My Pedagogic Creed | Anne Hland

My Pedagogic Creed: A Personal Statement of Beliefs

I. What Education Is
I believe that education is a lifelong process that every human being takes part in. The process of
learning. We learn something new every day, and this will be part of what make us who we are. For
better or for worse. Most of what is learned is not learned consciously, but rather as a natural process
that happens spontaneously. Without this ability as humans, we wouldnt have evolved to the state we
are at in this moment of time. It is crucial for our lives that we learn. Often there is even a timeslot we
need to learn something specific within, like eyesight. As we learn, our brain evolves. Constantly
changing according to the new information presented to it. The information we have gotten earlier will
influence, but not limit, our later ways of thinking.
Learning is heavily influenced by our surroundings. Several studies have shown how low amount of
stimuli in an animals surroundings really inhibit the growth and pruning of neurons in the brain. While
high amount of stimuli in an animals surroundings will increase the growth and pruning of neurons in
the brain. This stimuli can include something as simple as the toys a child can play with, the physical
obstacles a child can play around, and maybe most importantly, social interactions with other children
and adults.
This is an important concept for teachers. It is not about overwhelming the students with lots of
information, but rather to introduce them to a classroom filled with stimuli. It is about showing the
students the material through several channels. By talking, listening, and doing. To have relevant
pictures on the walls, and possibly even relevant music to listen to.
By remembering that most learning is done unconsciously and by lots of stimuli, the teacher will be more
successful in teaching the students what they should know.
II. What the School Is
I believe that the school is a place where education is in focus. A good teacher will put both the
conscious and the unconscious learning in focus. It is a place where people learn about subjects, about
social skills, and about themselves. Good teachers will try to bring the best out of every student. They
will teach the students the subjects in an engaging way, get them ready for a social world, and teach
them about themselves so they can make good and informed decisions in their lives.
The school is the place where the conscious and the unconscious learning come together. It is the place
where the students learn to think consciously on what they learn unconsciously. Being able to bring forth
their unconscious knowledge is not a simple thing to do, but it is crucial in the success of each student.
The school is the place where all knowledge is in focus. The knowledge of the subjects goes hand in hand
with social knowledge and knowledge of self. It is impossible to have a good experience in school if these
three types of knowledge are not combined and taught together.
The danger of not teaching knowledge of the subjects is obvious. This is what GPA is mostly based on,
and what most universities and jobs focus on. Not teaching knowledge of subjects will also give the
school a feeling of worthlessness.

My Pedagogic Creed | Anne Hland

The school is place where students are surrounded by each other. Only in a very small number of cases
will the students be taught one by one. Usually they will be together in a class, and also very often be
working together. Without any social knowledge, a day at the school will be very hard to handle. It is
important that the teachers are aware of the social interactions going on in the class, and of how to deal
with the different types of issues that might arise.
While learning all this new material and social skills, the students will learn things about themselves. This
is inevitable. Through all the different experiences in the school, the students will discover thing about
themselves that they might not have discovered anywhere else. These discoveries will help the students
grow as people, and the whole self-discovery process will be more efficient if the teacher is promoting it.
III. The Subject-Matter of Education
I believe that the subject-matter in the schools should be guidance for the students, so they can become
the best they can be. Both in each subject and as a person.
Building a good knowledge foundation in each subject can be important. Everyone has the ability to do
well in any subject with the right guidance. It is important in the classroom that every student knows
this. Then by using different teaching strategies, and various formative assessment methods, the teacher
can show each student what he or she is capable of in that subject. Showing the students how well they
are doing is a great way of building confidence and motivation to work even harder. It will also show
them that anything is possible, and they should work on realizing their dreams.
While teaching the subjects, the teacher must try to understand each student. There is always a reason
for every action a student makes, even for working well. It is the teachers responsibility to try and
understand these reasons. They will tell a lot about the student as a person, and will also help in deciding
what the best approach is for that specific individual. It is also important that the teacher takes the time
to discover good qualities in each student. At this age (high school) the students might not be aware of
these good qualities within themselves unless someone tells them. Showing them those good sides to
themselves can also help boost their confidence and help them choosing which path to go down
regarding career and personal life.
IV. The Nature Methods
The methods used in the schools should be focused on individualization. If the goal is to help every
student in the classroom, it is important to know that one simple set of methods is not going to cut it.
The methods used need to reflect the goal of the teaching. A lazy teacher might say the goal is to go
through the curriculum. A good teacher, on the other hand, will realize that it is so much more. Like I
have mentioned earlier, we need to learn three basic types of knowledge in the school: Knowledge of
subject, social knowledge, and knowledge of self. The methods used in the school should be able to fulfill
the need for all of these three types of knowledge.
Individualizing teaching methods to a class consisting of multiple students, maybe even over a hundred,
may sound like an impossible task. The keyword regarding this is variety. By giving the students the
option of receiving information in various ways, more students will feel like their need are met.
Formative assessments are important when choosing teaching methods. The focus must be in the
students, and not the teachers preferences. The formative assessments need to be shaped in a way that

My Pedagogic Creed | Anne Hland

it shows which teaching method works best for that particular class, and which methods to drop. In
every class, however, there will be a need for variety. The teacher needs to be flexible and eager to meet
all of the students needs.
Every teaching method, no matter how various they might be, needs to be engaging. Only then, will the
students be motivated to learn and get an interest for learning. This, I believe, should be the ultimate
goal for the methods to achieve: An interest for learning. If the students accomplish this, they have
something that will help them through the rest of their lives.