UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA SOUTHEAST

TEACHING PHILOSOPY

SUBMITTED TO JEFFREY L. LOFTHUS, Ph.D.

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR

THE LEARNER AND THE LEARNING PROCESS

ED 333

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

BY

KIMBERLEY MORGAN

2016

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Introduction

Children undergo a staged maturation process that is cognitive, social, emotional, and moral.

This development process is natural, and while effected by nurture (environment), would exist even if a

child were left to their own devices (Piaget, Vygotsky, and Kohlberg).

My philosophy takes into account the natural stages of this maturation process, but respects and

responds to anomalies that may exist in any given child (whether due to nature or nurture).

If I had to use one theorist as my compass, it would be Haim Ginott; because while it is

important that I understand the stages of normal cognitive and social development, it is imperative that

I "see" the individual. I want to meet each child where they are, and tailor my approach to that

individual in that moment at any given point of time.

Theories of Motivation and Learning

Starting at birth, children learn through exploration by acting upon their world (Piaget). They do

so with an immature mind, and so can be selfish, unsafe, or even unkind. These are normal stages of

development, and are not to be fixed, but directed in positive ways. A teachers job is to build an

environment and curriculum that moves a child through a series of interconnected incites, that build

more complex ideas about the world, themselves, and others; and to do it in a social atmosphere.

Left to their own devices, kids would learn about the world through trial and error, constantly

acting and reacting to all they see and touch (Piaget). Every lesson would come with some form of

natural consequence, resulting in what Skinner calls Operant Conditioning. They would need no

external motivation to conduct this exploration, or to include others in their exploration, this social

learning is an intrinsic "need-to-know" written into the human DNA (Piaget and Vygotsky).

These natural consequences can be highly effective, because the consequences of

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experimentation are often swift, severe, and memorable; but a child need not burn their hand to learn

what hot means. As modern educators, what we have to consider, is that when we remove the ability to

explore-at-will, and replace the natural world with a highly structured environment (like school), we

also have to replace natural consequences.

It is my belief that a teacher can use logical consequences as that tool, and teach children to

think critically, evaluating and making decisions, and constantly redefining their understanding of the

world, and their place in it (without touching the burner). Critical thinking, partnered with intellectual

curiosity, should be the backbone of any child's education.

My job is to understand the unique interests of children in my care, and to create vehicles of

learning that the children naturally gravitate to. But some of the learning objectives society has for

children require many years of study, and so we start this study without the young child being able to

understand why the learning is useful, important, or interesting (Husman & Lens, 1999). This makes

my job more difficult, but is the difference between good and great teachers. Good teachers can help a

student learn where intrinsic motivation is lacking — great teachers can use what currently interests a

child, to build a bridge to something not yet understood or interesting. Using a child's interests, intrinsic

motivation, and existing knowledge, a teacher can add-onto understanding, and create bridges to new

awareness; this skill is commonly referred to as scaffolding (Vygotsky, 1978).

The theory that children learn through adding knowledge around the fringes of their personal

Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978) is something we teachers will experience every day,

and these zones will be unique to each child based on prior knowledge gleaned from life experiences

that are both cultural, familial, and scholastic. It is my job to feel around for the fringes of these zones,

and that is best done through a constant assessment process (I'll address later), and through open

communication and relationship building, an often overlooked but vital part of the student/teacher

relationship.

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 All of these belief systems I've detailed speak to the need for differentiated instruction (George,

2005; Tomlinson, 2003, 2004) and apply to both cognitive and social development — but prosocial

development is my most important goal as a primary grade teacher. We can achieve nothing in this

society, if we can't work with others; and we can't self-actualize and become the best version of our self

without a feeling of belonging and acceptance in the society we are a part of (Kohlberg 1963, 1969,

Erikson 1959).

