*Final Project-Part 2*

For the second part of my project, I have written a paper explaining my philosophy of education. This paper follows.

Philosophy of Education

“Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.” First introduced to me by a high school teacher, this John Dewey quote has held a place in my heart and ever since I heard it, I realized that it truly reflected my ideas about education. Throughout my education, I had the opportunity to be blessed with magnificent opportunities and growth through my many educational and life experiences. Because of such experiences, my educational philosophy also is based on the many complex components of the education world. While many of these components fits within the classroom setting, I also believe that the outside world has a direct influence on education through family involvement and community experiences. In the classroom, the teacher must recognize the influence of different learning styles as well be able to understand the many different components of learning. It is these ideas that will influence my classroom and teaching as a whole.
Family involvement is extremely important to education because learning first takes place in home. Since children are usually not in a formal learning environment until the age of four, it is extremely important for the parents to take an active role in teaching their children basic life skills. In addition to teaching children about basic life skills, parents help their children develop morals and life values through how they present different situations to the children. One way parents can help their children be prepared for school is by reading to them immediately. Children who have early exposure to literature are more likely to succeed in school because reading is the foundation for all other learning. These students had the advantage of parents who realized that such interaction with literature could only benefit their child. Parents continue to play a role in their child’ education throughout school.
As the child grows older, they will begin having homework, some of which parents will need to help with. Not only do parents have an obligation to their children to help them, but they should also want to be involved in their child’s growth. As a teacher, I will encourage parental support with homework and will work to constantly stay in contact with my students’ parents. This is important because parents can also provide insight into the lives of the children while they are at home, which may become necessary information if a disability is suspected. I also believed in the importance of bringing parents into the classroom. Seeing their students learning can be one of the most powerful experience for a parent. By having parents in the classroom, they can be aware of what their students are learning and also, their children will understand that their parents value education. I hope to have weekly parental volunteers in my classroom so that each and every parent can have the opportunity to be a part of my classroom if they would like to be.
In addition to getting the parents involved in the classroom, I will also work to provide my students with many opportunities for learning in the community. As an ESL teacher, I will be introducing my students to the culture of the United States and I believe that this would be most effective through direct exposure to the culture. Since students understand visual images, I believe that ESL students would benefit from such visual experiences. Although funding may be an issue, I hope to take my students on as many field trips as possible without sacrificing the learning environment. This is important to me because I believe that there is only so much a book can teach you. Like John Dewey, I believe that outside experiences provide a source of learning that cannot be equaled in the classroom. In addition to outside experiences, I would work to bring a variety of speakers into my classroom to enrich my students’ learning. Even though I will be a teacher, I realize that I am not an expert in all fields and would like to give my students the opportunity to ask questions of real professionals. Johann Pestalozzi believed that learning through interaction and activity was the most effective type of learning. Students seemed to come alive when they are given the opportunity to actively recognize something that they learned in a textbook. This sense of real world connection also relates to a part of the components of learning.
As a future teacher, I understand that it will be extremely important to understand that a variety of components affect student learning. For example, one such component is the ability of the teacher to make student learning seem important by connecting it to the real world. As a teacher, I will strive to make the curriculum more applicable to real life while still preserving the important learning concepts. By incorporating recognizable elements into my classroom, I can show students that what they are learning is important in their future.
In addition to making real world connections with my curriculum, it is essential that as a teacher, I develop a classroom where my students can feel comfortable learning in an environment that is designed for maximum learning. Students need to feel comfortable in their classroom so that they have the opportunity to realize their full potential as well as develop the social skills that are essential to personal development. In order to meet such basic needs, I recognize that my students will need to be exposed to a variety of activities that focus on many different areas such as speaking and listening skills. I will need to develop activities that encourage the growth of my students in these areas as well as their reading and writing skills. By developing such activities, my students will have the opportunity to grow confident in their abilities. Students rely on their teachers to provide them with a stimulating learning environment and it will be my goal to have the proper resources to always support my learners, no matter what level they are at. My classroom door will always be open for students who have questions or may even just need someone to talk to. As a future educator, I recognize the influence that a single teacher can have on his/her students and I hope to be the teacher that my students feel comfortable talking to no matter what the situation may be.
In order to help students reach their full potential, it is important that a teacher recognizes that each student has their own unique learning style. Howard Gardner developed a theory about multiple intelligences in which he described that people do not have one single intelligence, but that their intelligence can actually be grouped in a variety of categories. His categories for such intelligences included: linguistic, logical, spatial, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. According to his theory, Gardner believed that society should embrace the idea that people all learn in different matters and be allowed to learn in the way that best suits their learning style. As a teacher, I will embrace this idea of multiple intelligences and work to learn how they relate to each of my students. Then, I will try and incorporate as many intelligence areas into my unit planning as well as daily activities. Using such intelligences, I can also discover situations where my students excel and then they can be involved in such activities relating to that intelligence.
Finally, as a teacher of the global community, I will strive to make cultural learning and awareness a part of the daily work within my classroom. Since I will most likely have a classroom of students from a variety of backgrounds, it will be important that my students understand the importance of embracing their culture. As a teacher, I will work to incorporate world culture activities into my lessons as much as possible. I will also encourage my students to share information about the cultures that they come from as well. Not only will I teach my students the importance of embracing culture, but I also plan to instill in them the importance of respecting the heritage of others.
As a teacher, it is my role to help my students to reach their full potential in learning by offering them a variety of learning opportunities and recognizing how I can help them reach that potential. By encouraging parental interaction and outside experiences, I hope to teach my students that learning not only takes place in the classroom, but in the real world. I believe that students need to understand the real world implications of their learning and also understand that learning will continue to happen for the rest of their life.

