Abstract
Locke
Locke believed that students were capable of rational thought and decision-making. A teacher's main goal should be to character development for each child; and they should teach to the innate traits and temperaments of each student. Locke also believed that the subjects should be integrated as most learning was based on the natural and clear connections between the different content areas. I envision my own classroom as a place where I get to know my students and teach to their strengths and help them make their weaknesses less of a weakness by giving activities that help them develop and grow. Every student is different, and my classroom will be a place where all students are safe and realize their own potential. Integrated learning is a powerful tool for me as an educator because it gives me the chance to spread my own knowledge of another subject but also provide my students with what could be the most exciting and effective lessons they get out of the class. Integrated learning works because of its multiple focus, which leaves students to take their own interests and make more connections between the information and their own lives. Too many times in education we treat learning as a school-specific enterprise or information as a lesson-specific occurrence; I want my students to be lifelong learners and seeing learning as a continuous, omnipresent aspect of their environment will assist me in that goal.
Pestalozzi
Pestalozzi said that the teacher should teach to the whole child, including their emotional and social needs; in addition, teachers should remember that all students have different mental and moral characteristics within their personality. To this end, learning must be based on the interests of the child, in that they will be motivated to work through a caring student/teacher relationship and group instruction. All discipline is based in respect for the student and punishment and fear have no place in the classroom. I mentioned in my previous post that I am an existential and pragmatic teacher--this lends itself to my teaching in that I care about the student whether it be their educational or emotional needs that need assistance. Learning which is not based on a student's interest will rarely if ever lead that student to be intrinsically motivated to learn; I want my students to be motivated to learn because that will give them more enthusiasm about their discoveries and will allow them to become lifelong learners who see new information in everything they see around them. I know that it is important to maintain class management, and that sometimes this must manifest as punishment, but I refuse to put fear into my students; true learning can only be found through free will and dedication to the process of discovery, so in my classroom my students will be respected.
Dewey
For Dewey, education involved student growth and construction of their experiences by thinking, not teaching methods. His philosophy centered on hands-on learning and authentic experiences such as problem solving, cooperative learning and service learning. Dewey championed the idea that students needed choices in their education; with choices, students could foster mutual respect for their different cultures and reevaluate the environment around them. Dewey believed in child-centered education. Dewey may be the educator I most connect with in terms of philosophy as I have been reading about him for over a month as part of my research on experiential education. I too have a very student-centered philosophy: we are supposed to be teaching kids, and I can't see how you can do that if they aren't the biggest consideration in your methods. Students who experience learning, rather than jot it down and cough it up for a test are not only more likely to retain the knowledge but also find it more relevant to their own lives. My being a math teacher does have a big part in molding my affinity for hands-on learning and discovery, but I have realized that despite mathematics, learning done through experience heps students make better choices in their own learning. I not only respect my students, but I want them to respect each other; experiential education helps students see the strengths in each other and works better in getting them to remember and apply their learning to the world around them.
Tyler
Tyler thought education was about changing student behavior in thinking, feeling and acting. To him, students needed to develop problem-solving skills, learn in a progressive environment of cooperation and interdisciplinary teaching, and lastly learn to never close off their mind from new knowledge. Tyler wanted student learning to be an experience steeped in evaluation so that students would always reflect on the relevance of their new learning. I disagree with Tyler that education is about changing a student's behavior, but have chosen him because in essence I do think my biggest responsibility to my students is to give them the skills to change their own behavior as necessary and not only make good choices about their learning but understand how to achieve their own potential outside of school and the world beyond the classroom walls. Again, like with the other philosophers I agree that cooperative learning and an interdisciplinary approach are powerful tools in a teacher's arsenal; in fact, they are the best methods a teacher can use to stop students from closing their mind to knowledge. Students are drawn to action, and so as an educator I believe that the classroom should be a moving environment where life does not stand still and watch. Students who discover knowledge for themselves take more ownership in their learning and are more equipped to become lifelong pursuers of learning and reflective thinkers and leaders in their community.
