Philosophy of Education: A Student Centered Approach
Introduction
After completing my student teaching experience and studying the foundations of American education which detailed the works of philosophers like Dewey, Piaget, and Spencer, I should probably have a ‘concrete’ educational philosophy. Nevertheless, the educational philosophy that I am developing (I don’t say developed, because I believe that principles evolve with each new experience) is far from concrete, and is based in flexibility. None of the fully developed educational philosophies that I have studied and witnessed in practice within the classroom fit my style to a ‘T’ but there were aspects from several of them that made a great deal of sense. Of the theories, philosophies, and approaches that I’ve studied throughout my professional education, the methodology that was closest to my own, and permitted the most flexibility, was the student-centered curricula approach. Ultimately, I would say that my educational philosophy encompasses an amalgamation of my favorite qualities from several different philosophies, but is based upon being student-centered and flexible to environmental needs.
Role of the Teacher
Prior to studying education and teaching, I thought the most important role a teacher had to fill was that of motivator. While I still think that motivating students is a critical role, I now see it as one facet in a much larger picture. Teachers need to be professionals with expert knowledge concerning instruction, content, and methods; teachers need to meet daily demands like preparing lessons, assessing student performance, and creating and managing a fair and equitable classroom environment (Ornstein, Levine, Gutek & Vocke, 2010, p.30, 165). Additionally, teachers need to be able to adapt to a constantly evolving contemporary society while still imparting: socialization skills, critical thinking skills, appreciation for cultural heritages, and finally the values that students need to become intelligent, democratic citizens (Ornstein, Levine, Gutek & Vocke, 2010, p. 412, 433). With so many demands and expectations placed on teachers, the responsibility and role of the instructor is a diverse and dynamic one, that is strongly informed by our individual philosophies and those of the school and area at which we serve.
Relating to fellow teachers, administration, school boards, parents and students is part of the responsibilities of a teacher. While each relationship is very different, and the role of the teacher in each instance is quite different, one quality unites every role and relationship a teacher plays: a teacher should always be an advocate for the student. In the midst of school board meetings, parent-teacher conferences, staff meetings and instruction, teachers should always strive to protect the best interests of their students, even if those interests run counter to the wants of the school board, administration, parents or the student’s immediate desire. Just as Dewey crafted his innovative and experiential system of education around the learner, as opposed to the traditional approach that relied upon ‘great cultural heritage […] custom and established routine', teachers roles and relationships should be centered upon what is best for the learner (Dewey, 1997, p. 28).
Students Rights and Responsibilities
Much of the focus in educational instruction is placed upon the role of the teacher, but of equal importance is the role students take in shaping their own education. Students have the right to expect an engaging curriculum that will broaden their thinking and understanding of the world; consequently, students have a responsibility to participate in their education and take an active role in shaping their education to fit their needs. Instructors need to construct lesson plans that engage students and help them become active learners; engaged students are more likely to participate in activities, feel connected to their education, and feel comfortable in their competence (Woolfolk, 2010, p. 383). Classroom environments should foster a shared sense of purpose amongst a community of learners; students have the right to expect safety, support, and practices that sustain that shared sense of purpose, and a responsibility to ensure their actions buttress those ends, as well. The classroom represents an opportunity for students to grow together, support one another, and enrich their lives, and every right and responsibility a student has revolves around that purpose.
Methods of Instruction
As the leader of a community of learners out to enrich their lives by broadening their minds, how an instructor approaches that mission is of vital importance to the success of the endeavor. In the arena of instructional methodology, Dewey did an outstanding job balancing traditional and progressive perspectives when he pointed out that learners were neither “a docile recipient of facts” nor “the starting point, the center, and the end” of school activity (Ornstein, Levine, Gutek & Vocke, 2010, p.439). To me, the curricula should be student-centered and as activity based as possible, because those modes produce learners who are not only actively engaged in the process but provide experience and the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills. That being said, I think the absolute best approach to instruction is the humanistic approach which emphasizes effective outcomes, allows for activity based learning when it is in the students best interest, and also stresses meaningful relationships that build independence and self-direction (Ornstein, Levine, Gutek & Vocke, 2010, p.440-441).
Embracing the principles associated with a humanistic, student-centered and experientially supported instructional approach creates serious implications for which assessment modalities I should employ. While preparing for the position debate on high-stakes testing, I had the opportunity to read a great deal of literature about performance assessment that laid out a very convincing argument for the importance of task-based learning and assessment. Multiple-choice tests, true/false, and fill-in the blanks tests fit very well with traditional teacher-directed learning methods, but a student-centered approach requires student created work like those created by using authentic assessment (Eisner, 1999, p. 658-659).
