Running head: MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

My Philosophy of Education
Veronica Garcia
Internship
1/8/16
Mrs. Ho

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Abstract

This paper explores my Philosophy of education; my beliefs in teaching, learning, and knowledge. It goes in
depth about my thoughts involved with technology and its use in the educational system. It explains my
philosophical orientation and theory, and how it will influence how I teach, how I will set up my classroom
rules and expectations. This paper examines my thoughts of the current educational system, and its
heavily test based requirements. As I grow as an educator, my philosophy will change. My current
philosophy of education comes from my high school and college courses Ive taken.
Keywords: Progressivism, Existentialism

MY PHILOSHOPY OF EDUCATION

My Philosophy of Education
My philosophy of education embraces the basic teachings of how to become a civilized and
engaged member of society. Learning needs to be encouraged and guided throughout the entire way, with
a set of firm rules and expectations. Knowledge is essential; it has the power to bring benefit to the world
and an individual. Recognizing one is able to help or provide society in a positive manner, gives a person a
feeling of belonging and need. As a Progressivist, I believe in taking the whole child under consideration. As
an existentialist, I accept as true that each student will truly learn and understand when they look within
themselves to understand how their actions are affecting their learning and development.
Beliefs about Teaching and Learning
In a classroom, it is significant to set fair and constant rules and expectations that can be followed
by the teacher and student. Having a wholesome foundation to a classroom, makes the rest of the journey
easier and more flexible. Leah Davies, M.Ed. (2007) explains how children need to be taught that it is their
responsibility to make their own choices, which will be held accountable. These rules should consist of what
and how the teacher wants their students, to not only behave, but how they should think about their
education. For example, students will respect deadlines and work well with others. The basic rules like no
talking when the teacher is talking or no hitting should be enforced, but the rules needs to go beyond that.
Rules that are seen as too ambiguous, like keep an open mind, should still be proposed because with the
idea kept in mind by the students, it makes easier for the teacher to try and develop that. These
expectations should be expects from all students, no matter where they came from or where theyre going.
In the book I used during my UNLV college course in November 2015, Classroom Management, Manning
and Bucher (2003) expresses what classroom management encompasses. It should consist of

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Strategies for assuring physical and psychological safety in the classroom; techniques for
changing students misbehaviors and for teaching self-discipline; methods of assuring an
orderly progression of events during the school day; and instructional techniques that
contributes to students positive behavior. (p. 4)
According to Manning and Bucher (2007), my classroom management should be based off my
philosophical beliefs and should be connected to instructional practices.
The curriculum and subject are crucial to teach, but a teacher must encourage their students
learning. Pursuing good grades and scores isnt what learning is about. Todays educational system is
mainly based off of test. Learning how to work with others, how to be on time, how to be creative, what it
means to work hard, and overall how to be a good citizen, are examples of things that should be enforced
and taught, while still teaching the subject. The subject is not the most important thing for me, but rather
how its taught and how it is seen by the students. Russell L. Ackoff and Daniel Greenberg expresses that
todays education system is flawed it focuses on teaching rather than learning (2008). If a student
feels like they are learning the material, then they are also learning all the other things as mentioned
before. Grades may perhaps be seen as a way to motivate a student to work hard, but I consider students
who see grades as the most important thing, dont realize the importance of learning other skills that will
help them in the modern world. Grace Chen (2003) shares the St. Petersburg Times thoughts about publics
school responsibility to re- evaluate the goals and practices of its system.
All learners want to learn. There will be students, who arent motivated to do well in school, so they
will say they dont care, but I believe all students truly want to learn; whether they want to learn math or
how to play the piano, it is still learning and developing their skills. I believe it is partially the teachers and
partially the parents responsibility to inspire and engage students to further their education. The teacher is

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a role model in the classroom. The students realize if a teacher truly cares about them and their success, if
the student doesnt feel like the teacher is interested in their success, then they wont be interested in their
class. Laziness is contagious; if the teacher is not putting effort into the students and the material, the
students wont put effort into it either. As mentioned before, the teacher is the role model, regardless of age.

Beliefs about Knowledge

Knowledge is power. It is information that can help a person succeed in life. Without knowledge, no
new invention will be created, diseases wont be treated, and the world would not evolve. I believe schools
are for learning the basic facts in math, English, science, etc but it prepares a person to be a functional
civilized human. In school we learn how to manage time through work, we learn how to socialize through
friends, and we learn how not to quit. Knowledge gives humans a purpose to exist because they will feel
like they are needed in this world, that they are making a difference in the world and in themselves. Is it
important for a student to explore different options in knowledge, not just math or science, but the more you
know. So I believe electives are good.
Technology is taking over in my opinion because teachers are taking information from the internet
and using it in their lesson, it is not necessarily a bad source, but technology is becoming their main source.
Online classes are starting to become frequently used as a source to save time and money. I am not
against online classes, but they are seen as a necessity for an abundance of students. Eventually,
teachers will be outdated because more use of technology will advance and it will do a better job or
equivalent job as some teachers who arent passionate about teaching. Online classes will be favored.
Students will be too lazy to come to school. Why would they wake up early, get ready and waste gasoline
and time, when they can simply go on their computer from the comfort of their home; it seems more

