Philosophy of Education: Impact on the Classroom

           My philosophy on education will have a great aspect on many areas of the classroom. I am a clipboard at heart, which was discovered two years ago as a sophomore in college who had really just began to explore the thought of having my own classroom. This has shown me the person I am but also has helped in shaping my philosophy and ideas on teaching throughout the next two years of my college career. I plan on having an organized class that has the main focus being on students and their different ways of learning, much like my ways of learning are clipboard and puppy meaning I learn best around others and must have an organized list of what is to be done in a given day. As a future educator, I plan to have my class organized in such a way that I know what type of learner each student is and have them paired up in a group that will benefit them best. I care about students and having a productive and comforting classroom. I want to feel welcome and safe, which is what I would imagine my students would also want. This is one of the many aspects of the classroom I strive for this safe learning environment that is not a distraction but helps engage my students’ want for knowledge and understanding. I plan to have my classroom do just this in hopes that it will encourage and motivate students to do their best.  This is the main reason behind the organization of my classroom to make it a great learning environment that inspires and motivates.

            I will do this by setting up the desks in the best way possible for what is being done that day. I will make sure there is a clear list of instruction, so students who want organization will have an understanding on what I hope to get to in the class time. I want them to be active members in the class and know they have a voice that can be heard, so I will sit at their level and we will work together on disciplinary rules and guidelines for the class to follow during the first week. I want my students to feel as though there is no dumb moment and that everything they have to say is important so I plan on applauding them for the thoughts they bring forward and find nice ways to critique off topic responses. I want to give us time in class to work together and individually so that way depending on one’s best learning environment we are all satisfied and learning. The key importance for me as a teacher is to find the best way to get as much information across in many diverse ways so my students not only stay engaged but are growing in understanding and development on a certain subject area.

            As an English teacher, I plan to do English type work such as vocabulary, reading, writing, etc. However, due to my views on education, I feel as though it is important to have different instruction methods along with incorporating different subject areas to get the best results for students. I feel as though this will impact my class in a positive way because even if students struggle in English they will have multiple ways in which to discover the information. I also feel that English is a diverse topic that is flexible and can be easily combined with other subject areas to get better results in understanding material. When my students read the classics, I know there will be some that struggle. As a student in high school and middle school, I remember struggling with some of the material. Due to this problem I faced, I have come up with ideas of how to relate the information to students better. I want to teach the classics but bring in other mediums to help embark on a further investigative study of these texts. I hope to relate it to art, music, movies or film adaptations, young adult literature, and so much more. I want my students to reach the goals set out by the school and myself. The best way for them to do so is by giving them as many possibilities to get something out of the course as I can. This is why I wish to bring in these areas of art, as well as, with the idea that many schools are cutting out art programs so by incorporating them into the classroom our students will get more variety and opportunity to find new ways of learning. I plan to use a diverse grouping of materials to teach students because I feel as though it will have a positive impact on their learning. As a student, the class that stands out most to me is one where a teacher I had gave us choices and options. We read the important texts such as Macbeth and Hamlet; however, he found young adult literature that related in genre and concepts. He also had us watch horror films and adaptations of these Shakespearean plays. We were also given options when it came to final projects. This class I remember vividly and feel as though I learned a large capacity of education in many unique ways. Due to my experience, I want to incorporate this in my classroom because it helped students benefit in the past and gave them a voice in their education. It had a positive impact in motivating students, making the classroom open for all to discuss, and helped students grow and learn in more than just the content area of English.

As stated before, I want my students to have choice. I want to assess them in multiple ways and see the many ways in which they can excel and succeed. I believe with choice and options, we are setting our students up to succeed and gain more information from the material, because they are engaged and making their own decisions. I want to give different forms of assignments and projects that deal closely with what is being done in class, but also challenges them to think in new and exciting ways. Variety in assessment will have a positive impact on my classroom and my students. Students are more engaged and proud of the work they have done when they feel as though they have a choice in the matter. If I were to constantly assign quizzes for the vocabulary and reading my students would lose interest and not bother. It would also note show a very accurate representation of how they are doing and what they are learning because some learners are not good with tests and quizzes. These students would not benefit from one form of assessment and eventually it will lead them to not caring. If I instead do a quiz sometimes but have them write a paper or creative story using the vocabulary they learned it could be far more exciting and engaging to the students. If I were to take this a step further and have them come up with a game that uses the vocabulary this would get them collaboratively working together, engaged, and taking their knowledge to the next level where they do not just reiterate words and definitions but implement them into a game then it is far more enjoyable. I will be able to assess them in multiple ways and it will help both the students and myself branch into a new branch of learning which is this idea of applying what we know to something constructive. When it comes to assessment it is always important to have multiple means of assessment because it has the best impact on student learning and understanding.

This being said it is important to have resources as a tool to help students. I really want to incorporate technology in my classroom because I believe it is a beneficial tool in the classroom. I want my students to get creative with their learning and one way in which we can do this as a class is using technology. I feel as though technology integration is key when it comes to the classroom and learning. It allows us the opportunity to go beyond the given text and discussion into a realm of new possibilities and understanding. I feel as though having technology will have a positive impact on my classroom. I certainly do not want to make it the focus of education; however, I want it to be a tool we can all use. They could use it for a part of the variety of assessments. I could use technology to show my students the different mediums and content areas I wish to incorporate in our learning process. It will give us helpful tools to use in discussions and when presenting ideas. It allows us the opportunity to look at others opinions on English and learning. It is a wonderful tool that allows there to be more variety in the classroom, which I really enjoy. It also helps me see the different learning and levels of understanding my students have reached. This is why I believe it is such a positive impact on the classroom.

With all of these different areas of understanding and teaching the teacher must remember the way in which they want to run the classroom. As a teacher, I want to keep in mind that is in charge and what the leadership roles will be. I want to be the instructor teaching them the important knowledge they wish to know; however, I also was to be the facilitator by letting them do what they can to apply it to their lives and move past just learning it. I want my students to have a voice and be heard as well as I want to have a voice and be heard. I plan on allotting time in the class in such a way that this happens for both, my students and myself. I will lay out the goals and such and they will give me their input. I believe a collaborative leadership will give me the best results as a teacher, because the best way to know what students are thinking and where students are in their learning is by listening to what they have to say and ask. This is the way in which I believe I will have the greatest improvements and best impact on my classroom and teaching.

            These are just some of my many beliefs I wish to incorporate and work towards in my classroom. I believe they will all have positive impacts on the many areas of my classroom. These points will help me succeed in educating my students as best as I possibly can.