My Philosophy of Education Paper

Alexa Schneider

Sped 200

Philosophy of Education

My philosophy of education has evolved so much over the course of this semester. It started out very basic.  But the more and more we covered topics and watched movies in class, and I was in my placement, this soon changed. My philosophy of education is now firm and strong in many ideals. Such as what is the role of the student, what should schools look at, what is the role of the teacher in the classroom, and how do we prepare our kids for the 21^st century, and how should our classroom be set up to help instill this in them. All these topics are strong ideals that helped shape my philosophy of education into what it is now.

The role of the student is to learn. It is to absorb as much knowledge as possible. These are the future leaders and innovators of our country and the world. It is their job to learn as much as they can. To never give up on their dreams of being whatever they want to be. If they have a great education the sky is the limit for them. Children are curious, and they want to know how things work, and why things are. They are curious learners, and it is important that they never lose this drive. They need this drive to carry with them till the very end. This drive to know more, and be informed is what is going to push these students ahead of the pack.

 This is our schools job to help inform the students as much as possible, and give them the tools necessary to succeed within the means of the school’s budget. Schools need to put focus on critical thinking, not just finding the answer but how you got it. As a society we are so focused on the right answer, we overlook the journey we took to get there. Schools need to emphasize this teaching. That critical thinking will help solve many problems in life, and in the world. Critical thinking is often overlooked and is a crucial way to solving problems that many Americans simply don’t know how to do. This is because our education system failed them in this area.  

As a country our attitude toward education is poor. Many take it for granted that a great education will be given to them. And students are not grateful for all the things that are given when it comes to their education. But the truth is many kids in other countries would love to be able to have the opportunity to go to school here in America. I believe that the attitude towards schools needs to change. School is bridge that helps build better futures for everyone who walks along it. Without the proper schooling your options in life are limited. I wish every child was excited and willing to go to school, and participate in classes. But that is far from the case. I think that by instilling a positive aura around school, that attitudes in schools could change. Making the school’s environment much nicer and pleasant place for all.

The skills and the content that needs to be placed in each classroom are skills that will help each child succeed in an ever changing world. Skills like teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving, are all skills that many of us lack. They need to be better incorporated in our schools. The idea that when someone enters the professional world that you work alone, is so not true in this day in age. Many work in teams to get projects done, or on a proposal that has many components to it. Also Critical thinking and problem solving are skills that almost everyone should have and know how to use. And we lack them big time. Barley any schools are teaching critical thinking. But in a global market it is one of the biggest requirements. So are we setting our students up for failure? I think in some aspects yes. Not even teaching them basic skills for survival in a very competitive global workplace.

Teachers can impact a child’s education in so many ways. The teacher is the one that not only teaches the class, but teaches them things outside of a textbook. Teachers are the ones that drive their students to be the best they can be. Teachers never give up on a student no matter how difficult or trying the child may be. Teachers have a lot of responsibility in the outcome of the child’s education. But great teachers can help shape a child’s future. They go above and beyond everyone’s expectations. Some key traits a teacher needs to have in order to be effective in the classroom are: they need to be patient, positive personality, a genuine care for the students, and a deep and devoted love for teaching. These are traits or skills you can’t learn in a class, they just have to be there. The students will realize if they are not. When a teacher is truly devoted and invested in each child in his or her class the students will take notice, making that learning environment much stronger and more dynamic. Great teachers are out there, and hopefully sometime soon they can be in almost every classroom across the US.

Some strategies that mirror my philosophy of education are positive energy in the classroom. I want the energy from the first day to last all year long. I think that putting a REAL smile on your face will send a positive reaction to the class. The kids want to know that you are there for them, and you are excited to be able to have the opportunity to work with them. By doing this it creates a much stronger and richer learning environment. Being genuine is something that is a must. Kids are going to see right through you if you aren’t. You might have more trouble getting respect in the classroom if kids know you don’t really want to be there. And most importantly a drive that pushes each student to their best, if no one else believes in them you need to be the one there. To help them when they are stuck and push them through any road blocks that comes up along the way. They have to trust you. You are not their friend, but you are a mentor to each child in the class. And it our job as future teachers to make sure each kid is pushing them selves to their best self.

In preparing students for the 21^st century many skills need to be in place. Like imagination and creativity. To have the ability to look outside the box, when it comes to new challenges and problems in life. And as teachers we must not crush a kid’s spirit when he or she is sharing their ideas on how they would solve the problem. Doing activities where their imagination is at play is key. This is something every child has when they are little, but as they grow up this imagination is soon crushed much too early. So as a society in preparing students let’s build their imagination back up. It is critical to coming up with new inventions and ways to solve things. So instead of crushing the little tykes’ imagination and creative spirits lets embrace them and make them grow.