*Final Project-Part 1*

In this portion of my project, I have discovered a variety of YouTube videos that support my philosophy of education. Through these clips, I hope to demonstrate the importance of integrating technology into education. If we do not expose our students to technology and give them the resources that they need, they will fall even farther behind in the global community.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjm-t6VfQ6g&playnext_from=TL&videos=HleNNMVVRj8


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIttSYvAn5A&playnext_from=TL&videos=HleNNMVVRj8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0fJKvdjQgs&playnext_from=TL&videos=HSXiyiwiPg0

http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4FJMJtt8dk


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8&feature=related

Reflections on PCAP

For my last blog, I thought it might be appropriate to reflect on my experiences in Paideia II. Overall, I found my experience to be a rewarding one. One of the most interesting parts of the experience was having people in the class with majors other than education. I really enjoyed hearing their opinions about the issues we discussed in class and it made me feel good that so many students with other majors were interested in issues surrounding schools. I also enjoyed hearing how they connected the issues in the class to their major. This was especially interesting when we discussed budget issues because we had a person in my small group majoring business who was able to teach us a lot about how budgets are organized and implications that go into creating them.

Another area of this class that I enjoyed was the integration of technology. I thought the inclusion of video clips and Skype really made the class more relatable to the time period. Also, I found this blog to be a great way to express my ideas and see what my classmates are thinking. Not only did I learn things about the views of other classmates, but I also learned how much I value the blogging experience. I plan to start one for my summer at camp so my friends and family can read about what I am up to.
This class has taught me to think about the many issues that are related to education. I never realized how many different areas of politics and issues that education plays a role in. The topics we have discussed have allowed me to expand my mind about how I look at issues in education and how those issues will affect my future teaching.

Did we lose you? Can you see us?

