NOEL FROSTE EDUC 452-07 July 13, 2013
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MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.
Chief Seattle, Duwamish (1780-1866)
My teaching philosophy reflects the BC ministry of education’s principles and the teachings of traditional Native American culture. Both are important to me and will be used where applicable with in the constructs of my future classrooms.
My philosophy about education relates to the policies that have been carefully integrated into our educational systems by its governing bodies. My philosophy about education also reflects my knowledge and understanding gained by learning from my Native American culture and ceremonies. Young people must develop the desire to achieve higher education in a linear, but holistic fashion that reflects their age and physical development. Learning can be tedious and difficult, however if young learners are encouraged and supported to be able to embrace their natural curiosity about the world they will also be able to develop critical thinking skills.
Education takes on many forms. Along with the BC Ministry of Education curriculum, Native American teachings and philosophies are just as valuable and important. The knowledge and teachings of Native Americans will be respectfully utilized within my classroom. These teachings encourage that students become knowledgeable about core values. They also see teaching as a reciprocal process that involves trust, the building and acknowledgement of relationships that connect us to each other and our world, and a profound respect for these interconnections. Learning is experienced through watching and listening and doing. There is hard work in learning, but there I also joy and satisfaction and pride. Speaker and educator Dr. Martin Brokenleg developed a strategy called the ‘Circle of Courage’, which takes the point of view of a Native American teaching philosophy concerning educating children. “The Circle of Courage identifies four universal needs of all children: Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity. When these needs are met, children grow and thrive. But when these growth needs are frustrated, multiple problems follow. The Circle of Courage defines problems in terms of strengths and developmental needs. These principles are grounded in resilience science and positive psychology. The Circle of Courage provides a unifying theme to various strength-based interventions.” (Brendtro 2005)
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My philosophy is also guided by my own conviction that a person must be a lifelong learner, and work hard to earn the highest education possible.
Learning never ends. Each and every human being is a life-long learner and as a teacher I must assist students in understanding the value and importance of learning. For every child, an education can provide a prosperous and positive future. It can open a life filled with variety and enthusiasm. Students must understand how to question everything around them, how to set realistic and achievable goals, and as a teacher my job is to support this process providing engaging opportunities to explore concepts and skills. To this end I also need to work with students to build clear, step by step criteria for what we are doing, how we will do it and why.
I plan to have a classroom filled with learning tools that will foster each child’s natural inquisitiveness, allowing them to be free to ask “why” in every subject. The Ministry of Education has developed curriculum with excellent resources filled with key steps of which teachers can follow to ensure properly developed learning activities. My colleagues, parents and community are also rich with resources that can support my teaching. All children develop differently and as a classroom teacher, I plan to be flexible in my attitude towards each child’s personal learning habits. I will continue to learn how to effectively use the Ministry of Education’s developed curriculum to help my students achieve the best possible learning objectives.
My classroom teaching will focus on the mental, physical, and emotional aspects of learning. The human body has natural abilities and skills that can be developed in a variety of ways. Students learn from reading, writing, feeling, exploring, touching, examining, speaking, and a great number of ways which focus on the integration of body, heart and mind. Students in my classroom will be able to examine all of their learning abilities. Each student in my classroom will know that they are valued equally and that they each are cared for and understood. I envision myself as a clear and coherent teacher, who is easy to understand and open to challenges. My students will benefit from having a teacher who is positive, easy to follow and challenging.
I will doubtless, be tested, by students who will need extra care and attention. I may have students who have little or no parental involvement. These students will carry different challenges and I will work towards learning how to develop positive and inclusive parental involvement, knowing that the best teaching and learning is about community and inclusion. I am committed to creating open dialogue with each and every parent. Today teachers have extra resources to assist in doing this, and I hope to design a blog that allows for parents to see what kind of learning environment their children are engaged in. I will seek out as many ways as I can in order to have dialogue with the parents of my students.
I will focus on fostering an environment that emphasizes the Social Emotional Learning of my students. The classroom must account for the social interaction, development, and behaviors of every student and work towards developing positive learning outcomes. As stated in ‘Educating the heart as well as the mind: Social and emotional learning for school and life success, “A myopic focus on academic achievement not only undermines our children’s potential to become responsible, caring, and contributing citizens, it also threatens their well-being and the Canadian society”. (Schonert-Reichl, K.A. & Hymel, S.2007)
The expectations will be high for my students. I will expect each student to fully participate and be enthusiastic about learning, and I will do my utmost to inspire their engagement. My classroom will allow for children to enjoy learning, and enjoy challenges and success.
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Websites
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/improving_achievement.htm
A comprehensive list of strategies to assist parents and teachers in understanding the importance of quality education.
http://www.reclaiming.com/content/brokenleg
Reclaiming the youth of Native America, developed strategies to include every child into the process of learning.
Brendtro, L. K., Brokenleg, M., & Van Bockern, S. (2005). The Circle of Courage and Positive Psychology. Reclaiming Children & Youth, 14(3), 130-136.
Schonert-Reichl, K.A. & Hymel, S. Educating the heart as well as the mind: Social and emotional learning for school and life success 2007