Philosophy of Education A teacher's personal philosophy of education is a critical element in his or her approach to guiding children along the path of enlightenment. My philosophy of education has been influenced by my experiences. In high school, I had many teachers who simply lectured every class period. In a few cases, this was effective, but many times it was not. Personally, I did not have much trouble dealing with lectures, but I know many of my peers did. This has influenced my beliefs about teaching and the kind of teacher I wish to become. I want to be a different kind of teacher than many of the ones that I had in high school because I believe that an effective teacher can have a significant impact on students' lives. My philosophy of education is one in which the student is at the center. I do not believe in teacher centered classrooms. Teachers should simply guide a student's learning, not take center stage the whole time. I think that lectures are needed at times to present certain information, but they should not be the sole form of instruction within a classroom because they create passive students. I want students to be actively involved in the learning process. In my own education, much of what I learned was irrelevant to me. As a result, I simply memorized information and regurgitated it at the time of the test. This allowed me to receive good grades, but most of the time I failed to remember much of the information afterwards. I do not want my students to go through this pointless process. I want to present students with information that is meaningful to their lives so they will be able to carry this knowledge with them in the long term.I believe that students learn best when they are motivated and interested. The best way to achieve this is to allow students to voice their opinions in the learning process. My goal is to find connections in the curriculum with their own lives. I will encourage students to bring their own stories, experiences, and ideas into the classroom. I also believe a teacher should focus on individual student needs. Everyone has differences, and that is what makes each student special. These differences need to be recognized and taken into consideration when curriculum is being created. All students have personal strengths. As a teacher, I believe it is my role to help students determine their strengths and help them build upon these. I chose to pursue History because it is a subject I am truly passionate about, and I believe it is my responsibility to help students become enthusiastic about the subject as well. I intend to change students' typical assumptions that history is uninteresting and irrelevant to their daily lives. I believe that learning about history involves more than remembering important people, places, and events. It entails studying the interactions of people over a wide range of years and places. As I mentioned, I want my students to recognize that history is relevant in their daily lives. It is constantly being made, and in many ways they are a part of it. I wish to develop students who have an appreciation of history because it demonstrates where the world has come from, where the world is today, and where the world is headed in the future. I do not believe my only responsibility as an educator is to teach my students historical content though. I would like to teach them about life in general, and I wish to be someone whom my students can rely on at all times. Overall, I want to be more than just a teacher. I wish to be someone who can help students reach their goals and lead a successful life. As I enter the teaching profession, I am sure my philosophy of education will evolve as I gain more experiences within the classroom. However, the basic foundations of my philosophy will remain solid, and they will influence the ways in which I interact with students and teach in a classroom.
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