Philosophy of Education
Philosophy of Education
Philosophy of Education
EDUC 300.6
Philosophy of Education
Education plays a huge role in a child’s life. They spend six to eight hours, five days a
week, one hundred eighty days a year in school. It shapes them into the people that they are, and
they learn everything from academics knowledge to social skills in this institution called
education. Some students graduate still wondering why they sat in classrooms for so many hours
of the day because often times, teachers forget to remind students of why their education is
important. The purpose of earning an education gets lost along the path to graduation
sometimes.
Education has always seemed transitional to me because it served as a jumping off point
to higher education, though that may not be the purpose of school for other students. In general,
education serves the purpose to teaching students skills that they need to continue on in life in
whatever field they choose. Students should leave school knowing what it means to be well
informed and high quality community members, citizens, and human beings Students in search
of higher education should graduate high school with a strong academic foundation, work ethic,
and time management skills. Those who choose to enter the work field should leave school with
skills in the area they are interested in along with a strong basic academic foundation. Both
demographics should graduate with strong social skills and independent living and learning
skills. Social skills will help them resolve conflict and communicate with others effectively.
Independent living skills will help them lead healthy lifestyles, manage their financial
obligations, and live on their own. Independent learning skills will allow students to continue to
pursue education in whatever form they desire. As a teacher, I want my students to know that
they are students for life, and I want to provide them with the skills as well as ignite their passion
Two things all students should graduate school with are strong critical thinking and
problem solving skills. These skills can be used to help change the world that we live in. Every
situation or crisis that is seen on the news can be resolved with critical thinking and problem
solving skills, which is why I promote the social reconstructivism philosophy. Social
reconstructivism focuses on teaching students about identifying the inequities around them,
forming their own stances on those inequities, and coming up with ways to dissolve those
inequities in the best way possible (Sadker & Zittleman, 2012). This learning philosophy teaches
strong critical thinking and problem solving skills (2012). It pushes students to identify multiple
intertwining problems and then weighing the pros, cons, and any risks involved in the multiple
different solutions. The skills learned through the social reconstructivism philosophy are
transferable to any field of their life (2012). They can be used in a classroom, a relationship, an
child-centered teaching. Teachers can inspire and build students up or they can completely ruin
a child’s passion to learn. Despite the triteness, children really are the future of this country and
the world. Teachers play one of the most crucial roles in preparing children to change the world,
and the most important lessons that are taught, cannot be taught in any one subject. Children
also learn better when teachers tailor their teaching to each specific child. Though, this is not
always easy or possible, any attempt to connect and educate individuals is never a failed attempt.
Curriculum
What is a school without an effective curriculum? Nothing. Schools should offer classes
that fit and appeal to all the needs and interests of its students. Schools should require all of the
main academic fields such as science, history, math, and English, but there should be many
different varieties of classes to take within each discipline. For example, a student could fulfill
their history requirement by taking a history class on a country that they are interested in or on a
specific time span in history that they really enjoy. Within the English department, students
could take Shakespearean literature, poetry, creative writing, journalism, etc. All of these classes
however, should somehow incorporate themes and lessons that encourage critical thinking,
problem solving, and other skills involved in the Social Reconstructivism Philosophy. Teachers
could do this by creating assignments or projects that force students to use and further develop
their skills.
