Ms.Riener’s Philosophy of Education
My
philosophy of education is directing children toward developing a sense of their personal roles and strengths within society.
I believe all students have strengths, and the goal of education is to assist students in identifying and building upon the
strengths they possess. I think it is important to focus on individual needs, and involve students in the process of their
learning.
In my opinion there are
three traits an influential teacher should possess; creativity, enthusiasm, and motivation. Creativity keeps the learner intrigued
and eager to learn. A teacher’s enthusiasm for what is being taught is proof to the learner that the lesson is important
and justifiable in real-world situations. I personally believe motivation is the most imperative trait a teacher can possess.
Motivation drives the teacher to search for new or current subject matter and adjust teaching styles and strategies to benefit
the learner.
The teaching styles
I agree strongly with are cooperative learning, guided practice, and social learning. Cooperative learning
groups foster inter-dependence, individual accountability, and group processing of information, whereas traditional types
of instructional techniques do not (Johnson & Johnson, 1991). Regarding guided practice I believe rewards strengthen behaviors.
When an action is performed and rewarded that action is continued. When the reward stops the action loses strength (Thorndike,
1911). Social learning takes place through observation and modeling of the behaviors of others. We learn what we see. Therefore,
it is important for teachers to model the behaviors that they expect of their students (Bandura, 1986).
