I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say "because of you I didn't give up."
Philosophy of Education
Education has always been a very controversial topic in any governmental platform. The questions seem to always be the same ones; are we teaching the children properly? Are they learning? Do they spend too much time in school or not enough? Does school really prepare them for the future? Are the teachers being prepared accordingly? And the list goes on. According to dictionary.com the definition of “education” is as follows, the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life. Whether we agree or disagree with this definition, the ultimate goal as an educator is to prepare children for their own future in society, by giving them the knowledge and the tools to be become a successful, well prepared member of society; that will not only be an example but also set the example for many others. As a future educator, I believe it is our job to teach and show children how valuable being educated could be, and I also believe that I need to be properly educated in order to share my knowledge to others.
There are four different types of learning styles those being visual; in which students learn through seeing. Auditory; in which students learn most through hearing, tactile; in which students learn through touch. And, lastly, there is kinesthetic, in which students learn through doing and moving. According to AbilityPath.org children as they start growing they take preference to one or multiple ways of learning. Throughout my years in school, observations and preparation around a school setting I have gotten to compare the way we all learn; which is not only by listening or writing or simply by just copying notes, we all learn differently. There are children that learn best in a quiet area, and by themselves. There are also those who are visual learners, which everything needs to be taught step by step. Group participation has become one main goal in education, we use it more and more in our schools. Interaction with one another has become a top priority, due to the fact that children learn better by helping one another. As an educator, I believe that a school setting should not be limited to a room of four walls, we are setting a limit to our children who can grow to become, great citizens of our community. A learning environment should include trips to the park, museums, planting, grocery shopping, doing homework. We should incorporate what we learn in school in our daily lives, because children should be able to relate one topic to another, by putting point A to point B together. One main point is to let children question what they are learning, and why they are learning it. A learning environment should be full of questions, and encouragement to find the answer in various ways not just one.
We live in a country in which diversity is visible in everywhere we go, stores, schools, and streets. As an educator we are meant to show these differences in our young learners. In the book Why We Teach there is a chapter in which the teacher takes her students to learn about people from Ghana, many of the children were un-aware of their culture and how similar we all are. So, I believe that children should be exposed to different cultures not just their own, but also the ones of their classmates. In a classroom, I believe we should give everyone a chance to share his or her traditions, taste different foods, share special celebrations or holidays. By doing this we expand their mind to learn more about others, and respect their beliefs and not just question them. By allowing students to share we give equal access to traditions, and to learning, there is no preference to just one ethnicity, and the children will see that and feel that they are all just as important as anyone else.
My beliefs about what we teach and how we teach, it is all depends on the subject. English, which is the subject in which we learn literacy and literature, along with writing should definitely include theater performances. We should encourage more reading, but also make it more fun, and interactive, not so much writing or so much reading; we have to encourage our children to read for fun and not just because it is a requirement. Math; is one tough subject for years we have been taught to do a math problem one way, when in reality there are multiple ways to approach a math problem. I would encourage my students to find a way that makes sense to them, whether it is through a drawing, using props, or simply by explaining. Science; it is one of the subjects I believe should be taught mostly outdoors, mostly hands-on, and what a better way than to have our students experience the life outdoors. History; has always been a boring subject for many, the trips to museums it is always a great to encourage children to learn more, or have students try some things that are part of our history. The list of ways to teach is very long, but I think its best when we learn heads-on. By being outdoors, students are able to see it and physically experience something, it makes it a learning experience not only fun but memorable, and highly encouraging.
Lastly, I have learned that effective teachers share a common ground on everything they touch. An effective teacher for me is someone who takes the time to learn about her students, and learns with them too by asking questions constantly. I had the greatest Biology teacher that taught her class for the most part outdoors, and that class is one of my most memorable moments as a student. So, if I could do for my students share the same passion for learning with them, I believe I will be an effective teacher, also if I share that with my colleagues that share the same interest the learning will be more effective not just for my students, but others as well. As a professional we have to keep learning, finding new ways of teaching, keep up with the new ways, and I will do that by attending workshops, taking more classes, and more than anything be open to new ways of teaching. Our students deserve to learn, and we could do that by encouraging new ways and applying them in our classrooms one child at a time.
