Educational Philosophy

Throughout my classroom experience and the courses I have taken at Drake University, I have developed a person teaching philosophy that I will implement into my future classroom. My goal for my future classroom is to challenge students and create life-long learners. Because every child learns differently, I will prepare and plan lessons to meet all students’ needs. I strongly believe that every child is capable of succeeding with the proper motivation and support. As a teacher, I need to be aware of the various learning theories in order to best support all of my students.

Deciding how I want to effectively run a classroom requires much thought. After learning about different learning theories, I have concluded that you can’t just pick one theory that works the “best” in a classroom. There are traits of each philosophy that are beneficial and effective for student learning.

One philosophy that I will incorporate a great deal into my future classroom is Progressivism, or the “learning by doing” philosophy. I believe that students learn the most efficiently through hands-on projects and real world experiences. I also think that teachers should serve as a guide and model student learning, rather that teaching at the students.

However, I also think that Essentialism and Behaviorism serve as a good foundation for classroom management and discipline. Setting clear rules and expectations can be crucial in maintaining structure in a class. I also believe that reinforcing desired behaviors can shape student behavior.

Although there are many different philosophies of teaching with contrasting beliefs, teachers can integrate all of them smoothly into a classroom. All students learn differently, so it is important to remember that different styles of teaching will work better with different students. Embodying multiple philosophies a good way to cater to every child’s needs.