The main skills involved in Social Reconstructivism such as problem solving and critical
thinking should always be enforced and included across all disciplines. Students should be
learning how to assess multiple problems, calculate their best risk, and solve the given problems
using the critical thinking skills that they are also learning along the way. Teachers in all
disciplines should also be looking for ways to relate their curriculum to real life events that could
be based off of current events happening in the world around us or situations that are made up or
Every class should be set up and ran in a way that makes it possible for every student to
succeed. In some diverse classrooms, full of children with different needs and accommodations,
succeeding can be one of the most difficult challenges they have ever faced. One example of a
diverse student who struggles to succeed is a student with special needs. I believe that it is
completely possible for every student with a disability to be included with the rest of their class
and should be included fully whenever possible. It is important for these special learners to
regularly be interacting, working with, and learning from the other students who do not have a
diagnosed disability (Fisher & Frey, 2016). These regular interactions help students with special
needs better learn the social norms of society along with learning to be more self sufficient in
their own tasks by watching how other students handle their own activities (2016). For those
students without disabilities, it provides numerous opportunities to teach and learn from others
who think and function differently than they do (2016). Another example of a diverse student is
an English Language Learner. The most important way to help ELL’s learn is to always provide
an accepting and encouraging learning environment where they feel comfortable embracing their
own culture and language while also learning a new ones (“What to do first in the ELL
classroom”). Another way to help their learning is by using Gardner’s multiple intelligences.
intrapersonal, and naturalist (Ryan, Cooper, & Bolick, 2016). Teachers can relatively easily
teach ELL’s using their other strengths in other intelligences. For example, maybe a student is
struggling to learn colors in the English language, but if a teacher takes those English colors and
puts them to music, then the student may learn and retain them better because that information is
Learning should always revolve around the relationship between the teacher and the
student. A student cannot be successful without a teacher, and a teacher cannot teach effectively
without a student. Both parties learn and grow from each other. Students learn the material from
the teacher, and the teacher learns how to better meet each student’s needs by assessing their
knowledge. However, who is to blame when a student does not succeed? The teacher or the
student? I believe it is sixty percent of a student’s education falls on his or her own shoulders,
and the other forty percent falls on the teacher’s. A student must be willing to teach and learn on
their own at times. There are lessons to be learned from actively pursuing an education as
opposed to passively receiving one. Students who persistently seek more and more knowledge
will walk away with more than they had originally intended along with learning self-discipline,
focus, and dedication. From my own experience, I have learned more and enjoy the classes more
where I pushed myself to learn more about what the teacher was teaching in class on my own,
and I often did better in those classes. I have met plenty of students who passively sit in class
expecting to absorb all the knowledge they need, and often times, those students barely pass
those classes and leave with less passion about learning than when they had first walked through
the doors of that classroom. However, I have also been in classes where the teacher just teaches
very poorly making it incredibly difficult to learn and retain the information in front of me. I
have also had teachers who have drained my own thirst for knowledge because they made, what
I once thought to be, an enjoyable subject unbearable. There are also teachers out there who
structure their classes in a way that makes it hard for students to succeed such as not providing
enough grading opportunities for students to occasionally not do well, however, the
responsibility mainly belongs to the student to actively be seeking and practicing his or her
knowledge.
understanding students, teachers, and administrators. What does this look like exactly? Well,
learning is full of triumphs and defeats, and all involved in the learning process should be
understanding of both the ups and downs of learning. Students will succeed, and teachers should
celebrate that victory with them, but students will also fail from time to time, and those times are
the most important because that is usually where a student learns the most. During these times of
failure, it is extremely important for all parties involved to practice patience and understanding.
It is very easy for a student or teacher to give up when they do not succeed, so it is crucial for
Classrooms should cater to the students that enter it. Each student’s individual needs
should be addressable within that space. The classroom should also offer calm and sanctuary to
those students who need it. It should be organized, uplifting, and colorful. All diversities should
be represented in someway so that every student who enters feels welcome and safe. When I
envision what my classroom looks like, I picture a very organized environment full of positive
and inspiring pictures and posters. I also see parts of my classroom offering more subdued and
peaceful spaces for students to calm down and collect themselves and their thoughts. I picture
inspirational quotes from musicians and conductors from all different walks of life pinned up all
of the classroom. I also see displays of instruments and music from different cultures so that my
students are aware that music beyond the Western world exists and that it is also beautiful.
