Philosophy
of Education
I believe that the purpose of education is to use the knowledge a
student gains to further explore their own ideas. My role as an educator is to
encourage exploration of experimental ideas and teach students to utilize that
knowledge to do so. I understand that students learn in many ways; visual,
auditory, and hands on. I will use various teaching styles to implement lessons
that incorporate all three areas so the students can be fully engaged within
the lesson, and retain the knowledge competently.
Taking a page from Soren Kierkegaard, the father of
existentialism, I want to focus my teaching philosophy on the student as an
individual, free to explore their own ideas and creativity within the learning
process. Constructing a learning environment such as this will reinforce
students in a positive way that encourages the students to actively engage in
their own ideas and education.
To foster this effective learning environment, I as the teacher,
will remain passionate about my own ideas and studies in order to effectively
engage my students thoroughly. Looking to the philosophy of Idealism, students
can play an active role in learning by participating in their own evaluation. As
a teacher of the Fine Arts, assessing my students will be facilitated through
peer discussions and critiques of their own work. Creating, discussing, and
critiquing artwork is no simple task, students will have to explore new ideas
and express the reasoning behind them. I believe that this technique of peer assessment
will foster critical thinking and problem solving skills that the students can
carry over outside of my classroom.
While I have not decided what age group I would prefer to focus on
in my teaching career, I have experience working with students ranging from the
ages of five to fourteen and enjoyed their excitement and curiosity when it
comes to learning new techniques and putting them into practice. During my time
as a student teacher I will be searching for positions available around the
surrounding areas of Paris, Bonham, Sherman, Sulphur Springs, and Greenville. I
chose these areas due to the fact of their proximity to family, and my wife’s
work. But, we have not started a family of our own and are willing to venture
out and learn of new locations and opportunities.
My goal as a teacher is to not “mold” a student’s thoughts, but
rather facilitate learning and encourage a creative thought process that the
students can apply to future educational endeavors.
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