My Philosophy of Education: Pursuit of Perfection


 


            Education is often publicised as the only wealth every parent can give to a child; a gem a person can keep in his/her lifetime; or a treasure never to be stolen. Indeed, I similarly consider the factuality of the said beliefs in education. My stay in the formal academic setting made me realise the importance of education as the moulding agent towards the pursuit of individual perfection. More often than not, every time a professor asks about my idea of education, I always look on the practical reality of the mentioned beliefs. Similarly, my philosophy of education is related on the pursuit of perfection through diversity.


            Understanding my philosophy of education is rooted on my personal educational aims as a teacher. In a primary education setting, the importance of the basics is always taken in mind. I have five (5) educational aims which I firmly consider as most important elements of my teaching career. First, I want to focus on the enhancement and perfection of the basic learning skills of my students especially reading, writing, and speaking. Through these activities, my students will be equipped with the needed armours in pursuing higher stages of education. Also, I am able take hold of significant awareness about their individual ability and at the same time evaluating my effectiveness as facilitator of education and learning. Second, I must help them develop their knowledge acquisition skills and critical reasoning by exposing them to a variety of learning opportunities, experiences, and methodologies. The variation of specific learning opportunities, experiences, and methodologies that I will provide will increase their motivation to learn and improve the way on how they speak, respond, or act. Third, I need to inculcate a culture of commitment to education and continuous learning supported by the factuality of the world as a big classroom and life as the biggest lesson. Fourth, I must serve as a good example to my students by possessing values and traits that they can emulate. This is among the most challenging roles of an educator in the society as coupled with the aim of coming up with productive and successful individuals who will play a vital role in nation-building and contribute to the overall societal development. And last, I will be able to fulfil my responsibilities as a teacher towards myself, other people, country, and God.


            Learning, for me, is a progressive process. It makes an individual a rational one. Because people by nature are engaged in continuous learning and life as a whole is a learning experience, learning will always be present to every cycle of an individual’s life. Learning is the formal or non-formal, standardised or non-standardised process of acquiring knowledge that is indispensable to personal development and human survival. The main goal of every learning experience is to provide a collection of knowledge (i.e. facts and information) that are worthy of knowing and is applicable in the daily encounters of living. The nature of uniqueness and diversity among people entitles everyone to cling on some beliefs evident and applicable in their own ways and means of life. People do not always affirm on each others’ perception and interpretation of things. Together with the given views, people always possess the liberty to have their personal philosophy when it comes to learning and even education. According to Marton and Booth (1997), learning is about how we perceive and understand the world, about making meaning. It may involve mastering abstract principles, understanding proofs, remembering factual information, acquiring methods, techniques and approaches, recognition, reasoning, debating ideas, or developing behaviour appropriate to specific situations. This is similarly and perfectly true on my personal belief of learning.


            On a primary school basis or even in totality, my repertoire of teaching strategies and skills include a hodgepodge or mixture of simple and complex means. I am the combination of traditional classroom teaching and discovery learning. I have simple means of delivering my daily lesson. For some convenient examples, I use the book for reading, the board for writing, and so on. On the aspect of complex means, I experiment on new approaches of introducing the lesson. At times, it works and sometimes, it does not work at all. I find it hard to provide a general or standard strategy that will serve the needs of my students. There is no “one-size-fits-all” principle in teaching because of the fact that the students vary in learning abilities and development. I let my students explore learning through traditional ways (as mentioned in the examples) and discovery methods such as allowing them to do things on their own, but of course with my guidance and redirection afterwards. I see to it that teaching, as much as possible, is a fun and rewarding experience on my part and my students as well.


            All people are the same and different. There are others who possess the same identities while others differ. In addressing individual differences, I look on the universal idea of respect. Respect is the key for me to eliminate boundaries among my students. I always patronise collaborative learning because this is an effective way for my students to interact and explore each other. Fostering friendship and camaraderie among my students is also a major ingredient in the preparation of my lesson plans. I wanted to come up with learning activities that will not just provide cognitive skills development but also interpersonal abilities. In general, I establish a culture of unity amidst diversity.


            Fairness is my golden rule in building student-teacher relationship. I treat all students in the same way I treat one of them. Goodness is also essential. Believing that when I will show goodness, I will also have goodness in return, I give my best shot in caring for my students. I struggle to show the best things about myself. I am their role model and spend a significant amount of time with them inside the learning environment. As a result, the probability of emulation is high. Student-teacher relationship is both personal and professional in nature. It is personal because I believe I am touching the life and well-being of my student and vice versa. It is professional because I, as the teacher, should provide the expected services to my students and my students should also treat me the way I should be treated.


            I am the negotiator type of person when it comes to classroom management. I live with the ideals of freedom and responsibility. On the context of my students, I consider a student is anyone who is involve in a learning experience, a school or class attendee, and the one who directs eagerness at a subject. Regardless of physical considerations and his/her readiness to learn, it is expected that a student will learn when he/she is teach by a teacher. I encourage everyone to participate because learning should come from all possible sources. Rewards and punishments are also given practices yet still guided by fairness and goodness on my part.


            The evaluation of learning is the maximisation of knowledge acquisition and absorption. I consider an effective learning when a student is able to learn in the best way possible. There is learning if my students are able to do what are expected of them. Accordingly, I believe that student learning is achieved if there is: 




  • quantitative increase in factual knowledge;




  • memorization and reproduction;




  • applying and using knowledge.




  • acquisition of skills and methods;




  • making sense and understanding;




  • abstracting meaning;




  • understanding or comprehending the world in a different way;




  • performing well in assessment;




  • solving problems;




  • developing creativity;




  • extending imagination;




  • developing an analytical approach;




  • changing within oneself as a consequence of understanding the world differently (Fry, Ketteridge, and Marshall, 2003).




 


These are the things that I consider as imperative factors in the evaluation of learning. At least, there should be two or more achievements of the indicated factors.


            Reporting to parents is very vital. I see to it that the parents or at least one of them is present during important events and scheduled meetings. I inform parents about the performance of their children in school as well as personality development. As their teacher, I spend significant amount of time in a daily basis interacting with the children that makes me entitled to extend my observations about each child. In cases where I see something wrong, I immediately notify parents through correspondence or personal appointment.


            Self-evaluation is deliberate. I manage to have a checklist of my short- and long-term goals. I see to it that I must achieve most of them, if not all. My effectiveness as a teacher is seen on the progression on the performance of my students. I can say that I am good if my students are able to provide what is expected from them. Evaluating my character is also done through asking others’ (students and colleagues) opinions. But of course, I am still aware of my strengths and weaknesses and I commit myself in the pursuit of perfection.


            Teamwork is the ability to promote unity and success within other people or groups. I am the kind of person who acknowledges the importance of every individual. I honour the inherent abilities of every person. My good dealings with my colleagues prove that I am not difficult. I am a leader and a follower. Given the instances of working to a school staff, job delegation and collaboration of effort is a virtue on my part. If jobs are properly delegated, there is time- and cost-efficiency and assurance to success. If there is collaboration of effort, every participant will feel the sense of importance and achievement.


            In general, my philosophy of education and learning is guided by my commitment to be an educator, an agent of change, and a role model. As we grow and develop, learning is continuous. It does not stop within the four corners of the classroom, instead, it persists on the day we achieved the pursuit of perfection.


 


 


References


Marton, F. & Booth, S. (1997). Learning and Awareness, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.


 


Fry, H., Ketteridge, S., & Marshall, S. (2003) A Handbook for Teaching & Learning in Higher Education. London: Kogan Page.


 



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