The most important part to an effective classroom is an effective teacher. Teachers
should be excited to teach their subject matter and display their excitement and passion to teach
each and every student regularly (Ryan, Cooper, & Bolick, 2016). This influences students to be
passionate about their own education, so they learn more because the teacher is excited about
what they are teaching. Teachers should also create safe and positive environments where
students feel comfortable to try and fail; it is from this failure that they learn the most important
lessons that cannot be taught. Effective teachers should also keep organized and maintained
classrooms so that every student feels motivated to learn because they have a classroom that
reflects the kind of education they would like to receive. Students feel valued and important
when they are able to learn in an environment that meets all of their own needs.
fellow teachers, and parents. It is always impressive to meet someone who is professional in
everything they do but yet warm and friendly. At times, it can be so easy to be professional but
cold and impersonal, and I think the most important part is to build professional relationships.
To do that, one must be friendly and warm. This type of relationship with an administrator
might look like that of a mentorship. A teacher can create a relationship where he or she is
topics or situations. A similar relationship with a fellow teacher could look very similar or could
even be considered a friendship. Schools work best when teachers work together, and when
teachers work together, it is difficult not to build supportive relationships. When concerning
parents or guardians, teachers should always make it known that they, too, are advocates for each
student. Teachers should never be an enemy to parents, but an extra set of helping hands.
Parents should feel comfortable approaching a teacher when dealing with a variety of issues such
as behavior or learning issues. This relationship should always be of support and teamwork
those can be hard to foster. My students should know what hard work looks and feels like, but
they should also know that hard work deserves play, as well. I want to help build strong and
productive work ethics while also encouraging a warm social environment where every student
feels supported by the other. Learning is team sport; no student can learn and thrive as well on
their own as they can with a team of supportive peers. I want to teach my students that their
success is dependent upon their success of those around them which will encourage them to
always be willing to help those who struggle the most. Teaching just a few of these behaviors
and outlooks will transfer over to their everyday life which, on a larger scale, could change the
world.
teach my students what it means to be a good person, and give them the tools they need to
succeed in their life and the world. My students are the future of this world, and for my sake, I
want them to walk away with a toolbelt full of ways for them to potential change the world--or at
least the corner of the world that they live in. On paper, my job is to teach students music, but in
practice, I teach self-discipline, teamwork, practice, and patience along with other more drawn
In the world of music education, I want to at least dabble in the multiple schools of
thoughts in teaching music to have a more well-rounded idea of how to teach music to all of my
students which will help me be able to reach out to more diverse students. I also want to do
more research on how to take the world of music and teach it in a way that helps students learn
other critical thinking and problem solving skills, so they can go on to help change the world one
day. It is also important to me continue to learn how to bring other subjects into my music
classroom so that students can see the role music has or can have in other discipline and facets of
life. I also want to pursue an even higher education in administration so I can continue to learn
more about how to better accommodate and advocate for my students’ needs.
I am flawed just as every person is, and I have many personality traits that I should stop
before I become a teacher such as my love of procrastination. Procrastination can be the kiss of
death in a classroom just as it can be for any college student. If a teacher is not proactive about
their grading, lesson plans, etc., the fun of teaching can very quickly and easily get lost in the
piles of work that can accumulate on a desk in a short amount of time. I need to start being more
proactive about my time management and assignments. I need to start my projects sooner, and
space the work out over a reasonable amount of time. This will allow me to more time to enjoy
relatively easy for me to build relationships with other professionals within my field, and those
relationships have brought me to so many incredible opportunities and experiences which have
helped me grow as a teacher, leader, and professional. Networking is often times regarded as
one of the most important skills to learn as a young professional, and it is one that I want to
continue mastering so that I have a web of people who are here to support me in all of my
endeavors.
References
Fisher, Douglas & Frey, Nancy. (November, 2016). Show & tell: a video column/only as special
Ryan, K., Cooper, J.M., & Bolick, C.M. (2016). Those who can, teach. Boston, MA:
Cengage Learning.
Sadker, D.M., & Zittleman, K.R. (2012). Teachers, schools, and society. (3rd ed.). New York:
McGraw-Hill.
http://www.colorincolorado.org/classroom-video/what-do-first-ell-classroom