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Philosophy of Education

Emily Scott
The purposes of math and health education The purpose of mathematics education is to equip all students with logic, critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and computational skills that are needed in life. Furthermore, some students will benefit from math courses because they will prepare them directly for their future career or in general for college classes. I believe all students can achieve competency in mathematics and thus develop these life-long skills. While developing logic and problem-solving skills is vital, every student will benefit from health education. In health class, students are equipped with the skills needed to live a long life and not only to live a long life but to have a high quality of life. Knowing information will not move students into action, but equipping them with the skills to make healthy choices will enable them to live healthy lives. I believe students can break the cycle of unhealthy choices if they feel empowered and have selfefficacy. Instructional Methodologies Every student is capable of achieving these goals, but I must use different formats of instruction because students learn in different ways. Thus, I would be doing a disservice to my students if, in either math or health class, I taught the same way every day. Every child benefits from different types of instruction whether it be lecture format, group work, hands-on learning, case-studies, practice and repetition, or real-world applications/personal stories (in health). I will not be a teacher that talks at my students the whole hour. Research shows that I must engage multiple senses in order for my students to retain the information. And again, I need to take it one step further beyond mere information to application of their knowledge, whether it is problem-solving skills in math or decision-making skills in health. Classroom Management Classroom management is not the end goal, but rather, solid classroom management will maximize student learning. The two go hand-in-hand. Two things are foundational to my classroom management philosophy: structure and relationships. Establishing rules and routines will help students be successful. Students will know what is expected of them and this structure creates an environment that maximizes student learning. The second and most critical component of classroom management is student-teacher relationships. I firmly believe in the statement, Students wont care how much you know until they know how much you care. Additionally, if students know I care about them and respect them, they will show me respect in return by putting forth effort in my classroom. I genuinely want to form relationships with all students not only to help them succeed in school but because I believe every person has worth.

Assessment Finally, I believe assessments should include unit tests (or projects) and quizzes. (Homework should not be graded for correctness because it is practice. Homework, however, can be a great formative assessment tool.) I will have several quizzes before any end-of-unit test (in math) because I want to allow students to practice showing what they know before it comes time to take the test. I will not place an unnecessary burden on my students by having daily quizzes when other forms of feedback (such as observation logs or homework) will suffice. There is a point after which I believe more is not better when it comes to homework and quizzes (or studying). Tests should indicate whether or not true learning has taken place. This means I will test for knowledge deeper than surface-level by including exam questions that are applicable to the real-world. I will avoid trick questions that are unfair (i.e. asking students to recognize that slopes of -1.4 and 1.4 are not perpendicular, when 100 percent of my examples have been fractions), but I will ask students to demonstrate their deeper knowledge by having them apply what they have learned to new situations. For example, in health, I might teach students refusal skills in the context of drinking alcohol but on a test ask students to apply these skills to a new situation (i.e. with illegal drugs). I will push my students to a high standard that requires them to think and apply their knowledge rather than spit back memorized information.

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