Another skill that we need to enforce and help with is effective oral and written communication skills. Now day’s kids across the world can speak English as well as their own language. But many students in the US can only speak English. What about Spanish, French, Chinese, or Italian? But not many students can. And this is setting up our kids again for failure. Because many students around the globe can speak so many languages as well as write them. Our kids are losing out of important job opportunities. Not only are they learning a different language but they are embracing a whole other culture. Learning the countries traditions, customs and values. Making them more competent in what is going on around them in the world. This is something kids in the US lack. The ability to speak and write different languages and understand what is going on around them.

I want to organize my learning environment so that all kids are given an equal chance at succeeding. It shouldn’t matter how much your family makes, or what side of the railroad tracks you come from. This country was based on the idea of equality. And that should flow strait into the classroom. No child should be left behind because of inadequate tools or skills. It is the teacher’s job to make sure that each is prepared in the same way. Maybe making all tools like pencils, markers, crayons available to the whole class in bins and everyone shares. And everyone must take care of the supplies because they belong to everyone. This also teaches teamwork and sharing in younger grades.

My classroom management is that I don’t want to have to discipline the child for miss behaving. I want to think about what they did, and understand that there are other ways to have handled the situation. Make the child understand what he or she did was wrong, and learn from that mistake to not do it again in the future. If that does not work I would try the time out session, or “Take a Break”. Make the child think about why they are there and what they did. And only when they are ready can they return to the rest of the class. I don’t want to be one of those teachers that has to raise their voice to get the kids to listen. I want to take actions like, making them think about how they got there and what they are going to do differently next time to effectively run my classroom.

In conclusion my philosophy of education has evolved from nothing to brimming with ideas. Because of what we covered in class, and what I have seen first hand in my placement, I now have a firm grasp on what my philosophy of education is. Because of topics like what is the role of the student, what should schools look at, what is the role of the teacher in the classroom, and how do we prepare our kids for the 21^st century, and how should our classroom be set up to help instill this in them. All these topics and ideals helped shape and build my philosophy into what it is today.

Science Express

Today we had the opportunity to go aboard the science express bus. It was a unique way to look at different resources that are out there to help the students learn. It will be something that many students can use and look forward to doing. It has activities based for all ages and can accommodate big or small classes. And its mobile so it comes to you. Which is nice because it also instills what the kids are learning in the classroom and can help incorporate new ideas into what they are doing. It also gives the chance for the kids to work in small groups and with different equipment. I hope they continue to do this and improve an already great program!

Rocori leans away from metal detectors amid safety discussion

http://www.sctimes.com/article/20110426/NEWS01/104250046/Rocori-leans-away-from-metal-detectors-amid-safety-discussion?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Umbrella|s\

This article talks about if ROCORI should install metal detectors in their schools. It breaks my heart to hear all of this. I just wish that the kids would stop talking actions in this way. There is other ways to solve problems and I agree with the article putting metal detectors in the schools isn't going to stop this problem. They need to stick to their anti-bullying campaigns and put them at the fore front. This community can't lose any more children from these schools. It would be another heartache for many to go through again. I think that actions do need to be taken, but the answer is what?

Group 8

Group 8 presented last week, they did a really good job teaching us how to best set up your classroom, and what works well in a classroom. They had many outside sources and personal experiences and stories that it made it interesting to listen to and really drove home the point that classroom management and the way a classroom is set up is essential to how a child feels when they enter the room. It was an interesting and helpful lesson that will come in handy down the road.

Field Experience Reflection

            For my field experience I was placed at Talahi Elementary School in St. Cloud. I was placed in Mrs. Reese’s 6^th grade classroom. It was a great classroom to be in for the first time. It was a very diverse class that accommodated all the kids really well. In this class I was given the opportunity to teach small groups in the area of literature. I had 3 small groups of 4 kids each, were we talked about different topics such as informative texts, poetry, and character development. We meet every Wednesday I was there, for about 15 to 20 minutes per group. If there was any free time I would work with the kids on their vocabulary or spelling words for the week. It was a great chance to interact and get to know the kids on a one on one level that were not in my small group. As well as get a better feel for the way a classroom works and is set up.

