknesses of this ideal. He also talks about how he wants teachers to lead society instead of following it. In the second section, he examines 10 widespread fallacies. These fallacies were that man is born free, that children are born free, they live in a separate world of their own, education remains unchanged, education should have no bias, the object of education is to produce professors, school is an all-powerful educational agency, ignorance rather than knowledge is the way of wisdom, and education is made to prepare an individual for social change.
Successful teachers develop the whole child by making integrated efforts to promote their student’s academic, social and emotional learning. Children need to be aware of themselves and others; make responsible decisions, and be ethical and respectful of the people around them.
Mrs. Smith created an environment that allows students a primary role in their pursuit of knowledge, through the lens that each student is unique, but most importantly targets students potential. Another noteworthy aspect of Mrs. Smith’s ideology is her various perspectives of educational expressions. She provided her students the “what, how and why” of learning, which many may confuse with teacher pedagogy. On the contrary, in this case, it refers to her rooted ideologies and how they are showcased in the classroom. In other words, Mrs. Smith gave each student the tools needed, by placing equal expectations on her students, to see the lesson fruition. This, I believe, is the start of neutrality in teacher ideology that adheres to the call of salient changes in ideology that has been echoing for
I believe teachers should serve as role models and be the center of a classroom. In order to maintain that students stay on task and are all on the same page, the teacher needs to serve as a guide and direct the students. I do not believe that students learn best in a textbook based setting, but that textbooks are important when referencing material. I believe all students learn differently and look for new ideas or ways to teach lessons and concepts, so that my students can learn as effectively as possible. I also believe that a teacher teaches much more than the subject. It is very important for students in my classroom to something other than the subject that I teach. I want them to learn life skills that will help them in more areas and aspects of their life other than education. I believe my students should strive for hard work, dedication, and integrity, and go beyond learning just the content of a
The field of study that I chose to go into is Elementary Education. For the past two summers, I have participated in the AmeriCorps Energy Express program and I can honestly say the experiences I have with this program are very enlightening and valuable to my ideas and conceptions about being an educator. Through Energy Express, I came up with my own theory. Any mind seeks to always place its limits and boundaries around that which they do not fully understand. It seems that all concepts and ideas must be placed in this little box for all others to comprehend and follow. The same holds true for philosophies of education. There are countless numbers of ways that educators go about teaching their students, however, six have been singled out and dissected to death. Along with most other education majors pertaining to their philosophies, I too cannot seem to find one single one to encompass all of my beliefs and desires that I hold for teaching my future students. However, holding true to my assigned task, it appears that of the six major philosophies, I more closely agree with and can relate to those of Essentialism and Social Reconstructionism.
An effective teacher will excite, inspire and motivate students to be active in their learning, investigate new areas of knowledge and make connections to future learning (Whitton et al 2010). When a teacher is successful, their students are motivated, mutually respectful and ready to build on their knowledge and solve real-world problems. To be a teacher of value, one must have many skills and qualities to cater for a diversity of learners and their individual development; this includes many personal traits that are noticed students.
Often time’s curriculum is thought of as a set of rules and standards given to teachers to follow. However, more goes into a curriculum than just what meets perceived. Teachers are not just the vehicles from which a curriculum flows but in a sense, they embody it. There are four main different avenues in which curriculum is constructed. It’s constructed through government agencies, publishers, school systems, and teachers. It can be defined as “content, a set of specific educational plans, a changing series of planned learning experiences, or as everything that learners experience in school” (Van Brummelen, 20). A curriculum is strongly built behind a worldview. “A worldview is a comprehensive framework of basic convictions about life. Worldviews
I have found that my philosophy of education is a combination of two philosophies. They are Idealism and Realism. I also agree with two points in the Existentialism and pragmatism philosophies. L believe that a teacher should know their content very well. This is one of the most important things that I believe that I should do as a classroom teacher. I also believe that the classroom teacher is a model for the students. The students will watch them to see how they live their lives and how they react to situations that may arise in the classroom. I also believe that each child in the world today is a valuable contribution to society. Each child can fulfill any dream they may have, but I also believe that your dreams need to be reasonable. Each child can contribute something to society because the world needs farmers just as much as they need politicians. Another important thing that I believe should be focused on is to encourage students to seek the truth. I feel that this statement means that a student need to establish their own beliefs on issues, and they also need to be able to back up why they believe what they believe. These beliefs need to be personal. The teacher does not need to focus on their own personal beliefs, but also on beliefs that are opposite of theirs. A teacher needs to focus on the good and bad things on eac...
One of the most important things to me as a teacher is that I am a leader, for 180 days out of the year students will come in my classroom and look to me to learn. I believe in leadership by example,. I must show up each morning prepared and ready to work, stay after school if necessary and do whatever it takes to get the job done. I will present a professional appearance and be a role model for my students. I will be consistent in my classroom management, discipline and keep my students on task.
In serving as teachers with advise about a society that they know and are very much a part of, they apply a much needed force to society giving them the power to link their cultural ideals with the modern ideals of the Western world.
First, I realized that, teachers carry a lot of weight on their shoulders and have great responsibilities. They have to balance the curriculum, students, parents, lesson plans, common core, and upper management and still maintain a professional demeanor. Second, educators must follow a strong code of ethics. They must be professional at all times with students and colleagues, keep confidentiality, not have or show any prejudice or bias, maintain safe and positive learning environments, help students with problems, and hand out disciplines accordingly. Lastly, I found that when you’re a teacher, your education never stops. Teachers are always trying to improve their own education and professional growth, both for the benefit of their students and for the benefit of themselves.