Philosophy of Education 1
Philosophy of Education
Emily File
Florida Gulf Coast University
Professional Studies
Professor Johnston
September 20, 2012
Philosophy of Education
Philosophy of Education 2
In the time that I have spent in classrooms, I have seen many things that I wish to
incorporate into my own classroom. I have also seen many things that I would like to stay
away from. When thinking of my own learning philosophy, I tend to think that the more
fun students have with learning, the more they will learn. There obviously needs to be
structure, though, or the classroom will be a free-for-all. I draw influences from major
philosophers such as John Dewey, B.F. Skinner, and Howard Gardner. I also think that
since classes are different every year, some kind of adjustment needs to be made annually
to best accommodate students.
According to Roberts (2003), Dewey believed that education should be engaging
and based on experiences (par. 5). When I was in school, I always got so excited when
we got to do hands-on things or go on field trips. In my experience as a teacher in
training, I have noticed that students still love to actually be involved in learning. While I
was spending time with a second grade class last semester, the students were learning
how to tell time. Rather than having a piece of paper tell them what the clock looks like,
they each had miniature clocks that they were able to manipulate. It was such a helpful
tool for them to have something tangible that coincided with the lesson. I hope that I have
the available resources for my students to be hands-on as much as possible. Many
students learn best by doing.
Operant conditioning and behavioral learning were founded by Skinner.
According to Boeree (2006), should a behavior be reinforced with a stimulus, that
behavior is likely to continue; however, if a behavior is not reinforced, said behavior is
likely to seize (par. 11, 13). His theory of behavior modification states that behavior can
be controlled by adding or removing reinforcement (par. 31). I have friends who are also
Philosophy of Education 3
education majors and seriously criticize this theory and argue that it is inhumane. I can
see their point of view but in my opinion, there needs to be some method for controlling
children’s behavior. Especially in lower grades, students are still learning the difference
between right and wrong. A child cannot be expected to know that he is supposed to stay
seated quietly unless told to do so. Children like attention and praise when they do the
right thing and it encourages them to continue doing the positive or expected actions. If
the praise is not given for poor behavior, it is not likely to continue. Many students do not
have this sort of structure at home so when they come to school they do not behave
appropriately. I feel like as an educator, it is my job to let my students know when they
are doing well. Behavior control has such a negative connotation but children at the
elementary level need to learn what is acceptable behavior in a school setting.
Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences. According to Anderman
and Anderman (2009), the multiple intelligences theory states that individuals can be
advanced in one area of intelligence, such as music, but not necessarily in another, such
as kinesthetics (par. 5). In other words, it is possible for someone to be highly advanced
in one specialty, but not nearly as advanced in a different specialty. Individuals possess
the entire spectrum of intelligences, but some areas are stronger than others (par. 6). As a
teacher, it is important to understand how this applies to your students. Students excel in
different ways. I want as many types of intelligence to be addressed in my classroom as
possible. It has been my experience that when you are learning through your strongest
intelligence, you enjoy it more. My teaching philosophy is based around enjoyment of
learning so I would love to incorporate pieces of Gardner’s work into my classroom.
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I know that my current teaching philosophy will probably change over time with
more experience, but at this point in my professional education journey, I draw from
famous theorists. I believe that learning is most effective when it is enjoyable. Learning
should also be hands-on and adjusted to suit students’ learning styles. Theorists like
Dewey, Skinner, and Gardner have influenced my teaching philosophy thus far.
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References
Anderman, E., &Anderman, L. (2009). Multiple Intelligences. Psychology of Classroom
Learning. Retrieved Sept. 13, 2012, from Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Boeree, C. George (2006). B.F. Skinner. Retrieved Sept. 13, 2012 from
www. Webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/skinner.html
Roberts, T. Grady (2003). US Department of Education. ERIC: Reports. Retrieved Sept.
13, 2012 from Educators Reference Complete Gale Group.