Glen Hams

Foundations of Education
PCC Spring 2007
Philosophy of Education Paper

The ultimate goals of education are to generate a better informed and more
productive society. With these goals educated individuals are better able to understand
how the world works and make appropriate choices to improve their surroundings. They
will be better informed on how to take care of themselves and others. How to work as a
team, but also how to compete for success in a thriving competitive world. I think some
of the best ways to improve the chances of attaining these goals is through Progressivism
and Humanism. In Progressivism the educational format and curriculum is child centered
and focused around their interests. This is important to start one's education because it
allows one to freely explore one's world and develop a curious and contemplative mind,
rather than having to be told what is important. Progressivism focuses more on preparing
students for the condition of the present rather than the possible future. This makes things
and ideas more tangible to understand and useful to implement and explore. I agree with
John Dewey is this aspect that education is "a process of living and not a preparation for
future living". One of the goals of progressivism is making democracy work through
education and thus producing a more cohesive community based society. To do this
schools prepare students for democratic living by making the classrooms democratic
environments, educating every child to their fullest, and using progressive based practices
such as cooperative group learning, family & multiage grouping, and assessment through
portfolios, performances, and projects. The Humanistic approach stresses values and selfactualization. It is important to reflect on one's self, surrounds, circumstances, and how

these came to be. By looking inward you can better understand your physical and
emotional needs and learn how to meet those needs. By attaining these goals or at least
valuing them and attempting them I believe the societal product will be more innovative,
productive, and democratic communities.
The content should be somewhat flexible in that children's interests change and to
engage them more subject matter may have to adapt. I agree with Maria Montessori who
developed the Montessori Method for early education where the child is allowed to freely
explore a sensory rich environment. It is through this exploration that children naturally
teach them selves and gain understanding. Reading, writing, and mathematics will always
be essential to all further education, but it shouldn't be dry and only book or teacher to
student based. Individuals have different learning styles such as visual, auditory, and
kinesthetic. These learning styles should be taken into consideration to make a richer
curriculum. Students should have more hands on applications of concepts before having
to only conceptualize them on paper. An example of this would be using manipulatives
for fraction pieces such as halves and quarters of a circle to understand visually and
physically what a half and a fourth are before knowing the symbology (1/2 & 1/4). To
better understand literature and promote reading, speech, and debate there should be
group projects, performances, and open discussions to further student's understanding of
the curriculum and to also stress the importance of it.
I strongly believe that the goal should be to educate all individuals to their fullest
potential in similar positive environments and methods. As opposed to segregating
different groups such as learning styles, abilities, income level, and language to name a

few. We should start in a very open educational environment for all kids, but adjust where
necessary with other forms of instruction. Children with special needs and English
Language Learners (ELL) are good examples where they should definitely be spending
some time is the general education classrooms, even if their skill levels aren't enough to
keep up with the class. I had a special education teacher once say, "How are these
students suppose to learn to behave normally if the only other students they interact with
are behaving oddly?". This promotes mainstreaming and full-inclusion where students are
spending a small or large portion of their school day in the general education classroom.
This is not only positive for the included individual, but also for the general classroom
students who get to know and understand different people and accept them more then
they would if they were always "those kids in the 'special' room".
The role of the educator should be part expert, part entertainer, and part friend.
The teacher needs to understand what they are teaching to be able to pass on this
knowledge effectively to their students. They need to know how to present the curriculum
in the most effective methods that promote the student's interest and fully engage them.
But maybe most importantly they need to look out for the student's well being. The
teacher can be an advocate for their students because they are a big part of their lives and
can support them through the good times and bad. This includes giving them the
emotional support they need (and may not be getting outside of school) since as a teacher
you are sort of immersed in bits of their home and social lives. When you really look at
the teaching profession and the education system in general you can see how truly
important it is for the quality of life for each individual and the success of a society as a
whole.