Philosophy of Education

The purpose of education is to appropriately prepare students to act as successful and

contributing members of society upon graduation. As an educator, my role is one of support. The

purpose of the teacher is to provide adequate support, academically and emotionally, in order to

promote learning within the classroom and create lifelong learners. Like John Dewey, I believe

that the process of education begins unconsciously during infancy. This process continually shapes

individuals through their consciousness, habits, ideas, feelings, and emotions; formal and technical

educations are developed around and in concurrence with this general process (Dewey, 1897, p.

77). Dewey’s theory of progressivism encourages teachers to curtail education to focus on the

whole child, rather than on content (Dewey). Progressivism stresses the belief that learning should

be actively led by student interests and questions, and advocates for experimentation and hands-

on experiences (Dewey). My job, as an educator, is to provide students with the tools necessary to

continue learning, in whatever capacity necessary, for the rest of their lives. I believe that driving

student learning with student interest, as Dewey recommends, engages students long term.

In this way, I believe in an essentialism education, as described by William C. Bagley,

which focuses on “intellectual and moral standards that schools should teach” (Bagley).

Essentialism accepts the inevitability of change within the core curriculum, focusing instead on

the idea that, regardless of the curriculum, education should be practical and concentrate on “‘the

basics,’ training students to read, write, speak, and compute clearly and logically” (Bagley). I

believe that this is applicable to my philosophy of education because I believe in constant learning,

adaptation in the classroom, and growth, both as an educator and a student. Recognizing changing

curriculum and being flexible enough to continue to meet goals of practicality within the
parameters of core curriculum is vital to providing a thorough and positive education to students

(Cohen, 1999). My goal as an educator is to continue to learn, to reflect upon my own experiences

and the experiences of those around me, and to use that information to develop positive goals for

student learning and create an inclusive learning environment for students of all ages, genders,

ethnicities, races, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, etc.

Goals for Student Learning

My goals for student learning are in a continuous state of revision, however, they tend to

centralize on teaching students how to make connections, develop communication skills through

speaking and writing, and prepare them to think critically in real life situations, which are all vital

to student success in the English discipline. Language arts and English studies work concurrently

with the general learning process, as they promote connections between content information and

real life experiences; writing activities and classroom discussions encourage students to share and

discuss how the content information relates to their lives and the influences upon their character.

My goal is to use activities and assignments, like those previously mentioned, to aid students in

developing the necessary skills critical thinking and communication skills. Additionally, I would

like to encourage students in developing positive attitudes towards literature, writing, and

education. I believe that having an open and flexible attitude towards learning content is crucial to

developing an inclusive learning environment and attaining student success. Cultivating an attitude

of inclusivity, flexibility, and positivity is important for both the student and the teacher, because

it affects the quality and quantity of content knowledge that students will acquire. This will also

affect student engagement in the material.

Teachers and students will face many challenges throughout the teaching-learning process.

These challenges will vary from location to location and student to student, and will potentially
occur within a variety of areas, including but not limited to: classroom management, academic

student success, student engagement, the community atmosphere, and previously constructed

beliefs and ideals. Abraham Maslow, a humanist theorist, developed a hierarchy of needs that

explains the root of most problems. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, human motivation

is divided into five levels, most often organized into a pyramid; the lowest levels of the pyramid

consist of the most basic human needs, like food, water, sleep, and warmth, while the top of the

pyramid consists of more complex needs, like personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment

(The University of Hong Kong). When students’ lower-level needs (biological and physiological

needs and safety needs), it is difficult to help students meet their higher level needs (belongingness

and love needs and esteem needs), which move them towards the goal of humanism: self-

actualisation through personal growth and fulfilment (The University of Hong Kong). Self-

actualization is described by Maslow as a “process of growing and developing as a person to

achieve individual potential,” which is necessary, to some degree, for students to be successful

post-graduation. As an educator, it is important to recognize and be aware of where in the hierarchy

of needs my students struggles stem from and how I can make content relevant and engaging to

students within those circumstances.

