There are several key concepts that one must give consideration to when trying
to develop and uncover their own personal philosophy of teaching. Some of these
crucial areas include child development, constructing learning opportunities for all
children, integrating curriculum, developing critical thinking skills amongst students,
creating an active learning environment that accommodates all students, and teaching
essential communication skills. Other equally critical aspects of a teaching philosophy
are the teacher’s attitudes and ideas about student assessment and professionalism.
The following essay expresses my emergent philosophy of teaching.
There have been hundreds of people that have dedicated their lives to the study
of child development, and there are several theories that attempt to explain the
phenomenon. One theory of child development that was proposed by Sigmund Freud
cites early childhood events and experiences as being catalysts for development (Van
Wagner, 2009). The major argument with this theory is that is used more often to
explain abnormal childhood development and is not as often used to explain the
development of the average child. Erik Erikson used Freud’s theory as a springboard
for his ideas on child development. Erikson based his theory on the idea that children
develop in stages. He believed that once children are able to overcome a conflict that
they have been presented with, that they are ready to move on to the next stage. (Van
Wagner, 2009). Both of these theories represent a psychoanalytic approach to
developmental thinking. Jean Piaget believed in cognitive development. He believed
that the children themselves play an intricate role in their own development by
interacting with the outside world (Van Wagner, 2009). He also identified stages to use
as benchmarks for child development that are still used by psychologists and educators
today (Van Wagner, 2009). There were several people that researched and supported
variations of behavioral development theories. Some of these people were Pavlov,
Watson, and Skinner. The common thread in these theories was that child
development was determined by interaction with an outside stimulus. For example, if a
child touches a hot surface and they get burned, they will not touch the surface again
because they have learned that it will cause them pain. Another widely accepted theory
of child development is a social development theory that was proposed and supported
by John Bowlby. Bowlby theorized that social relationships with parents, guardians,
educators, siblings, and community members play a significant role in child
development (Van Wagner, 2009).
While I tend to believe that interaction with the outside world, with parents,
siblings and guardians, plays a significant role in the development of the child, it is
essential to recognize that as a responsible educator, I must take aspects of all of these
theories into consideration when I am mapping learning opportunities for the students in
my classroom. It is extremely important that I, the teacher, take into consideration the
different childhood experiences that the students in my class may have had as Freud
and Erikson believed. I also believe that it is just as important to recognize that action
and reaction to the outside environment also stimulates development in children as well
as interaction with adults and other children. Being knowledgeable of these theories will
help me to develop a plan that incorporates several different learning and development
styles to motivate and excite the young mind. I believe that is essential to make use of
diverse approaches, and to deal with the same topic in a variety of ways so as to
stimulate every child in the class. Some children may be motivated by just reading
facts, while others may need to read and write facts, others may need to sing a song to
remember the same facts. I will strive to provide a system for learning for every student
in the class, and to work towards understanding the different child development models
may be helpful to me in accomplishing this great feat.
Even if the teacher understands all of these different developmental
philosophies, how is it possible to effectively teach every child in today’s diverse
classroom? There are several ways. One way is to integrate the curriculum. With the
curriculum overloaded and so many different children to teach to, it is important to teach
several subjects together in one lesson. For example, if the class is reading the book
Duckie’s Rainbow (Barry, 2004), I would have the students draw a picture of their own
rainbow and write a story about it. Then, we could use the story as a springboard for a
science lesson, discussing where rainbows come from and how they are formed. Using
several methods for teaching the book, may help different students understand the
information more thoroughly. Also, at that point the children have developed a platform
of prior knowledge of rainbows for which to build the science lesson on. In this way,
integration not only helps the teacher fit more lessons into a tightly packed schedule,
but also helps the students understand and retain more of the information. Another
critical point that is missed by many teachers is the importance of active engagement in
the learning process. I believe that learning is an ongoing act. Children do not learn by
accident, they learn by interaction with their environment, and by effective
communication with adults and their peers. Being able to explore their environment and
exchange information with each other helps the students learn how to search out
answers on their own and effectively communicate them to others. In an environment
such as this the students can offer each other assistance and a fresh perspective on a
topic without the student feeling like they are being judged by the teacher. This learning
environment naturally encourages children to use problem solving strategies as well.
This is important because I believe that children need to understand the “how and why”
of the way things work. If the students are just memorizing facts, then I am not
performing my job to an acceptable standard. It is vital that the children understand
concepts and can apply these concepts to real life situations.
In order for every child to have a fair and equal opportunity to learn in the
classroom, I must find a way to differentiate each lesson that I teach. I will strive to
teach each lesson through different mediums in order to meet the needs of every
student, as mentioned earlier. This same idea holds true for assessment strategies.
While there are several standardized tests available for the teacher’s assessment of the
students, not all students respond well to testing. There will be students in the
classroom that get nervous during timed exams, and perform poorly. That does not
mean that the students do not understand the information, it just means that they need
to convey their knowledge in a different manner. There are several different ways for
teachers to assess students in an equitable manner. For example the teacher may read
a book to the class and then initiate a discussion. Then, the class may have to draw a
picture and write a story using the same characters from the book. The class could
then read the stories to each other, and the class could work together to make a play
using pieces of every student’s story. Using this example, the teacher has several
opportunities to assess the students’ understanding of the material. Lively discussion,
descriptive drawings and stories, and active participation in the play are all indicators
that the student is learning effectively. If a student is not responding as well to the
various assessments being used, then the teacher needs to find out what that child
needs to learn effectively and add it to their repertoire of teaching strategies. It is the
teacher’s responsibility to see that no child is excluded from the learning process, and
varied assessment approaches can help to ensure that every student’s learning goals
are being met. As a responsible educator, I will use these and several other
assessment strategies to gauge the students’ current understanding of the curriculum,
and to plan for the future educational success of every student.
The ideas that are displayed in this philosophy statement are the product of my
ongoing quest to become a successful educator. I have grown from a student to
waitress, to a salesperson, to an assistant manager, to a store manager, and eventually
beyond in my professional career. The one thing that has remained constant is my
desire to learn, and my desire to pass knowledge on to the next generation; whether it
be to new employees or eager children. My teaching strategy will grow and change, of
that I am sure. It will need to be amended each day that I learn something new. It will
grow with each new student in my presence. It will expand upon collaboration with the
other teachers in my school and the community in which the school exists.
Communication between all of the people that touch young lives is the only way to
ensure that every child’s learning goal is being met. This requires cooperation and
open collaboration between teachers, parents and guardians, and community leaders.
Because of the nature of communication and the ever changing school environment, it
would be impossible for an effective teacher to keep the same philosophy of teaching
forever. In order for a teacher to be effective, the teacher must also be willing to forever
be a student as well, and be eager and willing to learn.
References
Barry, F. (2004). Duckie’s rainbow. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
Van Wagner, K. Child development theories. About.com:psychology. Retrieved on
February 21, 2009 from
http//www.psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/childdevtheory.
htm