Classroom Organization
Establishing a student-centered approach to curriculum and instruction doesn’t negate the importance of the nitty-gritty details of day to day classroom management and organization. Teaching history or government in a high-school environment means I will be working with students who have a lot more freedom, and consequently a lot more individual responsibility, than those students in, say, an elementary school environment. Respecting student’s freedom, and ensuring students honor their responsibilities, is an essential guideline for how I intend to order my classroom. Having students sit in groups where desks face one another to support group-discussion and collaboration play a key factor in how I intend to physically organize my class. Additionally, I think engaging aesthetic elements like pictures of world monuments, artifacts, and copies of primary source documents set a good tone (although it’s important that they’re not overly flamboyant to the point of distracting students).
Although the physical classroom environment is very important, classroom policies are one of the most fundamental ways instructors set the tone in their learning environment. As an individual who values the importance of discussion, collaboration, and creation, I think classroom policies shouldn’t feel restrictive so much as feel like they are fostering orderly participation. Classroom policies should focus on respecting one another’s rights, space, and property, and individual accountability for your actions; as today’s classroom is much more technology driven, I think checking to make sure students have pens, pencils, and paper isn’t crucial to affective class participation anymore.
Conclusion
While my philosophy and methodology is very much influenced by the work of John Dewey, Abraham Maslow, and, to a lesser extent, Vygotsky, I feel comfortable that it is still very much my own. One of the elements that Dewey brought forward with his teaching philosophy and methodology is the importance of individuality-and that emphasis truly resonates with me. Prior to the progressive educational movement, learning was about molding people with instruction that was rooted in what was always done as opposed to what best served the learner.
Today, standards-based teaching has led to some of the same quandaries that Dewey had to contend with- the imposition of standards and aims that aren’t, necessarily, relevant to the learner. As a prospective history and government teacher, I’m scared that students will lose the true relevance of the US Constitution and American Revolution in all of the other details they have to learn in order to pass the SOLs. Hopefully, using activities that look at the bigger picture will place all of the smaller details in their rightful place as part of the whole. Imparting the relevance of historical events and how the interconnect with their own lives, helping students forge connections between what has happened and what is happening, and motivating students to be engaged and thinking about the world around them remain the principle reasons why I want to be an educator, and why I feel that a student-centered approach is best.
References
Dewey, J. (1997). Experience and education. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Eisner, E. W. (1999). The uses and limits of performance assessment. The Phi Delta Kappan, 80(9), 658-660.
Ornstein, A. C., Levine, D. U., Gutek, G. L., & Vocke, D. E. (2010). Foundations of education. (11 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub Co.
Woolfolk, A. (2010). Educational psychology. (11 ed). Columbus, OH: Prentice Hall.
After completing my student teaching experience and studying the foundations of American education which detailed the works of philosophers like Dewey, Piaget, and Spencer, I should probably have a ‘concrete’ educational philosophy. Nevertheless, the educational philosophy that I am developing (I don’t say developed, because I believe that principles evolve with each new experience) is far from concrete, and is based in flexibility. None of the fully developed educational philosophies that I have studied and witnessed in practice within the classroom fit my style to a ‘T’ but there were aspects from several of them that made a great deal of sense. Of the theories, philosophies, and approaches that I’ve studied throughout my professional education, the methodology that was closest to my own, and permitted the most flexibility, was the student-centered curricula approach. Ultimately, I would say that my educational philosophy encompasses an amalgamation of my favorite qualities from several different philosophies, but is based upon being student-centered and flexible to environmental needs.
Role of the Teacher
Prior to studying education and teaching, I thought the most important role a teacher had to fill was that of motivator. While I still think that motivating students is a critical role, I now see it as one facet in a much larger picture. Teachers need to be professionals with expert knowledge concerning instruction, content, and methods; teachers need to meet daily demands like preparing lessons, assessing student performance, and creating and managing a fair and equitable classroom environment (Ornstein, Levine, Gutek & Vocke, 2010, p.30, 165). Additionally, teachers need to be able to adapt to a constantly evolving contemporary society while still imparting: socialization skills, critical thinking skills, appreciation for cultural heritages, and finally the values that students need to become intelligent, democratic citizens (Ornstein, Levine, Gutek & Vocke, 2010, p. 412, 433). With so many demands and expectations placed on teachers, the responsibility and role of the instructor is a diverse and dynamic one, that is strongly informed by our individual philosophies and those of the school and area at which we serve.
Relating to fellow teachers, administration, school boards, parents and students is part of the responsibilities of a teacher. While each relationship is very different, and the role of the teacher in each instance is quite different, one quality unites every role and relationship a teacher plays: a teacher should always be an advocate for the student. In the midst of school board meetings, parent-teacher conferences, staff meetings and instruction, teachers should always strive to protect the best interests of their students, even if those interests run counter to the wants of the school board, administration, parents or the student’s immediate desire. Just as Dewey crafted his innovative and experiential system of education around the learner, as opposed to the traditional approach that relied upon ‘great cultural heritage […] custom and established routine', teachers roles and relationships should be centered upon what is best for the learner (Dewey, 1997, p. 28).
