Philosophy of Education Purpose of Education My teaching philosophy is based on the belief learning is active and social.

I believe it is the responsibility of educators to provide classrooms that encourage students to construct and share their knowledge, take part in manipulating materials, apply concepts to what they are learning, and engage in meaningful activities (Dewey, n.d.). Classroom instructions should correspond with experiences that make the student willing and able to learn. Therefore, it must be easily understood by the student and designed to provide further investigation beyond the information given. As an educator, I will strive to provide opportunities for independent thinking encouraging students to take control of their learning. I feel students learn and retain more information when they are able to discover and make connections through active participation. For this reason I believe the use scaffolding is necessary to allow the student to perform tasks while supporting investigation and inquiry (Dewey, 2008, p. 83). Learners I realize not every student will have the same learning levels and abilities. Therefore, in my classroom I will accommodate students based on their individual learning styles. When appropriate I will implement a variety of teaching instructions to match their learning; direct instruction, collaborative learning, and inquiry learners. For this reason, I feel it is important to identify students challenges and strengths in order to develop techniques to help students reach their full academic potential. As an educator I want to give my students the ability to problem solve many situations. I will take it upon myself to provide real life scenarios in the classroom to assure students are ready move to the next step in their learning process. I feel all students are capable of learning; it requires the proper motivation and direction from educators. Therefore, I will always strive to do my best assuring all my students are motivated. The assessment of each child's progress will be based on a combination of formative and summative assessment. Formative will include feedback in an oral or written form to the student regarding their work. It will be used it to measure students understanding of the subject, through observations and amount of output. I will also include self-assessments and develop contracts with the students to learn at a comfortable pace. I will use summative assessment to gather information on the student achievement and learning objectives. I will follow the standards of the school district where I am teaching including report cards and a student portfolio. The student portfolio will track the student's progress in math, reading and writing. As an educator it is essential to reflect on my teaching strategies in order to provide meaningful lessons to my students. Teachers/Pedagogy Constructivism says that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. My constructivist pedagogy focuses on students interest and using prior knowledge to engage and motivate

Philosophy of Education students learning. I believe learning should be structured around main ideas and broad topics this encourages students to explore and question. I feel it is essential to value students point of view allowing them to tap into their reasoning and thinking processes (Mondal, n.d.). I think this approach will make learning meaningful and challenge students. This philosophy is fluid and will be revised as I construct new knowledge, gain experiences and change perspectives. Curriculum I will be using a constructivism philosophy in my classroom. I will follow a curriculum based on individual development along with exploring, reflecting, interacting and communication with peers and adults. Lesson plans will include hands on activities concentrating on fine motor development, math, and science as well as reading readiness skills. I feel hands on approach will help develop problem-solving skills and give the students a better understanding and knowledge. My classroom lessons will go beyond academics to help students learn about themselves. I think this will motivate students to always go above and beyond. I want to instill the ability to be self-motivated and the eagerness to learn in my students. I would like my students to always ask questions and to know I will be there to help them. Therefore, I will learn what works and what doesnt work in my classroom then make the necessary improvements. I believe it is important to always look for ways to improve my teaching skills. My goal is to assure every child who goes through my classroom grows as a student and they leave with the satisfaction and the eagerness to learn. I want learning to be a positive influence in the students life and I want my students to know learning can be fun.

Philosophy of Education References Dewey, J. (n.d.). Experience and education. Retrieved from School of Educators website: http://www.schoolofeducators.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/EXPERIENCEEDUCATION-JOHN-DEWEY.pdf Dewey, J. (2008). Democracy and education. Radford, VA: Wilder. Mondal, D. B. C. (n.d.). Contructivist pedagogy [Illustration]. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/bhimsttc?utm_campaign=profiletracking&utm_medium =sssite&utm_source=ssslideview