Running head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Personal Philosophy of Education

Joi A. Raushan
Wesleyan College

Author Note
Joi A. Raushan, Department of Education, Wesleyan College.

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Abstract
I believe that pragmatism philosophy is what I agree with most. Some say that seeing is
believing, and I am one of those people. In past experiences, I have had to learn the hard way.
Although the lessons I learned came about more difficult than they had to be, I learned valuable
lessons. I will never forget what I learned by going through the experiences I went through
because they were literally hands-on. Learning this way was more difficult than it had to be, but
because it was interactive, the lessons stuck with me. Meaning is derived from experience,
which is simply an interaction with ones environment (Webb, p. 59). The philosophy of
experimentalism is what I live by, because for me, it is logic. Learning by experience is more
effective, carrying life-long memories.

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Pragmatism As A Belief
Like John Dewey, I think that students will benefit more from hands-on experiences rather
than sitting through lectures. With this philosophy, students will learn that everything happens
for a reason, unlike existentialism, which focuses on personal and subjective existence. NeoThomism, the belief that God gives meaning and purpose to the universe (Webb 58), is
substantial to pragmatism because as experimentalists, we can see how things work and know
that God created it.
The Purpose of a School
In school, I believe that teachers should teach, and students should learn. In schools now,
I hear too much of teachers not caring about their students and their education. The problem is
also with the students unwillingness to learn. They do not want to go to school, and they do not
have an interest in learning.
Belief about Childrens Nature
I believe that teaching children is an art. Childrens attention spans are very short, so to
be able to maintain their focus and actually teach them something is a gift. Creating ways to gain
interaction and willingness to learn is something that every school and every teacher needs.
While teaching children, or anyone for that matter, one cannot just deposit information
into their brains. They must somehow retain the information that is taught. This problem can be
solved by creating different ways to have fun with learning, such as creating new, exciting names
for subjects. Esm Codell did this in her first year of teaching at an inner city school. It really
taught me that there could be an excitement for learning when approached the right way.
To enforce these learning practices, the student must be capable of interacting with the
environment (Webb, p. 60). Knowledge is acquired by what we see, feel, and touch. The

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Things to be Taught in Schools

The things that students will need in the real world should be taught in school. For
example, counting money, telling time on an analog clock, and percentages should all be main
focuses of curriculum. For high school, especially seniors because they will soon enter the real
world, the students should be taught how to do taxes, balance a checkbook, change tires, and
other
Instructional Methods to be Used
Hands-on instructional methods should be used. I think that people learn with experience.
It is easier to understand something when actually doing it yourself. Actually getting into a
lesson and researching and discovering why and how things work is more effective than a lecture
that will only be remembered for a short amount of time.
Classroom Management
The classroom should be managed as a whole, meaning when one gets in trouble, they all
get in trouble. I actually find this valuable because teamwork can be learned through this. When I
was in elementary school, our teachers enforced this way of discipline. This helped us to grow
together as a class and also to encourage each other to do the right thing. Although it may seem
unsuitable for the exemplary kids to be punished, it teaches everyone that teamwork makes the
dream work. This allows the class to become one. When I was in school, our class was very
close to each other. We were all friends, basically because we had to be. In order for this
classroom practice to work, we had to get along.
Learning Assessment
Since the method of learning that every student should be taught is not boring, the
assessment of what was learned should not be boring either. A hands-on lesson should be

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

followed by a hands-on assessment. The assessment should be a test of what students know
rather than what they do not know.
Conclusion and Emerging Belief System
In conclusion, a teacher should teach their students with excitement, so they students will
actually want to learn. A student will not want to learn, or even come to school, if the teacher
projects that she does not want to be there. Teaching object lessons involving exciting
experiments and activities will grab the students attention and make them urn for more, which is
knowledge being infused into their brains.

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

References

Webb, L. Dean, Metha, Arlene, Jordan, K. Forbis. (2010). Founders of American Education:
Sixth Edition, 58-60.