In class on Wednesday, I had the opportunity to be a part of a group Skype session with my section of Paideia as well Knick's section. The Skype session was with representatives from the ISA school in San Antonio, TX. This school is a MAGNET school that offers a non-traditional approach to high school. In this school, students are heavily introduced to concepts surrounding global citizenship and each class takes an out of state field trip every year.
In the Skype session, we had the opportunity to talk with teachers, administrators, and students and ask them a variety of questions about the school and its curriculum. I found the discussion to be extremely interesting and I especially enjoyed that students were allowed to participate in the discussion. This type of school is very interesting to me because I think that this is the type of knowledge our high school students should be learning. Far too many high school students are unaware of issues that are happening in our world. This school teaches its students the essential skills of becoming a part of global society. The field trips allow the students to explore other cultures and learn what it is like to live in another country. I also enjoyed hearing that the school accepts students based on a lottery system that has no basis on grades. This allows all students that apply to have an equal chance of attending the school.
I think the idea of using Skype in the classroom is something that students at all age levels can benefit from. In the future, I hope to establish connections with contacts around the world that will allow me to help my students learn about the world around them.

Another Example of Zero Tolerance gone wrong...

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/04/19/dnt.finger.gun.suspension.cnn?hpt=C2

Got Milk? Well, I hope its not chocolate...

To be honest, when I learned we would be discussing an issue revolving around chocolate milk in my Paideia II class, I was kind of confused. However, as we began discussing the implications of this issue on a school, I immediately was appalled at what Decorah high school did to their student body. To think that the school readily introduced its students to something that causes bodily harm to them is horrible for me to think about. I understand that the dairy industry is trying to get more people to drink milk because it is healthy, but it has been proven that there is nothing healthy about chocolate milk. As we calculated out how much sugar was in the milk that the students drank, I was appalled to see that the amount was equivalent to the amount of sugar contained in a pop. I was also disgusted by how much this amount was above the recommended average for a teenager. As a school system, Decorah should be making responsible decisions for its students and not decisions that could lead to future health problems. I understand that the money was an incentive for the challenge, but the students spent over $5000 buying the milk that won them $5000. I was also disappointed to find out that students were having milk breaks during class time which takes away from instructional time. Aren't teachers always complaining the lack of instructional time and yet they allow a challenge like this to take away about an hour of of instruction time each week.

The importance of music education

From looking at the title of this post, one would be quick to assume that I am a music education major, but I can assure you that I am not. I am merely an elementary education major who has been fortunate enough to be a part of an experience with music that changed my life. Starting at a young age, I was surrounded by music. My dad is an avid rock and roll fan and I can pretty much sing any tune that comes on the radio if it was released between the years of 1950-1980. Then, in elementary school, I got introduced to the clarinet and I fell in love. Finally, something that I really excelled. I played sports and enjoyed them, but always felt like I was never that "good" at them. The clarinet allowed me to gain a sense of independence that I would have never developed in another setting. The responsibility of individual practice time and private lessons created a sense of drive in me that is still present. Thanks to the clarinet, I was able to go to private music camps on scholarship as well as travel to special honor bands. In high school, I had the opportunity to attend a clarinet seminar where I played with college level musicians in a setting totally devoted to the clarinet.
You may wonder what the point of this is so I will finally come to it. Without the clarinet, I would not be able to attend Luther College. I am here on a music scholarship and it is the only way my parents and I could afford this school. Music education is important in our schools because it could be the one thing that allows a certain student to attend college. It taught me social skills that I wouldn't have learned in another setting as well personal responsibility as I became responsible for practicing. Research supports the importance of music education in schools as it is shown that music improves test scores, concentration, and overall IQ. It gives students the opportunity to excel in an area that develops such creative aspects. When I hear people especially educators talk about cutting music education, I feel the need to be a voice for the many others like me. The ones who would not have the opportunities that they have without music education.

Assimilation

Isn't it weird how one simple change of the norm can really rattle someone? How that one change creates changes that were upredicted? When I first got the email about defying the cultural norm of being on time for class and waiting with my fellow students to walk in, I was like there is no way this will actually take place. A classmate and I talked about it the day before and both decided "together" that we would not participate. It wasn't until I got to my first class of the day and told a few Paideia students that I really began to see what assimilation is like. After telling my classmates that I did not want to participate, they almost immediately were able to peer pressure me into the activity. As a result, I texted my friend and she also decided to participate.

