My Philosophy of Education
I believe that nature vs nurture, or hereditary vs environment, are distinct sources of early developmental growth that possess strong bearing on a child's overall mental health and well- being. Although some things are innate, personal experience, upbringing and family history and culture can modify their perceived knowledge and these external factors will inevitably have a more influential impact on how children interact with their surroundings. Environment does play huge part in determining behaviors, and as often suggested, children do come as '"tabula rasa", I believe they enter the world with fertile minds as they are born with creative imaginations and sharp perceptions, with their "blank- slates" awaiting to be impressed by experience. They learn by seeking out stimulants and adjusting their behaviors according to reactions they elicit from external factors. With immutable inherited traits, responsible parents must therefore strive to provide balance between nurture and challenge in order for their children to reach their full potential. To shelter them is to deprive them of rewarding life experiences. To thrust them into insightful life experiences is to assist them to become multifaceted individuals. I believe If they are given small risks and be exposed to minimal experience, be they positive or negative, they may repress from achieving and striving.
I believe that both nature and nurture undoubtedly shape who we are as individuals; and as it is human nature to be curious and inquisitive, children should be free and encouraged to explore and investigate whatever spark their interests and whatever they set their minds to. I believe nurture does have greater influence in who we are and how we behave. I believe we acquire new behaviors and modify old ones based on environmental conditions and influences.
I believe only in facts based on sense perception, proven by scientific method, and show empirical evidence; therefore I subscribe to the philosophy of Behaviorism, Realism and Positivism, and my philosophy of education is as follows.- Claire Go
I believe that both nature and nurture undoubtedly shape who we are as individuals; and as it is human nature to be curious and inquisitive, children should be free and encouraged to explore and investigate whatever spark their interests and whatever they set their minds to. I believe nurture does have greater influence in who we are and how we behave. I believe we acquire new behaviors and modify old ones based on environmental conditions and influences.
I believe only in facts based on sense perception, proven by scientific method, and show empirical evidence; therefore I subscribe to the philosophy of Behaviorism, Realism and Positivism, and my philosophy of education is as follows.- Claire Go
Behaviorism
B. F. Skinner argues all sources of behavior are external, or in the environment, not internal, as in the mind; it is acquired through conditioning which occurs through direct interaction with the environment (Skinner, 1938). It only requires motivation and reinforcement. I believe children are "open slates" and constantly desire to be incited by their surroundings.
Using the philosophy of behaviorism in the classroom, I believe teachers can expect good manners from their students if they promote clear and repetitious expectations of what is accepted behavior, and what is not. I believe teachers can modify the behavior of their students through implementations of effective interventions, direct consequences, and positive and negative reinforcements. For instance, If a student disrupts a class, I believe teacher must apply punishment or negative reinforcements- into practice, and maintain consistency in deliverance until the desired outcome is reached.
I believe explicit instructions and presentations can account for outcomes that indicate proficiency and competence in line with learning- knowledge standard model. I believe students' malleable mental structures will better grasp subjects at hand if instructions are partitioned and compartmentalized into smaller portions; if students receive exposure to the same, focused content, learning becomes automatic and retainment takes place. Without this proper conditioning, we can expect for students to make errors and essentially become disconnected. If teachers' management style creates an environment where students are encouraged and free to express themselves in ways that improve their intellectual skills and psychological developments, while also upholding effectual interventions and exacting, a no- nonsense consequences, I believe students will oblige- and will do so naturally. I believe students fundamentally seek guidance from authority figures, and mentors ; albeit some act out in defiance, nonetheless, these students stand in need of direction and attention.
I believe educators must constantly find opportune moments to teach and inform. I believe stimulated students can be formally taught and disciplined in the classroom and the plausibility to do so is irrespective of their culture and ethnic background. Under this personal doctrine, I believe I can manage a classroom in ways for which proper conditioning will yield favorable conclusion.
