Tiffani Linville 1

Philosophy Paper
Tiffani Linville
Mrs. Hamms EDU 201
February 28, 2016

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Relationships are important to people and it has been for a long

time. Relationships are the connection and bond that forms between
people and they can be good or bad. In a school there are many
different relationships. There is a relationship between colleagues,
classmates, and even staff members. But one of the biggest and most
important relationships in the whole entire school is the relationship
between the student and the teacher because they are the whole
purpose of the school. If a student and a teacher have a good
relationship, then that means that the student is probably gaining the
best knowledge they can get or best effort for that knowledge. If they
have a bad relationship, then they are probably struggling a little in
the classroom and it is not because they teacher does not like the
student so they gave them a bad grade. This means that the student
is having a hard time making a connection. Philosophy is important in
the classroom but there are two main philosophies that I am drawn to
because of the relationship that the student and teacher would have
because of it.
Social constructivism is focused on the nature of learning
(Berkeley Graduate Division 1). I am drawn to the social

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constructivism philosophy because it builds a relationship between

the teacher and the student. If there is the relationship between
teacher and student send the student will not pay attention to the
teacher and they will not gain that knowledge. For example, when I
was a student I do not like to be talked at. I had a teacher in the
Second grade that just lectured the whole time she was teaching and
it did not benefit me. She wanted us to learn based off oh what she
wrote on the board and believe that we should be reading the book on
our own. We were neither in college nor high school. On the other
hand my fifth grade teacher was the complete opposite. She had
taught my brother when he was in fifth grade so she already knew
me. If I did not understand something she would try and related to
softball because she knew I was a softball player. To me when
teachers find commonality in what theyre teaching and let the
students like to do they make the best progress.
This leads me to the other theory that I agree with which is
progressivism. Progressivism is focused on the experience of the
children (Natalie Boyd 1). I think that the whole entire school day is
revolved around the students and not the teacher. Some people think
is the teacher is in control, but with this philosophy students are the
main focus because they are the ones that are gaining the
knowledge. Students have made progress over the years with this

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philosophy because they have been in charge of their own education

and it helps them learn how to manage their own mind.
In a classroom, I think have always thought that not only the
students are learning but the teacher as well. Teachers sometimes
portray to their own students that they are the all-knowing being. I
know that not all teachers are like that but they do sometimes without
even knowing it and they may not even mean to do it. They are in
charge in their mind but in my mind the students are in charge of
their own education. They determine how well they do and even
though they are learning from the teacher they are the ones that
decide how well they obtain the knowledge that they are gaining that
day.
Classrooms become more involved when they use social
constructivism as a philosophy because the students get to be
involved in whatever is being taught. Lectures are so boring and if I
think that a lecture is boring at the age of nineteen then a five to ten
year old is not going to interested in it either. According to UCD
Dublin, the main activity that social constructivism is used for is to
help them solve problems (UCD Dublin 1). This can be incorporated in
daily life, which is what everyone is in school for to learn. Teachers
that talk about the people they teach sometimes and they talk about
how smart some are and others arent.

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In my future classroom I will have a different kind of philosophy

that will combine the two different philosophies. I will talk to my
students, which will keep the focus of my classroom on them and not
me. I plan to teach in the second or third grade which is where
students do need my attention but for the majority they will not need
too much of it. I will be involved with each of my students and I plan
to help them to become close enough with me that they feel like they
can tell me anything and they will not be uncomfortable. I think that
an approachable teacher is the best kind of teacher that any student
could have. A lot of kids that are in elementary school feel judged if
they have to ask the teacher a question because they do not
understand what is going on. I completely understand this because I
had the influence on how smart my siblings were inside and outside
the classroom. I tried to be just like them. I put so much pressure on
myself and I thought to myself that there was no way that my siblings
asked any questions when they were in class because they knew
everything. Since I wanted to be just like them I thought that I should
not ask any questions. I dont want any kids in my classroom to feel
the way I did. Since school is very social I thought I could talk to my
classmates and they could help me figure it out. I executed the social
constructivism philosophy out without even knowing it because my
knowledge grew due to my social encounter (Learning Teaching 1).

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The purpose of school is to educate people and to be educated

by some very good teachers. School is also a place for kids to feel
safe. I think that children should feel at home when they come to
school. They may not be excited to be there but they know that they
will be taken care of when they get there. Teachers should greet their
students when they walk in and with a smile on their face. When I
came into school and the teacher had a smile on their face it would
put a smile on my face no matter what mood I was in. I think that
childrens nature is to have fun because they are just children and
they have so much energy that they need to let it out. I think that
teachers should have a class that has a lot of hands on activities
because it will help the children get rid of some of that energy and it
will keep them focused on the lesson, which will help them learn
better.
I think that not only should the basic curriculum be taught at
school but electives, sharing, sportsmanship, and things to that
nature should be taught outside of the regular classroom and
incorporated into the regular classroom. They do not have to learn
these things from their teacher alone either. This can be learned from
an experience they have from their classmates or even other people
at the school. I think the instruction method that the teacher uses is
very important because it should not just connect with one student

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but every single student in the classroom. I have seen a teacher start
her class by getting everyones attention with a silly activity and it
helps the students focus on the teacher. This will give the teacher a
head start and it will help them in the class. It also helped her
because she could use the same activity later to get their attention
again. There should be some discipline in the classroom but it should
not be overpowering the classroom. The kids should be scared of
what will happen but not terrified. Clips and cards are a good way of
disciplining the children in the classroom because it does not harm
them physically plus they can make up for it and they have learned a
lesson from it.
Tests and quizzes happen in every school and it will for the rest
of time because it is how teachers assess their students. I think
coming up with a creative worksheet or coloring activity to help them
remember a lesson that will help on the test will benefit the children
because they have had some help with remembering what they
learned. I think that if the students are having a hard time learning a
particular lesson it is important to find a way to help the idea stick in
their mind by connecting it with something important in their lives.
In conclusion, having a relationship that in concrete between
the student and the teacher is very beneficial for both the student
and the teacher because they are both gaining some kind of

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knowledge. When students make the right connection that means

they have the ability to get the best knowledge they can get.
Students and teachers should stride to have the best relationship, in
my opinion, because it helps in the whole education process.
Bibliography
Constructivist Theory. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/constructivism.htm#t
op
Education Theory/Constructivism and Social Constructivism in the
Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from
http://www.ucdoer.ie/index.php/Education_Theory/Constructivism_a
nd_Social_Constructivism_in_the_Classroom
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES IN EDUCATION. (n.d.). Retrieved March
02, 2016, from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP3.html
Social Constructivism. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from
http://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/learning-theoryresearch/social-constructivism/
Study.com -. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from
http://study.com/academy/lesson/progressivism-overview-practicalteaching-examples.html