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convenient. Jane Wakefield (2015) explores the experiment that flipped the classroom from its traditional
ways. It is all based online; the teacher was simply seen as a guide. It was discovered that most students
were able to succeed off of the use of technology. A computer game that teaches through games already
has 100,000 students signed up since it launched in August.
If online classes and technology take over more than it already has, then it will take away all those
skills learned from going to school like, how to be on time, how to socialize, how to work with other people.
Technology is already taking away the personal relationship that is necessary, in order to reach students at
a personal level, so the students want to learn. If a student has a question, then they will just go online
instead of asking a teacher. The teacher will occasionally tell students that they could simply google it at
home. The relationships between students and teachers are decreasing, therefore, the want and drive to
learn and quality is also decreasing.
Philosophical Orientation
I am a Progressivist and Existentialist. A Progressivist educator believes that the whole child is
taken under consideration. The student is the focus and purpose of education, not the teacher. They also
believe that active participation is important for students to experience in order for them to understand the
world around them. I strongly believe that a person needs to physically experience what they need to learn.
Through project and field trips, it is possible to learn, rather than books and test. It doesnt have to be as
extravagant as that, but it can simply be moving to the magical carpet to read a book, or going to the
thinking chair. I strongly encourage people to become independent thinks and problem solvers. This is one
of the most important skills that anyone can learn. Becoming an independent thinker through the culture
they come from, and their experiences is slowly developed as children grow.

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As an existentialist, I believe that the physical experiences experienced by the student only matter
and make a difference in becoming independent thinkers, by looking beyond the purpose of doing a project,
art, etc one needs to be aware of the way it affects their development as a civilized healthy human
being. It is hard to teach, but it is possible to instill the mentality of thinking for one self at a deeper level, by
guiding and encouraging them to take opportunities and chances. In order to have the student understand,
there needs to be a stable relationship between the student and teacher.
My Classroom
In my classroom, I will set up rules and expectations that will not be constantly repeated. If they are
constantly repeated, then the students will see me as a teacher who will bend the rules for them. I believe
in stating the rules once and then giving students the autonomy to choose whether they want to follow them
or not. For example, I will expect students to turn work in on time; if they dont manage to turn it in on time
then it is not my problem because I will be sure to give them time to work on it in class. When a student
comes to me with an explanation of why they werent able to complete the work, such as, they had so much
other work to do or they were at a school activity, I will have them turn in what they worked on in class as a
grade. As unpopular opinion, I dont believe in second chances when it comes to school work. Once I give
one student the option to turn it in later, the option will always be there, and I truly dont believe that teaches
one how to be responsible and hard working. This would mainly apply to older levels, like high school. In
elementary school, the children are still learning about responsibility, so involuntary mistakes will be made.
There is always enough time. There is always enough help that can be obtained through the teacher and
internet. With responsible time management and planning, work will be done. I will, however, make
accommodations for my special education students. I will accommodate to their disabilities.
Conclusion and Future study

MY PHILOSHOPY OF EDUCATION
In order to expand my Philosophy of Education, I require my own classroom. I currently believe

what I believe by simply being a student. Teaching should focus on required skills needed to function as an
active member of society. Learning needs to be encouraged and guided throughout the entire way, with a
set of firm rules and expectations. Knowledge is power; it has the power to bring benefit to the world and an
individual. Recognizing one is able to help society in a positive manner, gives a person a feeling of
belonging and need. Having knowledge of diseases has created treatments and medicines. As a
progressivist, I believe in taking the whole child under consideration. As an existentialist, I believe each
student will truly learn and understand when they look within themselves to understand how their actions
are affecting their learning and development.

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References

Chen, G. (n.d.). Are Public School Students Prepared for the real world. Retrieved January 3, 2016, from
http://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/are-public-school-students-prepared-for-the-real-world
Davies, L. (2007, April). Elementary Classroom Rules and Management by Leah Davies, M.Ed. Retrieved
January 3, 2016, from http://www.kellybear.com/TeacherArticles/TeacherTip72.html
Manning, M. L., Bucher, K. T., (2003). Classroom Management Models, Applications, and Cases. New
Jersey: Pearson Education.
'The Objective of Education Is Learning, Not Teaching' - Knowledge@Wharton. (2008, August 20).
Retrieved January 9, 2016, from http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/the-objectiveeducation-is-learning-not-teaching
Wakefield, J. (2015, February 2). Technology in schools: Future changes in classrooms - BBC News.
Retrieved January 3, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30814302