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Philosophy of Education Assignment

Purpose of Education:
The purpose of education is to provide every student equal opportunity to gain
knowledge that contributes to their future and success. We educate children to teach them how to
become good citizens. An education will allow students to learn various subjects, such as
Mathematics, History, and English that contribute to everyday life. For example, without
mathematics, how can we count money or without language arts, how can we read or write?
Art and music are two subjects that were taught for many years, but now these subjects
have been taken away from some schools curriculum. Art teaches children how to be creative,
how to cut, color, sculpt, draw; children learn about color mixing; it also lets them think outside
their imagination; it allows them to explore; it allows them to be themselves; it allows them to
express their feelings, and it allows them to respect other classmates ideas. Music teaches
children about rhythm, beats, traditional dances; it teaches about culture; it teaches
choreography; it teaches children how to recognize instruments; it teaches children how to play
various instruments; like the flute, the xylophone or the clarinet. Children like to listen to music
and they like to participate in music classes. As a future teacher I will incorporate art and music
to my lessons because children like to explore, they like to have fun and they like to learn new
things daily.
The purpose of education is to spark childrens imagination, to motivate children, to
encourage students, to allow children to learn from their mistakes, to teach children how to

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explain, to teach children about diversity, to teach them how to respect others, and most
importantly we want to empower children through education.
Learning Environment:
According to Abraham Maslow, a positive and supportive climate for learning must be
established and maintained in the classroom. A safe environment is important for the students,
parents, teachers and staff members in order to feel safe and secure. A classroom setting
decorated with students work, lesson plans, objectives, and standards placed around the
classroom will promote a learning environment. Classrooms should be a safe place for students
to feel comfortable and welcomed. When children feel comfortable in a classroom they engage
with others; they raise their hand to answer questions, they listen, they volunteer to go to the
board and most importantly they enjoy being in a place where they love to learn.
When I was in fifth grade my teacher had a reading corner we had a small couch with a
table next to it and a she had a flower vase filled with beautiful fresh flowers. When we were
done with our classwork, a test, or when we didnt want to participate in recess we could stay in
the reading corner and read a book. Sometimes our teacher would sit with us and ask us
questions about the book. This small corner made me feel comfortable, safe, relaxed,
independent, free, and I enjoyed being in a quiet place where I could read my favorite book. In
the future, I will have a small corner similar to the one I had, because I want my students to feel
welcomed to be themselves.
Jerome Bruner said that instruction should be adjusted to accommodate learner
differences. Children learn in various ways, for example some children are auditory learners,
visual leaners or active learners. Instructors should use various strategies and techniques to teach
students. In order for children to learn the lessons they should be engaging, a video could be

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shown for visual learners, or children can use manipulatives for math, or children can work in
groups to learn from other classmates. When students feel comfortable in the classroom setting,
they engage in classroom activities and raise their hands to answer questions more frequently. As
a future teacher I will make sure I teach my lessons in an engaging way where my students can
have fun yet learn at the same time.
Commitment to Social Justice:
Equality is important in school settings. No child should feel discriminated or should
discriminate against others. Respect should be taught and practiced. Everyone is the same, and
should be taught the same. Students should respect other students culture, race and gender.
Teachers need to be aware of students who do not participate in certain holiday activities like
Halloween or Christmas. Those students who do not celebrate certain holidays shouldnt be sent
out to another classroom they should be able to participate in the activity. As a future educator I
will change my lesson plans to incorporate all my students. When my students work in groups I
will make groups that contain both girl and boys. When we play games during Physical
Education I will not have boys against girls. In my classroom I will have closets that are labeled
for students not a closet for boys and one for girls. If some of my students are English
Learners, I will use audio books, I will read aloud, I will have students read to each other, and I
will have cooperative learning groups. I will also change lesson plans to make the lesson
understandable for E.L students yet challengeable for those who are not.
My goal as a future educator is to teach students and help those who need extra help in
order for my class to transition to the next grade level. I do not want children to be retained; I
want to show students that they are capable of learning and of continuing their education. Every
student should have the opportunity to answer questions or volunteer in any activity. Professors

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should not have favorite students.As a student myself, I noticed who were the favorite students in
class or the so called teachers pet, and it is discouraging for others to participate when they
dont get the same feedback and attention. Make sure you give feedback to every student, dont
pick the same students all the time, if a child has the wrong answer, help them out, encourage
them to take risks, and give them feedback for trying.
All students should have the same access to learning, even those students with physical
or mental disabilities. Teachers should be aware of students who have any type of disability. For
example, when planning a lesson plan for P.E, modify the lesson if any of your students is
disabled. If you are teaching children how to catch, and one of your students is in a wheelchair,
you can use soft balls like yarn balls to prevent injuries and to prevent a student from being part
of the lesson.
Curriculum:
Common Core Standards are our current standards that should be followed. The
goals of these standards are to prepare students for higher education after high school. Standards
should be followed and addressed in the lesson plans. You can explain to the students what the
standard objective is or you can have the standards visible to the students.
Subjects should be taught in a creative, interactive and fun way where students can
understand and enjoy the lesson. Engaging classroom lessons will motivate students to pay
attention and learn. Keep in mind that every child learns differently; try to make the lessons for
active, visual, and auditory learners. I will use teaching techniques such as walking around the
classroom, bringing objects that connect to my lessons, introduce songs that relate to a subject,
show colorful posters, read books aloud, and show you tube videos.

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Barak mentioned that understanding should be checked during instruction, I will

question my students, I will challenge my students and I will give my students quizzes to check
for understanding. Lesson plans should be checked and should be updated with standards and
other new information. In order to improve my teaching skills, I will change my lessons and
create new activities that will have different ways to teach. A teacher should not use the same
lessons year after year, because each year we will have different students with different learning
abilities, and sometimes we will have different standards.
Teacher:
Effective teachers need to have the proper degree and knowledge of the subject matter
they will teach. Having organized, as well as updated lesson plans, will aid and guide the
teachers to teach more comfortably. Teachers need to be educated, passionate, understanding, and
committed to their job. I believe teaching is more than a job. As a future educator my goal is to
not only teach, but to spark imaginations; I want children to ask questions like, why? and
how? I want children to apply their knowledge to their life; I want to enrich their lives.
As teachers, learning is not only part of our objective for our students to meet, it is also
part of our own objective because we are constantly learning new things and gaining knowledge
every day. As teachers we have to continue our education by attending college classes after we
become teachers in order to gain more knowledge that could be beneficial for us and for our
students. Most importantly effective teachers should love doing their jobs and should teach with
love.