Teaching Philosophy

After many class discussions and research, I would label my personal education

philosophy as progressivism. One of the most crucial ideas of progressivism, in my opinion, is

the emphasis on the process, and not the product. Progressivist believe that people have an

incredible mind that is capable of even more incredible things. Progressivist view the mind as a

problem solver and believe that this should be ability is something that should be focused on and

developed throughout education. Progressivist view the world as constantly changing, and

because of this, education and what schools are teaching should be constantly changing

alongside it. Similar to Jean Piaget's constructivism theory, progressivist believe that students

learn through experiencing things and solving problems hands on. Learning occurs through

students experience and the questions that naturally arise from those experiences. They also

believe that students are naturally inquisitive and desire to find answers to problems they are

presented with.

I think I align myself most with progressivism because of the idea that education is about

teaching students to become problem solvers. The idea that the process of learning is more

important than the product allows student’s mistakes to become opportunities for learning, rather

than failures in learning. The progressivist classroom allows teachers to become facilitators of

learning. Teachers are there to support and encourage student learning, not give students direct

information. Teachers should ask students question to promote student cognitive functions.

Traditional measures of education, such as teachers and books, become tools for learning, rather

than an an authority. Progressivism supports the idea that students learn to understand material.

All too often, students motivation for learning is to be able to take the test well and get good

grades. I believe that progressivism flips this idea, and encourages students to dive deeper into
their own education. Progressivism does this by allowing students to be the owner of their own

curriculum. In progressivist education, curriculum is based on student interest and relevant world

information. This curriculum could change year to year, but it reflects the interest of the current

students. This type of curriculum makes students excited about the material they are learning.

When students are excited about their learning, they have better motivation for learning.

Teachers often use this method without realizing they are when they decide on expectations as a

class. When the students help decide on their expectations, they know what they are and they

have agreed that those expectations are fair.

In my future classroom, I hope to guide my students to become the best versions of

themselves. I believe that the goal of education is to create students that can think for themselves

and solve problems. As a teacher, I hope to help students know how to think, not what to think. I

hope to give students formulas to form their own opinions and find their own answers. I believe

my role as a teacher is to be a facilitator and an advocate for student learning. By creating

engaging lessons that challenge the students I hope to create students that actively participate in

the government to make the world a better place. I believe that progressive education encourages

classrooms to function as a democracy. When classrooms function as a democracy, students are

prepared for life after education. The purpose of education is civic. Students are prepared to

become functional citizens that understand how to solve problems. Beyond creating good

citizens, education should create citizens that make society and their community better.

Especially in a time where it is sometimes hard to see through all the negativity that surrounds us

everyday, educators should work to create students that understand life is bigger than

themselves. During one of my observations, I got to experience, first hand, a teacher creating

well rounded citizens for students. This particular teacher turned the traditional education around
and created something that was bigger than checking off curriculum. Instead of the typical

sewing project that required students to create a pair of pajama pants, the teacher I was observing

created a project that had community ties. Students now had the opportunity to create a chemo

port pillow that would get donated to Highland Oncology Center, a stocking that would be

donated to local elementary schools, or a dog bone that would be donated to the local Humane

society. Students helped decide on the type of projects they could sew. It allowed students to

solve problems that affected them, or people they knew. This type of project was inspiring to me

and the type of activity I want to do in my future classroom. Students were enthusiastic about

helping the community and solving problems, all while learning how to sew.

I think my experience as a student has been the most influential factor in shaping my

personal philosophy of education. I have spent the majority of my life in school. I have had bad

teachers and I have had fantastic teachers. Each one taught me something about myself or my

learning style. The bad teachers I had taught me what didn’t work for me in regards to how I

learn. The fantastic teachers taught me more than just the curriculum handed to them by out of

touch bureaucrats. The best teachers taught me things like communication, team-work skills,

citizenship, problem solving, and much more. The fantastic teachers I had are often why I am

inspired to be a teacher. I believe that teachers have such a great platform to impact students. I

want to be able to impact students lives the way my teachers impacted mine. I believe the best

way to do this is to teach with a progressive education in mind.

One particular class sticks out to me when I think of impactful teachers during my

education. My algebra 2 class in high school was probably the most progressive education I

experienced. My teacher presented math problems and allowed the students to discuss how it

could be solved. This allowed us to work through possible solutions and figure out how to
become problem solvers on our own. The teacher was there to help guide us towards the right

answer but rarely gave us explicit directions. Problems often have multiple solutions and this

class taught me that. My algebra 2 class was probably the hardest class I took in high school

because of the style of teaching, but it taught me skills that I will continue to use throughout life.

Academically I want to create an environment that students feel empowered to discover

learning for themselves. I believe my role as a teacher is to facilitate learning, not to give

students information. I should lead students to discovering answers. I will have high expectations

for all students. Students will know what is expected of them academically and I hope to

encourage all students to meet academic standards set for them.

Culturally, I believe that schools should function as a community. Schools are a

community within the community set up outside of the school walls. The bigger community

includes families, friends, and governing bodies. The school should represent a community as

well. Within a community, members care for each other and are concerned for the other

members well-being. This type of community should be reflected in my classroom. McLeod

(2014) says that schools representing communities help students to not get lost in the crowd

(McLeod, 2014). Creating a classroom environment that is a community gives students a place to

belong.

I think a common misconception of breaking from traditional styles of teaching is that it is

supposed to make learning easier, but this is far from the truth. Using different styles of teaching,

such as progressivism, doesn’t make learning easier, in fact often times it makes it harder.

Furthermore, passive learning is hardly beneficial. What is important about progressive

education is that it makes the learning deeper. It creates understanding that will last more than

just a couple weeks. Learning done through progressivism creates deep understanding that will
last a lifetime. Short term benefits of progressive styles of teaching is to create a deeper level of

understanding for students. Allowing students to become the owners of their education excites

them about the curriculum and creates an environment that is conducive to deep understanding.

Long term benefits of progressive styles of education are creating lifelong learners. Students that

are taught how to think, not what to think, will have this skill for a lifetime. In the future, these

students will be able to solve problems they have never before encountered. Students will be able

to apply their skills to new situations in everyday life and work. This creates students that are

successful well beyond schooling.