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Philosophy of Education A common question that students ask is, what is the purpose of school?

School is important because it is the formal way for knowledge to be taught to students. Some may think that it is possible to teach oneself everything, but it is rather difficult. School systems in the United States set the foundation for life because of all the skills that are taught. Students go to school to gain intellectual knowledge, develop social skills, develop economic skills, and to develop sense of political and civic responsibilities. Students are taught knowledge through lessons and activities. Students are taught social skills through interaction with other students and the teachers; group activities are a great way to engage in social interaction. Students develop economic skills through understanding the meaning of money. Students develop a sense of political and civic responsibilities by learning the importance of voting and about our nations history. Students go to school to learn, but what is learning? Learning is the ability to gain knowledge. People learn new things every day because they gain new knowledge. Comprehension, communication and correctness are three terms that come to mind when thinking about learning. If a student can comprehend something then they are able to explain what has happened in their own words. If a student can communicate a response verbally to either the teacher or another student then there is proof that learning is happening. If a student is correct with all their answers then learning has occurred because there is no error. Students also learn through reading and repetition. Reading allows students to explore things that cannot be taught such as critical thinking skills. Repetition is learning if memorization is the main goal, for example, memorization of multiplication times tables. A teacher can identify that learning has occurred if the student shows the ability to be correct in answering questions and has comprehended the material. Learning also occurs when students have met the standard or achieved a certain goal. Students learn differently and each individual student has their own way of proving that they understand new knowledge. Children can learn in three main ways: visually, auditory, and kinesthetically. Some students learn by visually seeing things being taught. Some students learn by hearing lessons. Some students learn by physically doing tasks and solving problems. Take handwriting, for example; there are three ways to teach how to correctly

write the letters of the alphabet. Visual learners will benefit best by seeing the demonstration of how to write the letter on the blackboard. Auditory learning will occur when the students are verbally instructed on how to write letters. Kinesthetic learning will take place through practicing the skill of writing letters. Elementary school children are most likely not aware of which type of learning is best for them, but an effective teacher will realize how their students learn. It is important for all three styles of learning to occur in the classroom. I want to be a teacher that incorporates all three learning styles in my classroom. I also think it is important that students learn from me as a teacher, but the students should also be able to learn from other students. There is always a correct time for lecture style teaching and there is also a correct time for demonstration style teaching. Projects can also be an effective way to get students to think and therefore teach themselves or other students. The grade level is one way to determine what kind of teaching will work best. Fifth graders will succeed more with projects and role play than kindergarteners. Kindergarteners will learn from the drill and practice technique and also demonstrations because there is reinforcement happening. Every school is different, just like every curriculum is different. Curriculums vary depending on age of the students as well; third graders have a different curriculum than sixth graders. Quality curriculums need to be grade level appropriate. A quality curriculum needs to take the skills learned in the previous grade and now apply those skills into a more advanced level. For example, second graders learn how to multiply single digits (8 x 8); in third grade the students will learn to multiply double digits (12 x 15). Math and reading skills are heavily emphasized in curriculums. A student with poor reading skills may not read at grade level; the goal should be to get the student to grade level before they advance to the next grade. Curriculums are beneficial because they are guidelines for schools, teachers, parents and also the students. Curriculums are public knowledge so there are no surprises as to what is expected from the students.

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