My small groups were the first chance I had to work with the kids on my own. I planned the lessons, printed out and brought appropriate materials and then would give the lesson. But the more and more I worked with my groups I could defiantly see the difference between the kids. In areas like thinking patterns and who was more outgoing and willing to answer questions and be the first to share their ideas. It was interesting to see the differences between the groups, and look at the different ways the kids interacted. Some dominated the group with their ideas and would always be the first to talk when I asked questions. But it took a little bit on my part to coax the others to come out of their shell and share their ideas. The hardest part for me was to figure out ways to get the kids engaged. This is an area that I will need to work on as I go through the program. I have to find ways to keep them all engaged and excited about what I am teaching. Many times I had kids just get up and go to the bathroom during a lesson, or totally tune me out. In small groups it was hard to get the others on track once a member left, or disappeared to talk to a fellow classmate. But later on in the semester I developed a little bit more authority and soon realized that kids can tell when a teacher is nervous. One of the biggest things I learned about this field experience is that when teaching, be confident in what you are teaching, relaxed and be genuine. These kids will see right through you if aren’t genuine, relaxed or confident and will take advantage of these situations.

But that most important thing is I found my love of teaching. I knew I would like teaching but I didn’t think I could love it. And that is exactly what happened. I fell in love with the idea of helping these kids learn something new. To be totally invested and ready and excited to be there, and look forward to working with these kids just as much as they are to work with me. It was hard to leave the classroom in the end. I will miss the kids in the classroom.  But this just excites me for when I get the opportunity to have my own someday soon.

Groups 4 and Group 5

Both of these groups did a great job, the first group group 4 talked about our philosophy of education and gave us a test of what we think ours is. It was great insight for our paper and kind of made you think about what kind of teacher you might want to be once we get the opportunity to be in the classroom. The other group group 5 talked about how schools are structured and what the different types of schools are. And how they can be different, such as different in the days of school when you got school when you might get vacation, and how some schools only go to school 4 days a week and have off either Monday or Friday to save money. It was a great way to look at the different types of environments that we might be teaching in. It was a great way to look at things. Both did a wonderful job.

Chapter 5 The Global Achievement Gap

In this chapter Tony Wagner discuss the growing problem that our country is facing both in the workplace and in education. The work ethic of the young people is constantly declining. How do you motivate this new group of workers is a question that doesn't have an answer to. Teachers are having a harder time getting their students to work on homework do the extra reading that is required outside of class and doing extra work on papers and doing proof reads instead of just using spell check. But one of the problems teachers now have to face is that some kids are spoiled and are used to having everything done for them and expect everything. And have their parents stick up for them. Its a new generation that isn't used to having to put long hours in for a project or something to that matter, the computer, ipods, and xboxes come calling. There are so many distractions that kids have to deal with and many families have a family where both parents work so the time after school is normally spent doing these activities instead of homework. And instant gratification is something almost all kids think is a must. If something takes time like homework can, it normally doesn't last long since attention spans are shorter and the want to goes away quickly. It is going to take us as teacher to find ways to motivate these kids and keep them engaged in what you the teacher are saying. It is going to be a struggle each classroom are going to have those kids that will never do their homework. But it is our job to find ways to push them and find the child's drive and want to to succeed in the classroom.

Field Experiece: MCA Testing

Today in my field placement, the students were practicing for their MCA tests that they would be taking shortly. It was hard to watch as it took almost the full two hours that i was their. No students got to work in small groups when there were 4 adults in the classroom that were there to help them, instead we had to watch and then go through and correct any wrong answers. It was hard to see so many kids struggle with these tests and even more frustrated to have to go back and correct their score sheets. And many kids didn't understand their options on the tests. Asking many questions and having to take time to explain what they were asking instead of incorporating this into a lesson. And many lost interest and would have to be reminded to keep working. I hated that they had to take all these tests. It was taking away from valuable time they got to work in small groups and get that one on one attention that they needed and looked forward to. And to see them struggle with it and have such negative attitudes about it. I feel like this isn't the answer and after going through and reading articles and books on testing I can now say I have seen it first hand and their has to be a better way to evaluate the classroom. This isn't it.

Why do Finland's schools get the best results?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8601207.stm

In this article it takes a look at Finland and their school system. I think that this excerpt from the article nicely sums up what Finland is doing in their schools. " The Finnish philosophy with education is that everyone has something to contribute and those who struggle in certain subjects should not be left behind." After watching the video this week in class I think that this country is setting the bar high and having the rest of us looking to them for answers. And this article just goes along with what the video said. There results speak for themselves and it is causing all the rest of us to look up from the bottom to them at the top. It will take time to see if they can stay at the top, but as of right now kudos to Finland for finding something that works in their schools and is allowing their students to be some of the brightest the world has to offer. Hopefully more countries can follow suit making the global marketplace even more competitive but all that much better educated.

