Paper 3B - Elementary
Philosophy of Teaching
As a future teacher, developing a philosophy of education forces me to take my classes and experiences thus far from the hypothetical-textbook level to the practical real-life level. As I take this step, I see that my beliefs are eclectic; I like to garner the best from a variety of models and theories. This eclectic philosophy is a blueprint of my preferences for using educational models, meeting diverse needs, managing a classroom, and motivating students.
The cognitive, humanistic, and behavioral approaches to education all have positive characteristics, but I favor primarily a combination of the cognitive and humanistic models. The approach I most align with is the cognitive model. Its focus on long-term memory means that students are taught not just to pass behavioral objectives but to learn a concept that will remain with them for a lifetime and become a foundation for future concepts. Personally, I learn better when going from a general idea to its more specific parts. To me it makes sense to lay the groundwork for more detailed information. In particular, the cognitive discovery method of teaching appeals to me. Creating disequilibrium to foster the assimilation and accommodation of new knowledge seems to be an effective way to promote learning. For example, in my third-grade classroom we learned about newspapers. Instead of listening to a detailed lecture on how journalists work and editors assemble the weekly news, Ms. L instructed us to create our own. We encountered struggles on how to design, organize, format, and reproduce an issue of the 3-B News. Not only could most of my class probably remember this activity even today, but more than likely they could describe the process of writing articles and compiling them into newspaper format. Honestly, I do not recall any specific lectures from my high school or elementary years. This reinforces my appreciation for active learning; I hope to implement it in my future classrooms.
On the other hand, humanism offers a different perspective. If the core of the cognitive model is concept formation, then the core of humanistic model is complete development. Not only do students grow cognitively in school but socially, emotionally, and even spiritually. If teachers focus on merely one aspect of student growth, an imbalance occurs. Social growth can be encouraged through group work and discussion, and role-playing can promote emotional development, for example. When not taken to an extreme level as at the Summerhill School, humanism is a valid model for teaching especially when considering the holistic nature of education.
Knowing that the teacher is “on their side” and cares for his or her students creates an atmosphere conducive to learning. When all a student’s deficiency needs are met they are better prepared. This is especially true in elementary classrooms; teachers act in loco parentis and are responsible for the total well-being of their students. Communication plays a big part in establishing classroom rapport. Adults have the tendency to drift off during the stories children tell or the questions they ask. By maintaining eye contact and interest, the students understand that they are valued by their teacher. Communication definitely becomes easier when the people involved have a healthy relationship. Getting to know students’ likes and dislikes, hobbies, and personalities allows the formation positive relationships. Another genius of the humanistic approach is thematic teaching. Doing a unit on whales could include the usual science content, geography (where whales live), math (charting whale populations from year to year), art (sketching and labeling whale parts), and almost any other possible discipline. By offering a variety of assignments for students to choose from, they can select what appeals to their personal learning style. Instead of assigning a book report specifically, perhaps a timeline of the plot, several painted pictures of the setting, or abridged home movie version of the book would be options.
Though I am definitely not a behaviorist, I realize that some use of behaviorism is necessary, particularly in the primary grades. Therefore, I will not hesitate to use aspects of Madeline Hunter's direct instructional approach, particularly modeling and practice, whenever necessary.
Modern classrooms have become their own mini-melting pots. One classroom can have a wide range of ability levels, cultures, and economic standings. This means that teachers must be prepared to accept the challenge of diversity and multiculturalism. In meeting the varied needs of an elementary classroom, utilizing students’ strengths makes learning most efficient. Drawing on strengths to help each individual succeed is at the heart of teaching. In working at the St. Joseph Lab School I discovered that Andrew struggled with math but was quite imaginative. By turning math problems into stories (the story he created involved elephants going to the supermarket) Andrew better understood the concept of receiving change for purchases. Beyond knowing each student’s strengths and needs, it is essential for teachers to recognize that all students come to school with a unique background which affects their learning. Without this knowledge, teachers cannot shape lessons into something to which diverse students can relate. During my immersion experience in Minneapolis, I saw how students particularly enjoyed studying about Mexico. Their first-hand knowledge of Mexico (from having lived there or hearing stories from their parents who had) made the material relevant to their lives. Though my experience with a wide array of cultures is limited, I am willing to learn and look forward to helping educate the “beautiful mosaic” that is future of the American classroom.