Standards and Assessment

Standards and assessments are different and equally important in my mind. Standards are

important because children need to know what excellent work looks like, and feels like, in order to

achieve it. They need to know they can achieve it, and that we are all in a constant state of self

improvement, not to be judged complete until the day we stop trying.

Standards also come into play in terms of Standardized Testing, and while the Common Core

Curriculum is being sent back to the States for reform, there will always be benchmarks for learning

that we should strive to achieve. It does students a disservice to convince them that standards don't

matter, in a world that will constantly judge them against their peers.

Assessment is a daily teacher's tool that comes in many forms. I will be making constant

assessments of groups, individuals, lessons, and my own effectiveness, to gauge where we're at, so I

know best how to get us where we need to go. In order to do what I've stated I must, I will constantly

take the temperature of the room (or child), so to speak, and throw out that which doesn't work,

tweaking and tinkering with lessons on the fly.

Where do I start the day's direct instruction? Where do I need to use peer learning to help kids

catch up? What is the prior knowledge of this child on this subject? How much did the kids retain from

yesterdays lesson? All of these questions can be answered by a constant question/feedback mechanism

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that will take many forms but is all a part of assessment. I can no more create a curriculum without

assessment, than a mechanic can fix your car without first taking a look under the hood to see what

shape the engine's in.

Foundations

My foundation, as I mentioned earlier, is in the classroom experience I've had, both as a student

and as a student teacher. I have been lucky to learn in a Constructivist environment (Anderson, Greeno,

Reder, & Simon, 2000; Waxman, Padron, & Arnold, 2001) and believe in the power of discovery based

learning and the development of critical thinking skills to foster positive choices.

I think schools have become too structured; I struggle with this. There's a balance to wanting to

do things different in my classroom, and needing the kids to be able to thrive in the larger environment

(the school itself). Passing kids from grade to grade requires a cohesive set of rules, efforts, and

structure, and as much as I might want to come in and have a more Montessori approach, I have to be

careful about creating confusion for the kids, as they will not always be my student.

Discussion

A discussion of my foundation would be incomplete without mentioning that I myself was a

struggling student, starting in middle school and carrying on through high school. My home life created

a lot of early childhood chaos, and the effects of that weren't apparent until many years later.

It is because of this foundation that I believe, as Maslow stated (1943), in the Hierarchy of

Human Needs, that learning can only be achieved once our more basic emotional and physical needs

are met. I believe it's my responsibility as a teacher to fill these gaps where and how I can.

I believe that a child's classroom environment needs to be a safe place to express these needs,

and a community where they can fill their daily "bucket" through positive adult and peer interactions.

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This can only be achieved by taking into account the preoperational and concrete thinking stages of

young children (Piaget and Vygotsky), with a recognition for the power of my words and the

importance of peer acceptance.

Diversity

I had the unique experience of growing up a "haole" (pronounced howly) child in a Hawaiian

culture. I remember the challenges these cultural divides placed on the school, and the tensions that

existed between the students. Most of these tensions were caused by children channeling adult

messages they didn't understand, or felt required to act-out upon (being concrete thinkers).

My first diversity responsibility is to create an environment that is safe, open, and responsive to

the fact that we are all different, but equally important. Schools are not our homes, they're social

communities of learners and respect for one another's right to be there, and mission at hand (learning),

needs to be valued, taught, and modeled.

But I'd like to go beyond that and foster an intellectual curiosity in one another, to teach that it's

not only our responsibility to get along, but our privilege to get to know one another. Diversity is what

makes the world interesting! It's the reason for travel, dining out, watching movies, and reading

biographies. The Alaska Teacher Standard 1A, published by the Alaska Native Knowledge Network

(2004), states the following:

Teachers can describe their philosophy of education and demonstrate its relationship to

their practice. Culturally responsive teachers who meet this standard will develop a

philosophy of education that is able to accommodate multiple world views, values, and

belief systems, including attention to the interconnectedness of the human, natural, and

spiritual worlds as reflected in Alaska Native societies (p. 4)

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 I intend to make daily sharing, community outreach, and world cultural studies an

integrated part of my classroom. We should all be students of the world and look beyond our

cultural and geographic divides.

