Ben Luzar

Mrs. Paul
EDC 240
10/15/15
Educational Philosophy Statement
It is very important for teachers to know their own philosophy. This is because
they need to have and know the reasons for why they do what they do. A teachers
philosophy can and will change, but regardless of it stands, teachers need to be
continuously reflecting on and evaluating their philosophy. Spending most of my life in
schools, and starting the education program at Alma College has given me grounds to
begin to educationally think about and develop my own educational philosophy.
All classes and teachers are different. A teacher cannot teach for example a drama
class the same way they teach a mathematics class. This makes it vital for teachers to
understand the ways they can best teach their discipline, that fit the needs of the class and
play to the strengths and abilities of the teacher. I have begun to think about the best ways
to teach my future discipline: physical education. I believe that in a PE class, the teacher
stress effort over anything else (besides safety, of course). This is because all students are
at different levels of health and physical ability. I will strive to ensure that my students
come to class everyday and put effort into the activities of the day. Instead of attempting
to bring my students up to a certain standard of physical health and ability, I will just
stress improvement. Students will have personal goals rather than class goals. Students
will set their own goals but each goal will be based on improvement.

All eight steps of the Madeline Hunter Lesson Design Model will be apparent in
my teaching. It is very important for students to understand the purpose of them doing
what they are. The ways that the students will really learn what I am teaching them is
through guided practice. I will explain what we are learning, physically model what we
are learning, then have the students practice as I watch, critique, and correct. I will make
sure everyone understands and can perform correctly, and then let the students practice
and perform in groups or by themselves.
Being just over a year removed from high school, I have a pretty good
understanding of todays students. Students do not love to be at school learning. Most
students only tolerate school for the social aspects. I plan to have a class that students
enjoy but also get a lot of beneficial knowledge out of. One way I plan to do this is by
making it very clear to the students why I am teaching them what I am, and why I am
choosing to have them do the activities that I am. A phrase heard all over high school
classrooms is, why would we ever have to know this? I plan to make sure that my
students always know why they are doing what they are. If they understand why they are
being taught something they are more likely to put forth adequate effort. I also know that
students are group-oriented. I plan to find ways to put groups together that work well and
help better each group member.
A lot of teachers say things like, If you take away just one thing from this
class There are some things that every teacher have in mind that are the main points
they want their students to take away from their class. For my classes, I wish to give them
a base knowledge of the exercises and physical education practices that we work on in
class so that they will have something to build on after they complete the class. For some

students, becoming physically healthy is not possible in just a semester so it is important

for them to have knowledge of how to continue in exercising the rest of their lives. It will
also be necessary for all the students to have knowledge of how to exercise safely. No
matter what activities we are doing in class, safety will come first. Before we start the
activity I will put forth safety expectations and strategies. I will also teach the students to
have fun while they are exercising, which will make them more inclined to exercise
outside of class.
I believe that in-class learning is best achieved when the students feel like they are
working with the teacher rather than for the teacher. A student and teacher should have
the same goal. For example, in a PE class, both the student and teacher should genuinely
want for the student to improve his/her score on a presidential fitness test, and they
should work together in class to get closer towards achieving that goal. Learning and
improvement are done best when the goals are challenging but achievable. Students
should always be challenged but presented with information and opportunities to help
themselves achieve their goals. I think that in a PE class a lot of learning will be done
through modeling and correction of error during guided practice. As students get to try
activities by themselves, I will correct their errors until they are performing correctly.
The most important thing a classroom should is safe. All classrooms should
provide a safe and inviting environment for the student. In many cases, students do not
have safe environments at home, so the only place they feel safe is at school. Other
students may feel socially awkward or outcast in other parts of the school. I will strive in
my class for every student to feel welcomed, safe, and part of the group. I will make sure
that all students treat each other with respect and fairness. I will also work to make sure

my class has a growth mentality. This means that ideally all students will have the same
mindset to give effort and work towards improvement every day. This will help the
students to work together and push each other to get better. Students should look forward
to coming to my class because of the learning attitude, fun, and safety it provides.
School can be many things for a student. I think that a main purpose of school is
to prepare students for the future. School should give students a base knowledge of the
basic fields, and especially the field that they are interested in going in to. School should
help students begin to have an idea of what they are interested in for the future. I think
that school should provide a social aspect for the students. They should be allowed
freedom at lunch and after school and should be able to participate in fun activities
around school. The most important thing a school should provide for students is
opportunities for the future. Schools should provide the necessary standardized tests for
students to get into college, and be able to contact colleges about students. School should
be a fun time for students while preparing them and providing them with adequate
opportunities to become contributing members of society.
I am looking forward to continuing in my education and further developing my
philosophy.