Philosophy Statement Essay

Philosophy Statement Essay

A teacher's personal philosophy of education is an essential element in one's approach to guiding children along the path of success. It allows us as educators to better understand the learner and the teaching environment. Every educator is unique in their personal educational experiences and beliefs which underlies the student learning experience in the classroom. One's personal educational philosophy involves an educational philosophy and theory, schooling purpose, curriculum and instructional approaches, treatment of students, parents, and colleagues, as well as development of professional goals.

My classroom teachings will be centered on the search for knowledge which is the basic component of epistemology. I believe in the search of truth through questioning, reasoning, scientific inquiry, intuition, trial and error and so forth. As a teacher I plan to explore the concept of truth by allowing students to gain knowledge by inquiry based learning and instruction as one of many teaching strategies I plan to incorporate in the classroom.

The theory I am closely aligned is progressivism which embraces student learning by doing. Education is experience centered and focuses on real life problem solving skills. It encourages learners to be active with their environment and have decision making skills in preparation for society. This theory is an excellent teaching tool to use for a variety of reasons. One is that it requires students to become more actively involved in learning processes which personalizes the learning experience and making it more memorable. Also it creates the opportunity for students to learn from one another from cooperative group activities. Students may use the critical thinking and problem solving aspect of the approach and apply it to other classes.

The underlying purpose of education is to gain knowledge and life skills necessary to make informed and reasonable decisions. It includes the development of skills along with the achievement of one's physical, mental and social development. Education gives everyone the equal opportunity as a means to succeed in life. Through knowledge and skill, all individuals can achieve the impossible. In addition, common values such as punctuality, following rules, cooperation, learning to work and get along together ,as well as, a grasp of responsibility are underlying key factors of education. The combinations of knowledge and skills as well as the common values will help young students become responsible and productive citizens.

The concept of curriculum can be perceived as a connective link between teacher and students that help achieve educational goals. I support curriculum that constitutes a network of physical,