All schools have members of the student body that need extra assistance (Special Needs

students), and I'd like to help destigmatize these students issues and foster a sense of family

around the emotional and physical protection, of those who can't protect themselves.

Responsibility lessons around inclusion and other emotionally supportive behaviors will be a

regular part of my curriculum. Some children don't see these interpersonal interactions modeled

well at home, they need to be taught how to speak to one another, how to be supportive, and

why it's important.

Classroom Management

In order to protect each child's right to learn in a safe environment, I pledge to keep a class free

of stress and chaos, where I am clearly in charge. So I couldn't end this philosophy discussion without

mentioning the theories of Robert J. Mackenzie, Ed.D., and his book, Setting Limits in the Classroom.

Reading Mr. Mackenzie's book about how to end power struggles and gain the leadership role in the

classroom was enlightening. He speaks of children's nature, and of a classroom division I experienced

first hand; one where 45% of the class comes ready to accept your authority, 10% tests it rigorously,

and another 45% are fence-sitting to see how much they can get away with.

Win the battle with those hard-testers, he says, and the fence sitters will fall in line. Sure, the

testers may still test (that's their nurture), but that leaves you with 90% of your class ready and willing

to work. Don't win the battle with those hard-testers, and the fence sitters will see that they can start

acting up too, then you and your class are in for a rough year.

Kids react differently to a lack of structure and adult leadership, some try to fill the power

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vacuum, some become wild and unpredictable, and some withdraw and become anxious. While I

would like to have a friendly relationship with all the kids, I won't let students run the classroom, and

I'd be negligent if I allowed negative behavior to cut into learning time or dictate the mood in the room.

As Ginott once famously said, “I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in

the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the

weather...”

It is also well known that a teacher's belief in their power to create the climate, is the biggest

determining factor in their success. I plan to identify my "testers" early on, and convince them that I've

"got this", they can relax and settle into their role as students, the room is a safe, happy place to

explore, and I'm making only sunny weather.

Conclusion

I am a person with intellectual curiosity about the world, and this makes life an interesting

journey for me. I have the critical thinking skills to make good decisions, and find my way around

complex issues. I enjoy a wealth of friendships and good memories I've created with loved ones. I'm

able to self actualize, and decide who I want to be and set about achieving it. I'm able to support

myself, and care for others who need my help.

These are the things I want for all kids: a sense of empowerment, confidence in a sometimes

scary world, the ability to love and be loved, and a sense of belonging to a community that comes with

the responsibility to something greater than themselves.

All of these seeds are sown in the primary grades. I can't teach each child everything they need

to know about the world, but I can teach them to read and teach them to question; I can teach them a

love of learning that they can take with them wherever they go. These are the tools they can use to learn

whatever they want to learn, for the rest of their lives

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 References

Ginott, H. (1965). Between Parent and Child. (1972). Between Teacher and Child . New York:
Macmillan

Vygotsky, L., Mind in Society (1978)

Erikson, Erik H. (1959) Identity and the Life Cycle. New York: International Universities Press.

Fields, M. (2014). Constructive Guidance and Discipline: Birth to Age Eight (6th edition). Pearson.

Wong, H., and Wong, R., (2014). The Classroom Management Book. Jondahl & Ferguson.

Tomlinson, C. (2014). The Differentiated Classroom (2nd Edition). ASCD.

Mackenzie, R., Setting Limits in the Classroom (3rd Edition). Three Rivers Press.

Slavin, R. (2009). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. Boston: Pearson.

Alaska Native Knowledge Network. (1999). Guidelines for preparing culturally responsive teachers
for Alaska’s schools.

University of Alaska Southeast, School of Education. (2004). Conceptual framework of the center for
teacher education.