WIth this teacher- centered philosophy, I believe all teachers must be exemplary and set expectations that facilitate cognitive processes for higher learning. I believe, as educators, it is our duty to infiltrate and incorporate extrinsic nurture to our students' intrinsic nature. - Claire Go
B. F. Skinner argues all sources of behavior are external, or in the environment, not internal, as in the mind; it is acquired through conditioning which occurs through direct interaction with the environment (Skinner, 1938). It only requires motivation and reinforcement. I believe children are "open slates" and constantly desire to be incited by their surroundings.
Using the philosophy of behaviorism in the classroom, I believe teachers can expect good manners from their students if they promote clear and repetitious expectations of what is accepted behavior, and what is not. I believe teachers can modify the behavior of their students through implementations of effective interventions, direct consequences, and positive and negative reinforcements. For instance, If a student disrupts a class, I believe teacher must apply punishment or negative reinforcements- into practice, and maintain consistency in deliverance until the desired outcome is reached.
I believe explicit instructions and presentations can account for outcomes that indicate proficiency and competence in line with learning- knowledge standard model. I believe students' malleable mental structures will better grasp subjects at hand if instructions are partitioned and compartmentalized into smaller portions; if students receive exposure to the same, focused content, learning becomes automatic and retainment takes place. Without this proper conditioning, we can expect for students to make errors and essentially become disconnected. If teachers' management style creates an environment where students are encouraged and free to express themselves in ways that improve their intellectual skills and psychological developments, while also upholding effectual interventions and exacting, a no- nonsense consequences, I believe students will oblige- and will do so naturally. I believe students fundamentally seek guidance from authority figures, and mentors ; albeit some act out in defiance, nonetheless, these students stand in need of direction and attention.
I believe educators must constantly find opportune moments to teach and inform. I believe stimulated students can be formally taught and disciplined in the classroom and the plausibility to do so is irrespective of their culture and ethnic background. Under this personal doctrine, I believe I can manage a classroom in ways for which proper conditioning will yield favorable conclusion.
WIth this teacher- centered philosophy, I believe all teachers must be exemplary and set expectations that facilitate cognitive processes for higher learning. I believe, as educators, it is our duty to infiltrate and incorporate extrinsic nurture to our students' intrinsic nature. - Claire Go
Realism
Logical reasoning stands on measurable and quantifiable premise and is studied primarily in the natural sciences and mathematics. As distinguished from the abstract, it is rooted in concrete realities distinctly invulnerable to ambiguity. Realistic, authentic, and true.
Students' ingrained views may be generated by faulty interpretations of a setting or event. In the classroom, I believe if their default ideas stand in stark contrast with common knowledge, subsequent ideas presented to them, consequently, are subject to immediate rejection and dismissal. I believe teachers should avail themselves to any indications that reveal students' erroneous perception of the physical world. I believe teachers must bridge the gap and assemble for their students a clear mapping of systematized knowledge. If asked whether a sound is made if an apple fell from a tree devoid of any witnesses, the realist student should respond that the conditions surrounding this tree with regards to presence/ absence of a witness, have no bearing on the inevitable, it still follows the laws of the natural sciences. Concrete, observable, and tangible.
I believe realism in the classroom can encourage students to expand their interests; if they are active participants in a revelation of an innovative concept, it is highly likely they will pursue similar endeavors that stand to broaden their views and allow more rewarding discoveries and inventions to take place. The world is not what we make of it, it is what it is. I believe that with this unifying notion, students' experiences should then be grounded in the way that the world naturally functions; I believe it is important for students to possess a firm grasp of irrefutable facts, and common, factual knowledge. As a guest teacher for an elementary school, I exercised the use of this philosophy during field trips in nearby creeks by asking students to sketch what they saw, to identify which organisms were present, and what patterns they recognized in nature- all using realistic colors. They were discouraged from using their imagination for this activity and were asked to simply relay on paper what they were witnessing in that particular moment. I believe they became in tuned with the present and relied fully on most of their sensory perceptions- sight, audition, olfaction, and mechanoreception. Through this experience, they abandoned all trivial expectations, make- believes, adopted views, and default thinking; It was not dictated or depicted for them. They were in charge of their reality.