So, what did I actually learn from this experience? That assimilation is all around us and that even when a group of people tries to not assimilate to cultural standards, we assimilate to not assimilate. Doug's email also got me thinking about how much time I put into making my decision based on what was actually happening in the situation. I definitely thought about how Jim would react as well as the fact that I was going to be late for class, a first in my college career. Overall, I found this experience to be quite teachable and it has really made me think about what we come to expect from our schools as well. Are we teaching students to put aside their individuality to become the people and citizens we expect them to be?

Falling behind....

This portion of the class is hard for me to relate to because I do not believe that a price tag can be placed on the value of education. As I read the readings and listen in lecture, I am deeply saddened to hear comments about the economy and global competitiveness creep into a conversation related to education. To hear the future generation's education compared to the world, I fear that society has lost track of what is truly important in the world. What I want these people to realize is that without education, the money would not exist. As teachers, we give students the necessary skills to succeed in a work environment. Without the future generation learning, there would be no progress in the world. Although I believe that it can never happen, I long for the day when the United States government realizes that education is truly the most important thing in this nation and that we need to re prioritize the funding in this country.

Another area that severely depresses me is when the discussion of global competition turns to the standards and curriculum we have in place. I fully believe that we need to be aware of what other countries are doing in the world and that we need to prepare our students for that world, but I often think that such discussions should not be the only grounds for reform. We should not pursue reform solely for the purpose of competing better with the world. We should be pursuing education reform because we have students in our school systems that are not being challenged and those that are not getting the support they need. As a result, we are failing to provide students with the education they deserve and the one that was promised to them. This problem needs to be addressed first before we focus on comparing ourselves to other countries. We need to think about what is best for the students rather than what is best for the nation.

Case Studies

This week on Monday, we had the opportunity to look at five case studies related to the areas of equality issues within the schools. As a future educator, I found it very beneficial to be able to put myself into each one of these unique situations. What I find most interesting about these case studies is that I can actually see these situations happening out in the real world. By being able to work through them in class, we have the opportunity to think about what we would do if we are ever in that situation. I had never thought about how such issues of inequality would present in the elementary classroom so I found it refreshing that a elementary case study was included. I also found it interesting how real some of the situations are because they have actually happened in my school. For example, our group picked number five because each of us could relate to a similar situation from our high school days. In making our decision, we talked a lot about the importance of understanding the rules of a system/school before confronting them. In this case, if the policy exists in a code of conduct, then the student knew about the rules and should have no problem conforming with the coach's request. We also discussed that the coach should give the student a more concrete reason for his decision.

Flourishing vs. Happy

Although I believe that Henry Brighouse makes interesting points about education and how it relates to life, I have to disagree with some of his statements about a "flourishing" life. In his book, Brighouse discusses the idea that one can have a flourishing life without being happy. I strongly disagree with this statement because I would not believe that my life is flourishing if I was not happy. Flourishing to me describes a feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment with making progress toward a goal rather than just achieving something. I do not understand how someone can believe that they are flourishing if they are not happy in what they are doing. To me, this relates the idea of loving your job for the money vs. true happiness. Someone could be very successful in their career and advancing towards a promotion, but what does that truly mean if that person is not happy with what they are doing? How much does that person value their own individual happiness?
When I think about how this relates to education, I immediately jump to the grueling search for identity that many college students make as they decide on a major. For some, this merely comes down to deciding to enter a career field that will ensure them wealthy monetary means. This is especially relevant to education majors, who clearly do not enter the field of education for the money, but are ridiculed daily for "choosing a simple career." I mean think about how many jokes there are out there about education majors. "Those who can't do, teach" is the one that comes to my mind quickly, but the truth is, we are the ones who experience truly flourishing careers. Working with students everyday makes me realize that I am educating the future of the world. I may have the future President in my classroom or the next Nobel Peace Prize winner. What can be more flourishing than the opportunity to have a true purpose and identity with what I will do every day of my life.

Just for fun, I thought I would include a link to one of my favorite YouTube videos. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0fJKvdjQgs