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My Philosophy of Education
Tiffany Scarbough
The College of New Rochelle
CITE-Program
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My Philosophy…
My philosophy of education has evolved over many years from me teaching in both the private
and in the public school sector. As I reflect on my beliefs regarding teaching and learning, I find that
there are three things I strive to accomplish as an elementary school teacher in the 21st Century. The
first, is to promote positive learning through positive reinforcement. The second, is to spark an
enthusiasm for learning which would lead to the third belief, to provide a strong foundation for a
lifelong learner.
To accomplish this, I believe first and foremost, educators have to be warm, caring and
nurturing individuals. Educators must also be able to examine the cognitive abilities, various learning
styles, and diversity issues many students face daily. Lastly, educators have to conduct instructional
planning and assessment that reflect student growth.
In my experience, educators that I learned the most from were educators who cared about me
as a whole. If I appeared to be restless, they would inquire if I had enough sleep the night before. If I
appeared to be sad or anxious, they would pull me aside and see if anything was wrong and ask if they
could be of any help. These were the educators that I remembered the most and which lead me to want
to become an elementary school teacher.
As a Graduate student of Education, I am learning about the many pioneers of teaching and
learning through my graduate courses. The pioneer who I relate to and my educational beliefs are more
aligned with would be Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. Pestalozzi was concerned with the impact of
economic change on families and children. Therefore, he sought to develop schools, like loving families
that would nurture children’s development (Pestalozzi’s principles of teaching and learning as cited in
Ornstein, Gutek & Vocke, 2011). He divided learning into two categories, general and special. The
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My Philosophy…
general approach preceded the special. It sought to create a caring and emotionally healthy homelike
school environment. This required teachers who were emotionally secure themselves, gain the trust and
affection of the students, so the teachers could nurture the student’s self-esteem (Pestalozzi’s principles
of teaching and learning as cited in Ornstein et al, 2014). To accomplish this, I treat the children in my
class as if they were my own. I encourage my students to care and respect each other as if they were a
family. I often keep snacks and extra clothing in my classroom for when students are hungry and when
students are not properly dressed for schools. I’m not afraid to appropriately touch or be in close
proximity of my students to assure them that I care. I believe when students are cared for, well rested,
well feed, and prepared for school, emotionally and physically they tend to become better learners.
After the general approach Pestalozzi then implemented his special method, the object lesson
which modeled after Rousseau’s idea that learning environments should develop the natural goodness
of children. He derived his lessons from children’s direct experiences in their environment. Pestalozzi
believed that children should learn gradually, not be hurried, and should understand what they are
studying before moving on to the next lesson (Pestalozzi’s principles of teaching and learning as cited in
Ornstein et al, 2014). I believe this approach works best in the elementary teacher’s classroom because
students in the 21st century have various learning styles and gasp information and material taught at
different levels.
To accomplish this, I enjoy applying a wide variety of strategies based on essential educational
principles encompassing cognitive functioning, learning theory, diversity issues, instructional planning
and assessment.
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My Philosophy…
Examining the cognitive ability of learners is essential when educating students. In order to implement
and apply strategies that are appropriate for learning, educators have to assess whether their students
he concrete operational and/or the formal operational learner. I routinely plan activities, such as quick
quizzes or brief writing assignments that can help me determine the cognitive levels of my students and
tailor my instruction accordingly. Without this consideration, I would risk the possibility of my students
experiencing ‘hit or miss’ learning. ‘Hit or miss’ learning can be a problem for both educator and
student. The student who is not meeting the requirements for grade level work will continue to fall
behind and the educator who doesn’t show student academic growth and/or identify a cognitive
disability over a period of time is not addressing the academic needs of that child.
As an educator, I have valued many years of opportunities to apply significant contributions
from various learning and behavioral theories. Behavioral theories offers a wealth of strategies that,
when used appropriately, can benefit classroom learning and management at all levels. Applying
behavioral cognitive learning principles to many lessons in the classroom stimulates students thinking
and offers active processing of intellectual operations. These activities leaves little time for students to
get into mischief, excessively, or get into altercations with others. Some of my favorite activities that has
been well received by my students include: think-pair-share, classroom jigsaw activities, constructive
controversies, and interactive lectures.
I believe that understanding both the learning style of individual learners and the cultural
diversity of the class helps me both design and tailor effective instruction by implementing appropriate
global and concrete strategies. Although a variety of learning styles are likely represented by learners in
any large class or group setting, I routinely design my instruction using the research-based learning
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My Philosophy…
cycle. This cycle provides the framework for me to encompass a repertoire of effective strategies, which
can both accommodate a student’s individual preferences, engage all diverse learners, and help
establish a respect for differing preferences and perspectives in the classroom.
An essential part of educating students for teachers pertains to their overall curriculum and
instructional planning. There are several approaches in which an educator may plan to teach. There’s
the instructional approach which is based on a behavioral model (direct instruction, mastery learning),
then there’s a cognitive model which methods shows exposition and presentation, or a constructivist
model which is inquiry-based and demonstrates cooperative learning. I plan and implement lessons that
clearly identify the lesson objective, strategies for effective student engagement, and assessment
options that measure student mastery. This helps me teach with both clarity and focus.
I strongly believe that the only way educators can accurately assess student learning and
understand the diverse groups of learners in their classroom if they develop a firm foundation in
assessment basics. There can be alternative types of assessments, but all assessments should be used
regularly. The various types of assessments I use in my classroom to understand the needs of my
students are rubrics, checklists, projects, portfolios, and performance/diagnostic checks, one on
one/group conferences, quizzes, exams and verbal discussions.
Following these basic principles over the years has helped me grow as an educator. More
importantly, I have discovered that, by sharing my passion for teaching and learning, and using these
principles with enthusiasm and empathy connects me to other educators. Connecting to other
educators, helps me keep up with changing theories, practices, and methods so that I can continue to
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My Philosophy…
educate and promote positive learning through positive reinforcement to the enthusiastic lifelong
learner.
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References
Ornstein, Allan C., Levine, Daniel U., & Gutek, Gerald L. (2011), Foundations of Education. California:
Wadworth Cengage Learning.