Education has always been a very controversial topic in any governmental platform. The questions seem to always be the same ones; are we teaching the children properly? Are they learning? Do they spend too much time in school or not enough? Does school really prepare them for the future? Are the teachers being prepared accordingly? And the list goes on. According to dictionary.com the definition of “education” is as follows, the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life. Whether we agree or disagree with this definition, the ultimate goal as an educator is to prepare children for their own future in society, by giving them the knowledge and the tools to be become a successful, well prepared member of society; that will not only be an example but also set the example for many others. As a future educator, I believe it is our job to teach and show children how valuable being educated could be, and I also believe that I need to be properly educated in order to share my knowledge to others.
There are four different types of learning styles those being visual; in which students learn through seeing. Auditory; in which students learn most through hearing, tactile; in which students learn through touch. And, lastly, there is kinesthetic, in which students learn through doing and moving. According to AbilityPath.org children as they start growing they take preference to one or multiple ways of learning. Throughout my years in school, observations and preparation around a school setting I have gotten to compare the way we all learn; which is not only by listening or writing or simply by just copying notes, we all learn differently. There are children that learn best in a quiet area, and by themselves. There are also those who are visual learners, which everything needs to be taught step by step. Group participation has become one main goal in education, we use it more and more in our schools. Interaction with one another has become a top priority, due to the fact that children learn better by helping one another. As an educator, I believe that a school setting should not be limited to a room of four walls, we are setting a limit to our children who can grow to become, great citizens of our community. A learning environment should include trips to the park, museums, planting, grocery shopping, doing homework. We should incorporate what we learn in school in our daily lives, because children should be able to relate one topic to another, by putting point A to point B together. One main point is to let children question what they are learning, and why they are learning it. A learning environment should be full of questions, and encouragement to find the answer in various ways not just one.
We live in a country in which diversity is visible in everywhere we go, stores, schools, and streets. As an educator we are meant to show these differences in our young learners. In the book Why We Teach there is a chapter in which the teacher takes her students to learn about people from Ghana, many of the children were un-aware of their culture and how similar we all are. So, I believe that children should be exposed to different cultures not just their own, but also the ones of their classmates. In a classroom, I believe we should give everyone a chance to share his or her traditions, taste different foods, share special celebrations or holidays. By doing this we expand their mind to learn more about others, and respect their beliefs and not just question them. By allowing students to share we give equal access to traditions, and to learning, there is no preference to just one ethnicity, and the children will see that and feel that they are all just as important as anyone else.
My beliefs about what we teach and how we teach, it is all depends on the subject. English, which is the subject in which we learn literacy and literature, along with writing should definitely include theater performances. We should encourage more reading, but also make it more fun, and interactive, not so much writing or so much reading; we have to encourage our children to read for fun and not just because it is a requirement. Math; is one tough subject for years we have been taught to do a math problem one way, when in reality there are multiple ways to approach a math problem. I would encourage my students to find a way that makes sense to them, whether it is through a drawing, using props, or simply by explaining. Science; it is one of the subjects I believe should be taught mostly outdoors, mostly hands-on, and what a better way than to have our students experience the life outdoors. History; has always been a boring subject for many, the trips to museums it is always a great to encourage children to learn more, or have students try some things that are part of our history. The list of ways to teach is very long, but I think its best when we learn heads-on. By being outdoors, students are able to see it and physically experience something, it makes it a learning experience not only fun but memorable, and highly encouraging.
Lastly, I have learned that effective teachers share a common ground on everything they touch. An effective teacher for me is someone who takes the time to learn about her students, and learns with them too by asking questions constantly. I had the greatest Biology teacher that taught her class for the most part outdoors, and that class is one of my most memorable moments as a student. So, if I could do for my students share the same passion for learning with them, I believe I will be an effective teacher, also if I share that with my colleagues that share the same interest the learning will be more effective not just for my students, but others as well. As a professional we have to keep learning, finding new ways of teaching, keep up with the new ways, and I will do that by attending workshops, taking more classes, and more than anything be open to new ways of teaching. Our students deserve to learn, and we could do that by encouraging new ways and applying them in our classrooms one child at a time.