Students Rights and Responsibilities
Much of the focus in educational instruction is placed upon the role of the teacher, but of equal importance is the role students take in shaping their own education. Students have the right to expect an engaging curriculum that will broaden their thinking and understanding of the world; consequently, students have a responsibility to participate in their education and take an active role in shaping their education to fit their needs. Instructors need to construct lesson plans that engage students and help them become active learners; engaged students are more likely to participate in activities, feel connected to their education, and feel comfortable in their competence (Woolfolk, 2010, p. 383). Classroom environments should foster a shared sense of purpose amongst a community of learners; students have the right to expect safety, support, and practices that sustain that shared sense of purpose, and a responsibility to ensure their actions buttress those ends, as well. The classroom represents an opportunity for students to grow together, support one another, and enrich their lives, and every right and responsibility a student has revolves around that purpose.
Methods of Instruction
As the leader of a community of learners out to enrich their lives by broadening their minds, how an instructor approaches that mission is of vital importance to the success of the endeavor. In the arena of instructional methodology, Dewey did an outstanding job balancing traditional and progressive perspectives when he pointed out that learners were neither “a docile recipient of facts” nor “the starting point, the center, and the end” of school activity (Ornstein, Levine, Gutek & Vocke, 2010, p.439). To me, the curricula should be student-centered and as activity based as possible, because those modes produce learners who are not only actively engaged in the process but provide experience and the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills. That being said, I think the absolute best approach to instruction is the humanistic approach which emphasizes effective outcomes, allows for activity based learning when it is in the students best interest, and also stresses meaningful relationships that build independence and self-direction (Ornstein, Levine, Gutek & Vocke, 2010, p.440-441).
Embracing the principles associated with a humanistic, student-centered and experientially supported instructional approach creates serious implications for which assessment modalities I should employ. While preparing for the position debate on high-stakes testing, I had the opportunity to read a great deal of literature about performance assessment that laid out a very convincing argument for the importance of task-based learning and assessment. Multiple-choice tests, true/false, and fill-in the blanks tests fit very well with traditional teacher-directed learning methods, but a student-centered approach requires student created work like those created by using authentic assessment (Eisner, 1999, p. 658-659).
Classroom Organization
Establishing a student-centered approach to curriculum and instruction doesn’t negate the importance of the nitty-gritty details of day to day classroom management and organization. Teaching history or government in a high-school environment means I will be working with students who have a lot more freedom, and consequently a lot more individual responsibility, than those students in, say, an elementary school environment. Respecting student’s freedom, and ensuring students honor their responsibilities, is an essential guideline for how I intend to order my classroom. Having students sit in groups where desks face one another to support group-discussion and collaboration play a key factor in how I intend to physically organize my class. Additionally, I think engaging aesthetic elements like pictures of world monuments, artifacts, and copies of primary source documents set a good tone (although it’s important that they’re not overly flamboyant to the point of distracting students).
Although the physical classroom environment is very important, classroom policies are one of the most fundamental ways instructors set the tone in their learning environment. As an individual who values the importance of discussion, collaboration, and creation, I think classroom policies shouldn’t feel restrictive so much as feel like they are fostering orderly participation. Classroom policies should focus on respecting one another’s rights, space, and property, and individual accountability for your actions; as today’s classroom is much more technology driven, I think checking to make sure students have pens, pencils, and paper isn’t crucial to affective class participation anymore.
Conclusion
While my philosophy and methodology is very much influenced by the work of John Dewey, Abraham Maslow, and, to a lesser extent, Vygotsky, I feel comfortable that it is still very much my own. One of the elements that Dewey brought forward with his teaching philosophy and methodology is the importance of individuality-and that emphasis truly resonates with me. Prior to the progressive educational movement, learning was about molding people with instruction that was rooted in what was always done as opposed to what best served the learner.
Today, standards-based teaching has led to some of the same quandaries that Dewey had to contend with- the imposition of standards and aims that aren’t, necessarily, relevant to the learner. As a prospective history and government teacher, I’m scared that students will lose the true relevance of the US Constitution and American Revolution in all of the other details they have to learn in order to pass the SOLs. Hopefully, using activities that look at the bigger picture will place all of the smaller details in their rightful place as part of the whole. Imparting the relevance of historical events and how the interconnect with their own lives, helping students forge connections between what has happened and what is happening, and motivating students to be engaged and thinking about the world around them remain the principle reasons why I want to be an educator, and why I feel that a student-centered approach is best.
References
Dewey, J. (1997). Experience and education. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Eisner, E. W. (1999). The uses and limits of performance assessment. The Phi Delta Kappan, 80(9), 658-660.
Ornstein, A. C., Levine, D. U., Gutek, G. L., & Vocke, D. E. (2010). Foundations of education. (11 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub Co.
Woolfolk, A. (2010). Educational psychology. (11 ed). Columbus, OH: Prentice Hall.