Devon Bateman
ED 503 Dr. Holden
April 21, 2010
Educational Philosophy
In developing my educational philosophy, I found an overarching theme of academic
excellence within a realm of high expectations. At no point should an effective teacher lower his
or her high expectations, regardless of parental or administrative pressures. While in reality, no
two students will be at the same academic level, there is no reason why each student should not
be expected to perform at their best each day, constantly striving for improvement. It is this
personal success that is the goal of education.
Moreover, an educational philosophy would not be complete if it did not address both
effective discipline as well as effective modes of instruction. First, with regards to discipline,
many effective teachers, including myself, tend to follow Harry Wong’s theory which states
“effective teachers are proactive teachers” not reactive teachers (Wong & Wong). Not only do
proactive teachers have plans to correct problems, but they also actively use and modify their
plan to anticipate future problems and prevent them from occurring. Finally, in addition to an
effective teacher making and following a plan, students must also be aware of this plan. Student
recognition of behavioral expectations is necessary for compliance and can more easily be
achieved through a student behavior contract signed by both student and parent in the first week
of school.
Secondly, with regards to modes of instruction, many effective educators tend to follow
the general steps identified by H. Lee Swanson and his team of researchers (Swanson). First,
effective teachers specify clear objectives for each class session, providing students with a
direction for the instruction that will follow. Secondly, while teaching towards these objectives,
an effective teacher will make learning both concrete as well as relevant. Concrete instruction
must include instructor-guided practice followed by independent practice. Relevance must be
demonstrated by providing students with real life uses for the knowledge that they are acquiring
such that every student can relate the newly acquired information with the solid foundation
gathered from previous learning. Finally, effective teachers recognize that not all material can be
assessed through a paper and pencil test; therefore, instructional differentiation, like laboratory
activities, group assignments, and student-based projects, should also be incorporated as methods
of assessment.
In teaching the current generation of students, educators would be amiss if they did not
adapt to the current student demand for technology. After all, today’s advertisements promote
the use of smart phones, computers, and high-tech listening devices for consumers to both be
entertained by as well as to use in becoming a successful leader in society. Thus, in the
classroom, teachers have the opportunity to use technology to both motivate students as well as
to increase overall academic achievement. Use of technology after daily assignments are
completed stimulates productivity and rewards students who stay on-task. Finally, technology
generates interest in academic topics by making lessons more interactive (through the use of
video media or interactive labs) and also allows teachers to illustrate relevance by using current
events posted on the internet. Overall, effective use of technology as a reward and as an
instructional tool will only add to student engagement and success within the classroom.
References
Swanson, H.L. (1999). Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 14(3). Retrieved from
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods/pro-dev/2936.html
Wong, H. & Wong, R. (2006, August). Effective teachers are proactive. Retrieved from
http://teachers.net/wong/AUG06/