In regards to multiculturalism, James Banks’ Contributions (Holidays and Heroes) Approach is a relatively simple way to enhance curriculum. Studying the Civil Rights Movement during the week after Martin Luther King Junior’s birthday, celebrating Cinco de Mayo with Mexican food and music, and learning about Irish history on St. Patrick’s Day could all be incorporated. Though this level is relatively low, it can be supplemented with aspects from Banks’ Social Action Approach. Touring a local food pantry could be a fieldtrip after collecting canned food for a month. Visiting an organic farm and writing letters to congress on its benefits also would be a possibility. Another alternative would be allowing students to present information on their personal culture. Whether German, Somalian, or Indian each culture would be offered “on their own terms” just as in Peggy McIntosh’s fourth phase in her phases of curricular and personal revision.
Even the friendliest, sharpest, and most organized teacher cannot function without some management plan; chaos would erupt without it. Dr. James Dobson’s principles on authority provide a good foundation for classroom management. The first day of school really does set the tone for what happens the rest of the year. If the teacher does not define boundaries and is not in charge from the beginning, students will take over; this is why it is crucial to define boundaries and handle situations in which the boundaries are crossed. Another technique is to structure lessons with little down time to prevent students from getting into trouble. Students engaged in a lesson it do not have time to scheme. Knowing what is happening in one’s classroom, or “with-it-ness” as described by Jacob Kounin, also makes handling small misbehaviors easier. Once identified, most situations can benefit from signaling (to be more precise, giving the dreaded teacher look) or proximity (moving into the area occupied by the student in question). When that does not work, however, some sort of disciplinary action must be taken. Linda Allen’s cooperative discipline is useful, for action taken is based on the motive of the students. Attention seeking behavior, revenge behavior, and failure avoidance behavior all have distinct recommended intervention methods. Praising appropriate behavior, setting up a private conference, and rewarding improvement, respectively, can help manage the Allen’s list of misbehaviors.
A variation on the concept of the good behavior game appeals to me. My third-grade teacher had an apple tree. We started off the week with five apples. Breaking of classroom rules caused the loss of an apple, and good behavior called for the return of an apple. Sometimes all Ms. L had to do was move towards the apple tree and a hush would fall over the classroom; if an apple remained on the tree on Friday we earned free time, an extra recess, or some other highly valued activity. It helped that we had come up with the rules as a class; thus giving us a sense of ownership over the rules.
Just like management, motivation is critical to successful teaching. Motivation falls into four categories: reward/avoidance, intrinsic, teacher, and task factors. By matching rewards or punishments to student preferences (as in allowing for an extra recess or taking away computer time), students are motivated to work for the reward or avoid the punishment associated with a certain behavior. Specific praise can prompt students to repeat the behavior that earned them praise, or prompt other students to copy the praised student. But the above motivation is contingent on some sort of external reinforcement. Perhaps a better way of motivation entails intrinsic motivation. Piquing curiosity creates disequilibrium among students and inspires learning for the sake of learning. To me, this seems a markedly better technique to motivate. After grabbing the attention of students, keeping them aroused continues the motivation beyond the first ten minutes of a lesson. When teaching an art class at the St. Joseph Lab School, I began the lesson in a large turquoise rain slicker. All eyes were on me as I explained the crayon relief technique of painting. I maintained interest by explaining how some Nigerian artists used chicken feathers for brushes and plants for dye. The students were then more than willing to do the art project I presented.
This leads to the third motivation factor, the teacher. As a teacher I hope to have compassion, patience and a sense of humor. My favorite teachers have all encompassed these qualities; it was in their classrooms that I felt motivated to learn. Therefore when teaching I strive to model the excitement I want the students to have. Having high (but realistic) expectations also motivates. When students know that their teacher believes they can achieve and expects them to do so, they will succeed. This is based on a study by Rosenthal and Jacobson about how teacher expectations and preconceptions affect student achievement. Teacher perceptions can become sort of a self-fulfilling prophesy; students do as they are expected to do. Another teacher factor in motivation is classroom environment. Establishing an atmosphere of mutual respect is beneficial to students, which returns to the idea of meeting students’ deficiency needs. The last component of motivation is task factors. Organizing lesson material, varying techniques, and teaching students at their cognitive level are ways to stimulate learning in regards to task factors. Finally, by making material relevant to students’ lives they are more likely to actively seek out the information being taught. If students do not care about a lesson, why would they try to learn? The previous example of the Minneapolis students learning about Mexican history illustrates this point perfectly.
Education is a multi-faceted endeavor. From motivation to management, from models to multiculturalism, all are important aspects of an educational philosophy. This is still closer to the theoretical textbook level than to the practical real life level; therefore my views are likely to change with experience. What this philosophy has done, however, is create a framework. These philosophies provide the tools and materials with which to construct my future classroom.