Enactment of Goals

My ability to guide students and aid them in meeting the goals set for them (self-

actualization and success post-graduation), relies heavily on two things: my own attitude/beliefs

and the variety of teaching methods I employ within the classroom. Cultivating high expectations

for all students and developing an inclusive classroom environment are the first steps in providing

support to students. I believe in making students aware of the expectations I have for them

individually and as a group at the beginning of the school year, and encouraging students to engage
in self-reflection and personal goal-setting. I also believe in making students active partners in the

goal-setting process, by allowing them to actively contribute. This is easily done by using the

S.M.A.R.T. Goals model, which requires all goals to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic,

and timely (Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals). Like National Board Certified Teacher of ELA, Nancy

Barile, I believe in reviewing these plans regularly, individually and as a class, identifying a

timeline for meeting goals, and involving parents in the goal-setting process (Barile, 2015). I

believe that this leads to student investment.

Throughout the year, I will employ many teaching methods, such as the environmental or

structured process, often associated with George Hillocks. This method requires that big ideas and

essential questions examined by the course be identified early in the unit by the teacher, and that

lessons should be designed to facilitate that study (Burke). The purpose of this method is to achieve

a specific, identified goal that is related to the themes and ideas of the unit through group work.

The individualistic or workshop model, represented by Nancie Atwell and Kittle, similarly focuses

on teaching in small groups. However, this approach stresses the process of learning a skill or

knowledge in “authentic contexts” with close help of the teacher (Burke, 2013). The presentation

or product-oriented model is also a method I would use to provide background information or basic

procedures. This model, not associated with any one theorist, relies on a traditional model of

instructional delivery through lecture. Educational theorist, Jim Burke, identifies that these

paradigms, rather than irreconcilable schools of thought, function as effective tools for teachers

depending on the demands of the subject and situation (Burke). Each of these paradigms is

applicable to the English discipline in some capacity. Using a variety of methods allows students

multiple different formats to learn and engage with information, increasing their opportunities to

participate in higher level thinking.

 Each of the three paradigms previously identified can, and should, be scaffolded in three

modes: separate instruction, simulated instruction, and integrated instruction. Educational theorist,

Judith Langer, identifies these are part of “building environments” (Burke). Separate instruction

begins through an opportunity designed to introduce or emphasize a skill or knowledge outside of

the context of a larger assignment, preparing students for simulated instruction, which requires

student to apply their knowledge from separate instruction to a larger unit of instruction (Burke).

This leads to a mastery of the noted skill or knowledge. Students should then receive integrated

instruction, which obligates students to incorporate their mastered skill or knowledge within the

context of another assignment, like a written paper (Burke). When these instructional paradigms

are correctly applied to instruction, they should appropriately scaffold students and create what

theorist Etienne Wenger-Trayner calls a “community of practice,” or groups of students who share

interest for something they do and interact regularly to improve abilities/knowledge of interest

(Introduction to communities of practice).

Assessment of Goals

Throughout the year, I will personally revisit and revise the goals I have set for myself and

for my students and participate in critical self-reflections. I will also encourage my students to

revise and revisit their own goals. I will know that my goals for students are being met through a

combination of this reflection and analysis of student assessment data. I believe in integrating a

variety of assessment tools into the classroom in order to give each student the opportunity to grow

and demonstrate skills and knowledge, regardless of learning style or academic level. I believe in

using several formative assessments, both formal and informal, throughout a unit in order to gauge

student learning and skill level. These types of assessments may include short papers, homework

assignments, group activities, participation, or worksheets. The purpose of these assignments, for
me, is to use them as a way to measure student growth and develop further curriculum to meet the

unit goals. I believe in using summative assessments, like tests, final papers, and semester long

portfolios, as a measurement of student growth compared to the beginning of a unit. I believe that

assessments contribute to student learning as measurements of growth in development. They allow

both the teacher and the student to assess the students’ movement toward the completion of goals

set at the beginning of the year, determine if intervention is necessary, and allow the teacher to

design curriculum in a way that meets the needs of the students throughout the unit. Assessments

communicate disciplinary priorities to students by establishing expectations for behavior and

academic performance in relation to grades and/or rewarding activities.

Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment

In order to create an inclusive learning environment for my students, I believe that I must

first look at myself and the attitudes, beliefs, and experiences I have adopted throughout my life.

Educational theorist, Parker J. Palmer, claims that “teaching, like any truly human activity,

emerges from one’s inwardness, for better or worse,” (Palmer, P. J., 2007). She claims that the

struggles we face as educators often stem from three places: the largeness and complexity of the

subjects we teach, which results in flawed and partial knowledge, the largeness and complexity of

the students we teach, and our own self-knowledge as educators (Palmer). Engaging in the types

of self-reflection encouraged by Parker and recognizing the ways in which my own attitudes affect

my teaching, leads me, as an educator, to consciously adopt more inclusive mindset, rejecting the

stereotypes that I have adopted in adolescence. By this, I mean I maintain the belief that every

student can succeed and that their racial, ethnic, religious, socioeconomic, gender, etc.

backgrounds are assets to their learning abilities.

 In this way, I adopt an anti-racist and culturally relevant philosophy of education.

Culturally relevant pedagogy, as defined by Gloria Ladson-Billings, is a “pedagogy of opposition”

which rests on three criteria: “(a) Students must experience academic success; (b) students must

develop and/or maintain cultural competence; and (c) students must develop a critical

consciousness through which they challenge the status quo of the current social order” (Ladson-

Billings, 1995, 159-165). Culturally relevant pedagogy isn’t a tool to be used, but a mindset that a

teacher must integrally adopt. Teaching with a culturally relevant pedagogy involves guiding and

engaging students in cultural awareness. To do this, I believe in integrating diverse perspectives

of the world into the classroom through the use of diverse literature and current events from around

the world, rather than only using writing samples from the U.S. or one singular culture. I believe

exposing students to the realities of the world will make them more empathetic and aware world

citizens, and aid them in achieving both personal and academic success.

In order to account for diverse learning styles within the classroom, I will continue to

integrate a variety of instruction methods and learning activities in order to meet the needs of all

students. I will also make a point to contact parents regularly. This will allow me to maintain a

positive relationship with both the student and the parents, and develop an open discourse in order

to best meet students learning needs. I will continue to participate in workshops and professional

development activities in order to gain more knowledge of appropriate methods of teaching, so all

students are appropriately engaged and challenged. I will also lead students in revisiting and

revising goals throughout the year to reinforce the belief that they can, and will, be met.
 References

Bagley, W. C. (n.d.). The Case for Essentialism (F. Parkay & G. Hass, Eds.). Retrieved

from http://spu.edu/online/essentialism_in_ed.htm

Barile, N. (2017). 10 Tips for Setting Successful Goals With Students. Retrieved from

https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2015/01/20/10-tips-for-setting-successful-

goals-with.html

Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But that's just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant

pedagogy. Theory Into Practice,34(3), 159-165. Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.waterfield.murraystate.edu/stable/1476635

Burke, J. (2013). The English Teacher's Companion (4th ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Cohen, L. M. (1999). Section III- Philosophical Perspectives in Education. Retrieved from

https://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP3.html

Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://topachievement.com/smart.html

Dewey, J. (1897). My Pedagogical Creed. School Journal, 54, 77-80. Retrieved from

http://dewey.pragmatism.org/creed.htm
Introduction to communities of practice. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/

Parker, Palmer J. (2007). The Heart of a Teacher: Center for Courage & Renewal.

Retrieved from http://www.couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/heart-of-a-teacher

The University of Hong Kong. (n.d.). Humanism. Retrieved from

http://kb.edu.hku.hk/theory_humanism.html