Montessori
Also a child-centered educational theorist, Montessori wanted students to teach themselves within an environment full of resources and where they could interact with each other and develop cooperatively. The teacher was to be a facilitator, whose responsibility was to create a classroom where student needs could be met and allow all students to succeed. Mostly, her plan was to have students achieve their full potential through experimental learning and self-directed independent activities. A classroom without numerous and diversified resources is like a phone booth without a phone book in that if you enter this phone booth unsure of the number you need to call, then you end up leaving without accomplishing your task--such it is with the classroom without resources, students leave without having accomplished the goal of learning because they have nothing to help them to do so. I plan on being the primary source for my students, not as an expert, but as an assistant who can guide them to the right resources or give them some help when they get stuck. I consider my teaching style to be one of cooperation with my students, where every day brings new discovery for myself and students leave the classroom feeling accomplished and ready to go out and learn even more. The best things in life are filled with color, and so I don't want my classroom to be black and white, meaning students get an all or nothing education; education is about compromise, so my students will discover that learning is subjective to their own experiences and history. I believe in them, and that makes a huge difference.
Class Discussion
Discipline
I have a hard time when it comes to discipline because I am "too nice": this is the aspect of my teaching that I plan on spending the most time perfecting and strengthening. Steph agreed with me and expressed a similar concern that discipline would be a trouble spot or flaw in our teaching. What do my role model philosophers say about this? Two good examples are Pestalozzi who says all discipline is based in respect for the student and punishment and fear have no place in the classroom and Montessori who believed in caring and kind discipline. I agree a lot wit these two philosophies, simply because discipline which seeks to scare and scar will only make students hate and ignore their teacher rather than respect me and listen and caring discipline helps to create the safe and warm environment that I want my classroom to be for every student. With student teaching come up, I am ready to use this time to strengthen my discipline techniques and class management: I will be a great teacher, and my classroom will be a good place of learning because students will want to learn and will also adhere to the rules with brisk, appropriate discipline that seeks to instruct and motivate rather then abuse.
Locke
Locke believed that students were capable of rational thought and decision-making. A teacher's main goal should be to character development for each child; and they should teach to the innate traits and temperaments of each student. Locke also believed that the subjects should be integrated as most learning was based on the natural and clear connections between the different content areas. I envision my own classroom as a place where I get to know my students and teach to their strengths and help them make their weaknesses less of a weakness by giving activities that help them develop and grow. Every student is different, and my classroom will be a place where all students are safe and realize their own potential. Integrated learning is a powerful tool for me as an educator because it gives me the chance to spread my own knowledge of another subject but also provide my students with what could be the most exciting and effective lessons they get out of the class. Integrated learning works because of its multiple focus, which leaves students to take their own interests and make more connections between the information and their own lives. Too many times in education we treat learning as a school-specific enterprise or information as a lesson-specific occurrence; I want my students to be lifelong learners and seeing learning as a continuous, omnipresent aspect of their environment will assist me in that goal.
Pestalozzi
Pestalozzi said that the teacher should teach to the whole child, including their emotional and social needs; in addition, teachers should remember that all students have different mental and moral characteristics within their personality. To this end, learning must be based on the interests of the child, in that they will be motivated to work through a caring student/teacher relationship and group instruction. All discipline is based in respect for the student and punishment and fear have no place in the classroom. I mentioned in my previous post that I am an existential and pragmatic teacher--this lends itself to my teaching in that I care about the student whether it be their educational or emotional needs that need assistance. Learning which is not based on a student's interest will rarely if ever lead that student to be intrinsically motivated to learn; I want my students to be motivated to learn because that will give them more enthusiasm about their discoveries and will allow them to become lifelong learners who see new information in everything they see around them. I know that it is important to maintain class management, and that sometimes this must manifest as punishment, but I refuse to put fear into my students; true learning can only be found through free will and dedication to the process of discovery, so in my classroom my students will be respected.