I believe that in order for students to operate adequately in a society of immutable laws, teachers must expose them to the truths, rather than solely to abstract ideas; they must teach them the laws of nature, show them how to apply a concept in a practical way in order to easily facilitate connections, and equip them with tools for guidance that pave the way to insight and enlightenment. With this, I believe students can aspire to be well- rounded individuals able to translate and interpret what they have come to know and feel confident at how they arrived at it. With integrated truths and concrete knowledge, I believe students will develop to be well- adjusted, secured, rational, pragmatic and self- sufficient with the ability to think for themselves, and make connections between distant concepts . I believe integrating this philosophy into teaching has the potential to nurture a student- centered approach as it centralizes betterment for developing individuals. I believe I can engage students through demonstrations of cause and effect, by providing research projects that require critical thinking, and by assigning homework which call for connections of abstract ideas using tangible bits through "show and tell".
I believe with Realism, teachers are molding students to be coherent and competent, able to tackle complex concepts with the capacity to properly apply them in real life.
Positivism
Positivism states that natural science is the only acceptable source of true knowledge (Comte, 1957). As a science enthusiast, I subscribe closely to Logical Positivism. According to this subcategory, accepted logical reasoning and empirical interpretation, which include variants in physics, biology, psychology, mathematics, etc. are products of scientific theory formed by establishing a strict correlation between real, physical entities, and their abstracts concepts; without one or the other, it can not be verifiable, therefore, is not recognized as true fact.
Using this philosophy whereby students use a combination of reliance on sensory perception, confirmatory experiments and scientific research methods with clear and right answers, they are working with facts rather than mere speculation. They are shown the strengths and relationships among independent variables. To reach the realm of higher learning with irrefutable knowledge, I believe they gain confidence in their decision- making on aspects that greatly impact their overall well- being. With principles geared towards student- centeredness, I believe even young students can enhance their faculties to reject and accept with sound judgement.
Opponents of Positivism repudiate the exacting nature of science; adding that this philosophy reduces content for the sake of verifiability. I believe it IS a must for students to master the skill of deduction; generating an abundance of neurons and connecting synapses is the point of education. To deduce or strip unnecessary constituents, I believe, is to essentially expand and branch out. Positivism calls for integration of various types of discipline, logical, critical and analytical thinking; I believe this to be what our students are in dire need of. I believe it is the teachers' duty to inject external realities to their curriculum and allow for intellectual stimulation. A Positivist's management tactics use computations, calculations, and reserves time for intellectual thinking for short- answer questions or case studies.
I believe success here hinges on setting no boundaries, allowing students to absorb and register information on their own accord, challenging them to abandon their faulty presuppositions and operate instead on basis of objectivity, not subjectivity, requiring of them the formulation of various sound interpretations for a given situation, and, lastly, assisting them into perpetuating the idea of consolidation and assimilation through the use of argumentation and evidence as they move towards a unifying concept in a justifiable manner.
I believe that in order for students to successfully compete and interact in a dynamically changing, socio- technical world and excel in their subsequent chosen professional practice, a Positivist's management style and curriculum must emphasize flexibility and creativity in a broad range of skills, with real- world applicability.
Logical reasoning stands on measurable and quantifiable premise and is studied primarily in the natural sciences and mathematics. As distinguished from the abstract, it is rooted in concrete realities distinctly invulnerable to ambiguity. Realistic, authentic, and true.
Students' ingrained views may be generated by faulty interpretations of a setting or event. In the classroom, I believe if their default ideas stand in stark contrast with common knowledge, subsequent ideas presented to them, consequently, are subject to immediate rejection and dismissal. I believe teachers should avail themselves to any indications that reveal students' erroneous perception of the physical world. I believe teachers must bridge the gap and assemble for their students a clear mapping of systematized knowledge. If asked whether a sound is made if an apple fell from a tree devoid of any witnesses, the realist student should respond that the conditions surrounding this tree with regards to presence/ absence of a witness, have no bearing on the inevitable, it still follows the laws of the natural sciences. Concrete, observable, and tangible.
