Educational Philosophy

 My Educational Philosophy

     When I think of teaching my own class, I want it to be fun, informative and interactive. After my experience as an after-school counselor, I found that children tend to soak up more information when they are actually experiencing it hands on; which goes along with the Chinese Proverb: "I hear, and I forget.  I see, and I remember.  I do, and I understand."  I've always been a hands on, visual type of person; that style of learning is instilled in me because that's how I learn everything.  Specifying my age level as either 2nd or 3rd grade, I know that more interactive lessons and hands on activities will not only keep their attention, but also help them to understand the concept.  Going along with Jerome Bruner's educational philosophy of discovery learning, I believe that active participation in the learning process is necessary.  We can give them the tools but it's up to them to want to learn it.  If we make it interesting, while keeping the integrity of the material intact, I think there's more of a chance of students actually understanding the information.

     I also believe that every child learns at a different pace.  Having different family lives, different backgrounds, different economic statuses definitely is a factor in the way the child was raised intellectually before attending school.  Every classroom has the Johnny A+ and the Timmy D-; a teacher's challenge is to reach all students in a way where they feel comfortable and capable of learning new concepts and ideas.  George Evans once said, "Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way", and I strongly agree with that. You're not always going to have a perfectly ran classroom at all times.  Teachers must be patient, caring, and spontaneous to deal with all the unexpected twists and turns of a classroom, especially an elementary classroom.