Cathleen Black Is Out as City Schools Chancellor

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/cathie-black-is-out-as-chancellor/?emc=na

Cathleen Black is no longer the Chancellor of the schools in New York City, the countries largest public school system. But was is surprising in this article is that she was worked at a magazine company prior to getting this title and many were shocked when she was announced as Chancellor last fall. This to me is surprising how is the countries largest public school system having someone who has no formal educational training or background being put at the helm of this crisis? So for this article i think its a good idea that she was asked to leave and will be replaced. And as the article states it is only time to go forward and not backward. And with Cathleen out of the picture i think that it is a important first step in New York for them to address their school system. This just goes along to illustrate the point that we are letting anyone in to teach our kids and no run our schools, in our nations biggest city. This is not right and I am glad that they are doing something to fix this problem.

Philosophy of Education

My philosophy of education was something that I didn't even know existed. It took watching videos and reading news articles and being in the classroom to understand what is going on, and watching it develop. My philosophy of education is this, every child no matter what nationality, age, demographics, what his or her parents do for a living, is entitled to the same education. I believe that every child needs great teachers in the classroom that genuinely care about them and want to see them succeed. They need our support. I believe that every child has the ability to learn, and should be excited about education and excited about school. It is up to us to make this happen. I believe that every child needs to be helped and no child should ever slip through the cracks or passed on to the next teacher. I believe that every child should be pushed to their limit. They need to learn to be great thinkers and ask great questions. As future teachers we need to promote critical thinking in the classroom. I believe every child has a voice and it needs to be heard. This starts in the classroom, and as teachers we must not silence it but make it stronger. It is up to us as teachers to encourage each child's voice and to make it stronger. I believe that every child is unique and should be treated as such. I believe that every child should feel special because they are and each one brings something different to the classroom. I believe that every child should feel safe in a school environment. As a future teacher this means that we need to be aware of what is going on in the classroom and intervene when necessary. I believe that every child should come an leave with a smile on their face. All of these statements i hope to incorporate into my classroom, in the near future.

Waiting For Superman

In the video Waiting For Superman, it looks at how we need an answer to fixing the education system in the United States. And how we need to wait for an answer and looks at many different kids on their journey to a better education in this country. Most of the kids were looking at going to better schools in the neighboring districts and how they would have to get put into a lottery system to see if they would be allowed in. It was touching to see these kids that were only in like 3 or 4th grade care so much about their education. In my past kids and myself would take for granted the fact that they were able to receive a decent education. It was very different in these parts of the country. It was sad to see when they didn't get in how much they were hurt and understood that this would affect their future. Its not fair to have these kids suffer in inner city schools and see them get passed by. Something needed to be done. Then the chancellor of education in Washington D.C. came along and tried to pass something new but she was shot down by the unions. How sad when someone stood up and tried to fix it nothing got done, and everyone just went along with what was going on. This movie really made you think about how not every child in this country is receiving the education that he or she is entitled to.

Finland Phenomenon

In the movie Finland Phenomenon, by Tony Wagner, it posed a lot of really good thoughts and questions. Like how can a school that doesn't test its students and have a laid back atmosphere be doing the best in the world. It looked at how the structure of the schools are set up and how teachers must go through a lot of schooling and peer teaching and going over what they learned and what they thought about the lesson that they observed or gave. It makes you think as a teacher and makes you look at your flaws but by doing that it only makes you a stronger teacher. And that is what Finland is doing producing amazing teachers that have masters degrees and have gone through many lesson plans and have had master teachers give them critiques. In Finland another big difference is the trust factor. Trust is everywhere in that school system and its paying off because the kids are doing amazing in their studies. And only the top students get to be teachers. It is more of a prestigious thing to become a teacher. Not everyone that applies to become a teacher is accepted. And they integrate more Arts into every class. It poses more questions for students to think about and the motivate each and every student and they want the students who understand what is going on to work at their own pace and the ones that are struggling get more one on one time with the teacher. They also place less emphasis on sports or extra circulars. They have trade schools in high school to avoid high drop out rates. This gives every student the opportunity to further their education. What Finland is doing is something that every country should look at and take notice that they have figured some things out and many countries should follow.

Group 6

The last group that went did a wonderful job. They went in depth into the facts about what kind of things go on behind the scenes. Like budgeting and where we get our money from. They knew what they were talking about and  i like that some of the group members didn't even need a note card. they did a really good job getting everything across that they needed to and it was a great presentation.