I believe realism in the classroom can encourage students to expand their interests; if they are active participants in a revelation of an innovative concept, it is highly likely they will pursue similar endeavors that stand to broaden their views and allow more rewarding discoveries and inventions to take place. The world is not what we make of it, it is what it is. I believe that with this unifying notion, students' experiences should then be grounded in the way that the world naturally functions; I believe it is important for students to possess a firm grasp of irrefutable facts, and common, factual knowledge. As a guest teacher for an elementary school, I exercised the use of this philosophy during field trips in nearby creeks by asking students to sketch what they saw, to identify which organisms were present, and what patterns they recognized in nature- all using realistic colors. They were discouraged from using their imagination for this activity and were asked to simply relay on paper what they were witnessing in that particular moment. I believe they became in tuned with the present and relied fully on most of their sensory perceptions- sight, audition, olfaction, and mechanoreception. Through this experience, they abandoned all trivial expectations, make- believes, adopted views, and default thinking; It was not dictated or depicted for them. They were in charge of their reality.
I believe that in order for students to operate adequately in a society of immutable laws, teachers must expose them to the truths, rather than solely to abstract ideas; they must teach them the laws of nature, show them how to apply a concept in a practical way in order to easily facilitate connections, and equip them with tools for guidance that pave the way to insight and enlightenment. With this, I believe students can aspire to be well- rounded individuals able to translate and interpret what they have come to know and feel confident at how they arrived at it. With integrated truths and concrete knowledge, I believe students will develop to be well- adjusted, secured, rational, pragmatic and self- sufficient with the ability to think for themselves, and make connections between distant concepts . I believe integrating this philosophy into teaching has the potential to nurture a student- centered approach as it centralizes betterment for developing individuals. I believe I can engage students through demonstrations of cause and effect, by providing research projects that require critical thinking, and by assigning homework which call for connections of abstract ideas using tangible bits through "show and tell".
I believe with Realism, teachers are molding students to be coherent and competent, able to tackle complex concepts with the capacity to properly apply them in real life.
Positivism
Positivism states that natural science is the only acceptable source of true knowledge (Comte, 1957). As a science enthusiast, I subscribe closely to Logical Positivism. According to this subcategory, accepted logical reasoning and empirical interpretation, which include variants in physics, biology, psychology, mathematics, etc. are products of scientific theory formed by establishing a strict correlation between real, physical entities, and their abstracts concepts; without one or the other, it can not be verifiable, therefore, is not recognized as true fact.
Using this philosophy whereby students use a combination of reliance on sensory perception, confirmatory experiments and scientific research methods with clear and right answers, they are working with facts rather than mere speculation. They are shown the strengths and relationships among independent variables. To reach the realm of higher learning with irrefutable knowledge, I believe they gain confidence in their decision- making on aspects that greatly impact their overall well- being. With principles geared towards student- centeredness, I believe even young students can enhance their faculties to reject and accept with sound judgement.
Opponents of Positivism repudiate the exacting nature of science; adding that this philosophy reduces content for the sake of verifiability. I believe it IS a must for students to master the skill of deduction; generating an abundance of neurons and connecting synapses is the point of education. To deduce or strip unnecessary constituents, I believe, is to essentially expand and branch out. Positivism calls for integration of various types of discipline, logical, critical and analytical thinking; I believe this to be what our students are in dire need of. I believe it is the teachers' duty to inject external realities to their curriculum and allow for intellectual stimulation. A Positivist's management tactics use computations, calculations, and reserves time for intellectual thinking for short- answer questions or case studies.
I believe success here hinges on setting no boundaries, allowing students to absorb and register information on their own accord, challenging them to abandon their faulty presuppositions and operate instead on basis of objectivity, not subjectivity, requiring of them the formulation of various sound interpretations for a given situation, and, lastly, assisting them into perpetuating the idea of consolidation and assimilation through the use of argumentation and evidence as they move towards a unifying concept in a justifiable manner.
I believe that in order for students to successfully compete and interact in a dynamically changing, socio- technical world and excel in their subsequent chosen professional practice, a Positivist's management style and curriculum must emphasize flexibility and creativity in a broad range of skills, with real- world applicability.
- Claire Go