Blog #1: Educational Philosophy

Growing up in public schools taught me that standardized tests are by far more important than understanding the key concepts of each subject. While I was enrolled in high school, I believed that teachers only focused on teaching student the various ways to pass the standardized tests. I did not realize that teachers have Common Core Standards they must follow for the subjects they teach. I also did not realize that teachers have the expectations from higher-level educators (and the government) to aid their students in passing standardized tests.

If I had known the various tasks and expectations behind my teachers’ motives as a student, I would have reacted positively towards their teaching structures. Because I would not have truly understood my teachers’ explanation the Common Core or their obligations, my educational experience could not have improved by much. One major improvement would have been a better explanation of the work we were doing in class. Although teachers need to follow the Common Core, they should explain the reasons behind some of their lessons to maintain student interest and appreciation.

As a future teacher, I believe that it is important to give the “why bother with this” explanation to my students. It creates a balanced atmosphere in the classroom and creates an open atmosphere. This is extremely important in my classroom because I will be teaching some controversial texts. If my students are not receptive to the texts I teach, I cannot expect them to be receptive to round-table discussions about the readings. It will also create a rift between my students and myself. I also believe that I must keep an innovative classroom. This requires me to blend technology with my lessons, as well as discovering new ways to battle the use of technology in and outside of the classroom. By accepting the changes from my first year teaching until the moment I retire, I will be able to maintain a dynamic relationship with my students and hold their interest in literature.

Creating a student-centered classroom is also an important aspect of my educational pedagogy. By creating a classroom atmosphere that welcomes independent thought and insight, I am giving my students a different learning experience in the English arts. For example, to incorporate my students’ insight into the course material, they will have the opportunity to create a unit plan that focuses around the texts, authors, or themes that they would like to cover. This plan will also give them the opportunity to lead class discussion and openly participate in the class activities they create for the unit.

Establishing a classroom that keeps literature interesting by combining old and new texts is also a major aspect of my educational pedagogy. For example, there would be a unit focused solely on one theme, like violence in literature. I would use old texts, like Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and a newer text, like The Hunger Games, and create a unit focused around the theme of violence between the two texts. The intention is for my students to begin to connect various themes, as well as realize how literary themes have stayed the same even though the language has changed. By combining old and new texts, students will receive a vast range of genres and an archive of texts they enjoy.

            In comparison to the philosophies we discussed in class, I feel that I combine the philosophies of Essentialism, Progressivism, and loosely Perennialism, rather than focusing on only one practice. I feel that my philosophy relates to Essentialism because I know that I must use to Common Core throughout my curriculum. These standards were created to “...aim to provide clear, consistent academic benchmarks with “fewer, clearer and higher” academic standards for essential learning and skills. The standards were developed while considering the standards of top performing countries and the strengths of current state standards” (http://www.isbe.net/common_core). These standards combine the concepts of outcome and content standards within the Illinois education system. They focus not only on “how well a student must do,” but also on “what students will be taught” (Kohn, 2004, p. 47). It also follows the belief that students must understand the key important facts of the subject before going into the deeper and more subjective course material. The Essential philosophy also shares the belief that change is okay and must be accepted into the educational pedagogy. In regards to Progressivism, I believe that we share a similar belief that the classroom should be more student-centered. This is an important aspect because it gives students to opportunity to learn through experience rather than theory alone. It also creates the possibility for students to explore school subjects outside of the classroom. I believe that my teaching philosophy loosely compares to Perrenialism because the Perrenialist philosophers solely focus on the Western culture and believe that their ideas are everlasting. This perspective is not only close-minded, but it also excludes other cultures that may relate to my students. I believe that my philosophy still connects loosely to Perrenialism because I will be teaching many Western texts and focusing on those texts during my educational career.

Kohn, A (2004). What does it mean to be well educated? Boston: Beacon press books.