Educational+Philosophy

Throughout my educational studies and personal reflection on my own educational background I have come to realize what aspects of a teacher will make them either successful or not as well as what innovative techniques and technologies can help make a classroom successful for student learning. There is a shift in today’s education that is leading to more student-based, higher level thinking, and differentiated instruction in the hopes that the diversity of students and their learning styles will be addressed to promote educational advancement and achievement. Education has begun to move away from the focus of specific content towards skill-based instruction that develops students based on cross-curricular content. The days where a history teacher just taught history, or a science teacher just teaching science, are beginning to fade in the background as the growing need for developing real skills in the classroom becomes evident. Today’s advancing world requires an educational philosophy that stresses the importance of differentiated, technology driven, student-based instruction that can not only motivate students to learn the content but also enable them to consciously, or subliminally, develop skills that will help their growth in an educational environment.  It has been well documented that there are many types of learning styles to go along with the diverse educational society that we have in the United States. Out there are the psychologists who ramble about behaviorism, constructivism, and so on, which have their place in education. Learning can be viewed as a change in behavior, an internal mental process, or the less prevalent “a personal act to fulfill potential” (infed.org). Personally I believe that true learning is a combination of all of the things that psychologists and researchers discuss. Learning is a process. There are charts and diagrams that can reiterate the same notion that I make here, but the true process cannot be recorded in my opinion. There are too many factors in the world today to have a characterization for every student. Reflecting back on all that I have learned and observed I have come to the conclusion that real learning is a combination of the mastery of knowledge, the utilization of developing skills, and the understanding that the marriage of knowledge and skill development can lead to educational, professional, and most importantly personal development and achievement. Achieving the combination that enables learning to occur can be assisted with many different strategies, such as differentiated instruction, along with new technologies that can create a learning environment suitable for a diverse society.  My ideal classroom would create a learning environment that enables and encourages students to be motivated to learn and succeed within and outside of class. The room would be small enough to create a more personal feeling but with enough room for which students can separate to do individual or group work. Upon researching I would want a classroom that is wider than it is long to create a more “intimate” learning environment. Also, I would want to use full color spectrum light along with painting the walls into more stress-free colors in the classroom. Studies have shown that the combination of the two elements can affect the overall health of students and their ability to learn (Nuhfer, 2004). I would want large tables instead of individual desks with chairs that are comfortable to sit in to create less stress on the students. When talking about technology in the classroom I would want to use as much as I could that will benefit the students. Technology can be used to develop basic and advanced skills in the classroom. It has been found that students enjoy the presence of technology in the classroom. Technology can also increase family involvement and improve the teachers’ skill in the classroom (NSBA). In my room I would want a laptop station where students can go to obtain computers when they are needed for class work. The front of the classroom would be equipped with an interactive whiteboard that has a classroom response system. Interactive whiteboards are great tools for teachers and can appeal to a variety of learning styles. The classroom response system enables students to answer questions in a style that enables the teacher to see if the content or skill was acquired by the class. These types of technologies are important because they can assist in the learning process and help students develop skills and understand content more efficiently due to its ability to reach many learning styles and a diverse student body. Work Cited http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/tiol.html Nuhfer, E. (2004). profcamp.tripod.com. Retrieved from http://profcamp.tripod.com/ClassroomDesign/IdealClass.html