Role of Educator

I believe that each child is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially. It is my desire as a educator to help students meet their fullest potential in these areas by providing an environment that is safe, supports risk-taking, and invites a sharing of ideas. There are three elements that I believe are conducive to establishing such an environment: (1) the teacher acting as a guide (2) allowing the child's natural curiosity to direct his/her learning, and (3) promoting respect for all things and all people.

 -teachers role is to guide and provide access to information rather than acting as the primary source of informaton.In this way students learn to seek knowledge and also learn to find answers to their questions. If students are to seek knowledge,they have to be provided with the opportunity to discover for themselves and practice the skills in authentic situations. Provide students with hands-on activities and give them adequate time and space to use materials that reinforce the lesson being taught.This creates the opportunity for the individual to discover and construct knowledge.

What is the purpose of schooling/education?

To transmit knowledge and values.Each country chooses the curriculum based on its history,values and its own culture. Reconstructing society.Empowering students to promote social progress.This in turn will help eliminate social ills.

Teacher-centered philosophies
Emphasize the importance of transferring
knowledge, information and skills from the older (presumably wiser) generation to the younger one.

Student-centered philosophies
School is an institution that works with youth to improve society or help students realize their individuality. Students and teachers work together on determining what should be learned and how best to learn it

Philosophies of education
1. Teacher-centered Essentialism Perennialism 2. Student-centered Progressivism Social reconstructionism Existentialism

Perennialism
Little flexibility in the curriculum and rigorous standards Perennial means everlasting focuses on enduring themes and questions that span the ages. Students learn directly from the Great Books works by historys finest thinkers and writers. Religious education Quran, Bible etc Robert Hutchins and Mortimer Adler

Perennialism
The value of learning is tied to the subject matter. Grammar, reading, rhetoric (art of speaking/ writing), logic, mathematics, and great literature.as main columns of content for Perennialists. Perennial: not coming to an endthe studies are perennial everlasting through time

Perennialism
The vocational education, physical education, the performing arts are subjects not in Perennialists. Perennialists view means that serious attention will be given to the management of basic skills education, especially reading instruction.

Essentialism
Essentialists and perennialists are brothers under the same skin. They shared a basic commitment to training the intellect through subject-centered knowledge

Essentialism
To teach students the accumulated knowledge of our civilization through core courses in the traditional academic disciplines i.e. academic knowledge, patriotism and character development. Approach to train the mind, promote reasoning and ensure a common culture. Neoessentialism focused graduation requirements, stronger standards and more testing. Eg. Required to take many core courses with few electives. Leading essentialists E.D. Hirsch, Jr

Progressivism
Organizes schools around the concerns, curiosity and real-world experience of students. Answers are discovered. If the idea works in the real world, then it has merit. John Dewey education as an opportunity to learn how to apply previous experiences in new ways i.e.
become aware of a problem define it propose various hypotheses to solve it examine the consequences of each hypothesis in the light of previous experiences test the most likely solution

Progressivism
The first sign of progressive movement in the schools of United States of the twentieth centuryand were largely child centered in orientationto providing children with joyful, open ended, activity based education. That allowed children to direct their own learning and to determine for themselves what, how, and when they will learn.

Social Reconstructionism
George Counts .. A student of Dewey Schools focus on reforming society i.e. directly confront societal ills
Racism Sexism Environmental pollution Homelessness Poverty Abuse AIDS Violence

School is the ideal place to begin solving social problems

Existentialism
Belief in human free will and individuals are responsible to shape their own future. It is up to the student to make all relevant educational decisions and to evaluate those decisions. Jean-Paul Sartre Believe education should be about helping each of us answer the fundamental questions:
Why am I here? What is my purpose?