PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Rubi Ramirez
Liberal Studies 400
Great Teachers: Philosophy of Education
When we look back at our educational journey, we realize that we have had many
different types of teachers, each teacher with his or her own method of teaching. With so many
different styles of teaching, one may ask, what makes a teacher a great teacher? A great teacher
inspires his or her students and brings out the best in them. A teacher has to be someone who
engages his or her students and leaves them wanting to learn more. A great teacher must also
have a lot of patience. Most importantly, a terrific teacher has to love what he or she does. If a
teacher comes to class motivated and excited to teach, then the students will be motivated and
excited to learn. Teachers who view every working day as just another dollar to their paycheck
are not going to have the students best interest in mind. This is going to affect the performance
of students, because if teachers are not coming to class wanting to inspire young minds, then
students are going to have an apathetic attitude towards school. I believe that it is important for
students to have good teachers because, according to Darling-Hammond and Bransford, teachers
can have as large of an impact on students educational performances as their socioeconomic and
family background (Bransford, Darling-Hammond, and LePage 46).
The classroom should be a place where students gain new skills, not just academic skills
like reading and writing, but also life skills like teamwork and sharing. Education should be
about challenging students, and getting students to challenge themselves, so that they can learn
new things every day. Education should also be aimed at making students prepared for college
and the work force, as stated by Fitchman Dana in Inquiring into the Common Core. I believe
that students should be well rounded in different content areas, like math, science, social science,

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literature, language arts, health, arts, and physical education. I think that knowing a little bit of
everything will help students in college and in the work force. Students should apply what they
learn through projects, activities, and discussions. As Richard Mayer mentions, teachers should
make use of manipulatives to help their students learn abstract ideas. I also like the inquiry
method explained in Striplings article in School Library Media Activities Monthly. With this
method, students are encouraged to apply newly learned skills by questioning and experimenting.
I think that students would enjoy this method and it would make learning exciting. Furthermore,
I believe that it is important for teachers to make the effort to try to understand their students
lives and the world in which they are living in. I agree with Jean Piagets theory that new
learning should relate to students lives and experiences. Teachers should take on the challenge
of making every lesson relatable to students.
In order for students to feel comfortable learning new things, the learning environment
must be a positive one. It is critical that a positive and supportive climate in the classroom is
maintained in order for learning to be effective, as Abraham Maslow points out. Teachers should
encourage students to speak and give their opinion. Teachers should not frown upon those
students who do not understand the material. Instead, teachers should find different ways to teach
his or her lessons because each student learns at a different speed and in a different way. Some
students are audio learners, some visual learners, and some kinesthetic learners. A teacher must
add a little bit of everything in his or her lesson, like some discussion, maybe a short video, and
then a hands-on activity. Teachers should never single out students who are having a harder time
grasping ideas, for this may cause the student to become discouraged from learning. Teachers
should not be biased with students because of their ethnic, social, economic, medical or family
backgrounds, as stated by Darling-Hammond and Bransford. Every student should have an equal

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opportunity to learn. If a student has medical problems that interfere with his or her learning, this
student could get extra help, but he or she should still be included in classroom learning and not
be singled out or left behind. ELL students should also feel included by the teacher and the other
students. It is the responsibility of the teacher to show the class how to respect one anothers
differences. Teachers should be flexible and be able to make accommodations according to
students needs.
People always remember certain teachers. They tend to remember two different types of
teachers: the really great ones and the really bad ones. In order to be one of those great teachers
who are remembered, a teacher must be inspiring, welcoming, innovative, and must come to
class motivated and excited to teach, and learn from his or her students. Great teachers lead their
students to achieve their greatest potential.

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References

Bransford, J., Darling-Hammond, L., & LePage, P. (2005). Introduction. In Darling-Hammond,

L., & Bransford, J. (Eds.) Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers
should learn and be able to do (pp.1-39). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Fitchman Dana, N., Bolton Burns, J., & Wolkenhauer, R. (2013). Inquiring into the common
core. Thousand Oaks: Corwin.
Liberal Studies 400 Principles of Effective Instruction Handout
Stripling, B. (2008). Inquiry: Inquiring minds want to know. School Library Media Activities
Monthly, 25(1), 50-52.