Dewey
For Dewey, education involved student growth and construction of their experiences by thinking, not teaching methods. His philosophy centered on hands-on learning and authentic experiences such as problem solving, cooperative learning and service learning. Dewey championed the idea that students needed choices in their education; with choices, students could foster mutual respect for their different cultures and reevaluate the environment around them. Dewey believed in child-centered education. Dewey may be the educator I most connect with in terms of philosophy as I have been reading about him for over a month as part of my research on experiential education. I too have a very student-centered philosophy: we are supposed to be teaching kids, and I can't see how you can do that if they aren't the biggest consideration in your methods. Students who experience learning, rather than jot it down and cough it up for a test are not only more likely to retain the knowledge but also find it more relevant to their own lives. My being a math teacher does have a big part in molding my affinity for hands-on learning and discovery, but I have realized that despite mathematics, learning done through experience heps students make better choices in their own learning. I not only respect my students, but I want them to respect each other; experiential education helps students see the strengths in each other and works better in getting them to remember and apply their learning to the world around them.
Tyler
Tyler thought education was about changing student behavior in thinking, feeling and acting. To him, students needed to develop problem-solving skills, learn in a progressive environment of cooperation and interdisciplinary teaching, and lastly learn to never close off their mind from new knowledge. Tyler wanted student learning to be an experience steeped in evaluation so that students would always reflect on the relevance of their new learning. I disagree with Tyler that education is about changing a student's behavior, but have chosen him because in essence I do think my biggest responsibility to my students is to give them the skills to change their own behavior as necessary and not only make good choices about their learning but understand how to achieve their own potential outside of school and the world beyond the classroom walls. Again, like with the other philosophers I agree that cooperative learning and an interdisciplinary approach are powerful tools in a teacher's arsenal; in fact, they are the best methods a teacher can use to stop students from closing their mind to knowledge. Students are drawn to action, and so as an educator I believe that the classroom should be a moving environment where life does not stand still and watch. Students who discover knowledge for themselves take more ownership in their learning and are more equipped to become lifelong pursuers of learning and reflective thinkers and leaders in their community.
Montessori
Also a child-centered educational theorist, Montessori wanted students to teach themselves within an environment full of resources and where they could interact with each other and develop cooperatively. The teacher was to be a facilitator, whose responsibility was to create a classroom where student needs could be met and allow all students to succeed. Mostly, her plan was to have students achieve their full potential through experimental learning and self-directed independent activities. A classroom without numerous and diversified resources is like a phone booth without a phone book in that if you enter this phone booth unsure of the number you need to call, then you end up leaving without accomplishing your task--such it is with the classroom without resources, students leave without having accomplished the goal of learning because they have nothing to help them to do so. I plan on being the primary source for my students, not as an expert, but as an assistant who can guide them to the right resources or give them some help when they get stuck. I consider my teaching style to be one of cooperation with my students, where every day brings new discovery for myself and students leave the classroom feeling accomplished and ready to go out and learn even more. The best things in life are filled with color, and so I don't want my classroom to be black and white, meaning students get an all or nothing education; education is about compromise, so my students will discover that learning is subjective to their own experiences and history. I believe in them, and that makes a huge difference.
Class Discussion
Discipline
I have a hard time when it comes to discipline because I am "too nice": this is the aspect of my teaching that I plan on spending the most time perfecting and strengthening. Steph agreed with me and expressed a similar concern that discipline would be a trouble spot or flaw in our teaching. What do my role model philosophers say about this? Two good examples are Pestalozzi who says all discipline is based in respect for the student and punishment and fear have no place in the classroom and Montessori who believed in caring and kind discipline. I agree a lot wit these two philosophies, simply because discipline which seeks to scare and scar will only make students hate and ignore their teacher rather than respect me and listen and caring discipline helps to create the safe and warm environment that I want my classroom to be for every student. With student teaching come up, I am ready to use this time to strengthen my discipline techniques and class management: I will be a great teacher, and my classroom will be a good place of learning because students will want to learn and will also adhere to the rules with brisk, appropriate discipline that seeks to instruct and motivate rather then abuse.
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