Touring the World of Education

I think teaching is like being a tour guide. As a teacher you are taking your students on a journey. Some of your students will come equipped with well stalked back packs and some will come with barely enough supplies to last them through the trip. Some students will do fine with just a compass and a map while others will need to be led hand in hand through the journey. Some will chose to travel in groups while others will choose to take the trip on their own. Along the way your students will travel rocky roads, sale smooth oceans, and see sights they have never dreamed of seeing. Some will enjoy the scenery along the way while others will only complain about being tired and having sore feet. What may start out as sinking in a puddle hopefully will finish by looking at the world from the top of a mountain.

This class has made me think about things I had never thought about before. It has been my tour guide to a part of the world I am just beginning to learn about. I learned about progressive learning which showed me methods of teaching and types of classrooms that I was not ever aware existed, such as the Summerhill School and unschooling along with the Costa Rica cloud forest classroom and the Norway Outdoor Preschool.

Learning different ways to teach multi-cultural students and students with learning disabilities also taught me new concepts. I especially liked how there was a lot of importance put on involving students families. I think that involving parents in their child's education and getting to know your students outside of school is crucial to their learning experience.

After doing the module on place based learning I realized how important it is to involve students in the world outside their classroom. What could be more important than making your students aware of social and environmental issues. These are things they are going to have to deal with and eventually take responsibility for so the sooner they are aware of them and they work on making them better they will find that this will improve their quality of life.

Social Justice and Teaching

Teaching social justice is one of the most important things you can do as an educator. Respecting your students and providing them with a safe and happy classroom where they are allowed to share their thoughts and feelings is essential in teaching social justice. All students have the right to be treated equally and to be heard. Students should not be discriminated against due to their gender, color, culture or economic status. An article I came across when looking up social justice was “Teaching Students to Stand Up and Speak Out”. In this article there is a quote that says “Are we preparing students and aiming them to be allies rather then bystanders, to be advocates for those in need in our larger community, as well as stand up to injustices when necessary?” This is an important question that should be asked of all educators. Howard Zinn wrote a book called "You Can't be Neutral on a Moving Train" In this book he talks about social justice in education. He says "education becomes most rich and alive when it confronts the reality of moral conflict in the world." I agree that this is what makes education come alive. Teaching students to become involved in their community and to speak up for what they believe in is a crucial part of todays education. Students should be treated equally and should know that their opinions are important and they should be heard.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/social-justice-lessons-activities-resources-rebecca-alber

Benefits of Place Based Education

“Place based education encourages teachers and students to use the schoolyard, community, public lands, and other special places as resources, turning communities into classrooms.” I think this is a good summation of what place based learning is. To me the main benefit of place based learning is that it creates a partnership between schools and communities. When this happens not only do the students benefit but the community also benefits. It helps to not only improve the students academics but also their social skills, and their achievements in the real world. For the community it means improvements environmentally and economically. It encourages students to become aware of their environment and to become active citizens, all while they are receiving their education. What better way to learn then by being outside, doing hands on learning and helping your community at the same time? I think place based learning is a great concept and I think it would be beneficial to students and communities alike. I found it interesting that ten studies across the United States connected place based education with academic achievement. This says to me that it is working and it should be used more widely in our public schools. 

http://www.nps.gov/mabi/forteachers/upload/Benefits%20of%20PBE.pdf

These photos are an example of what place based education looks like. Students are outside working on an environmental project in their community. 

Banking Concept vs Montessori

     After reading The “Banking” Concept of Education by Paulo Freire I decided that this was not a theory I agree with, The “Banking” Concept  is that students are depositories and teachers are the depositor. The teachers give the students information, which they expect them to memorize. The problem with this is there is no communication between student and teacher. Students are not allowed the opportunity for hands on learning or exploring how and why things occur. The teacher feeds them information which they are expected to store in their minds for future use. “it is the people themselves who are filed away through the lack of creativity, transformation, and knowledge in this (at best) misguided system”. I agree that this is a misguided system where the students are not allowed to question how, where, or why and are they not given the opportunity for creativity or hands on learning.

     The Montessori Theory by Maria Montessori is made up of principles. The principles are Independence, Observation, Following the Child, Correcting the Child, Prepared Environment and Absorbent Mind. I agree with all these principles. Students should be independent. They should be able to do things by themselves to prove to themselves that they are capable individuals. This helps build their self esteem. “Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.”-Maria Montessori. Observing your students is the best way to learn what their needs are. You will create harmony in your classroom by fulfilling there needs. By following your students you will learn what they need to continue to learn and grow. Allow your students to choose what they want to do and give them a safe environment to do it in. Present them with choices, then stand back and let them decide. Corrected Child is the principle that you don’t raise  your voice and you correct them in a calm manner. In a prepared environment there are activities set up that allows them freedom of movement and choice. Absorbent mind is that principle that they will absorb everything they see and hear in the environment around them. 

    

     I would much rather teach the Montessori theory then the Banking concept. I don’t think a teacher should just feed students information and expect them to just file it away in their minds. I believe in letting the students learn by giving them choices, working at their own pace, hands on and by giving them personal contact. As a teacher I would like to be enthusiastic, and act as a guide so that my students could learn self discipline and self direction. 

http://www.dailymontessori.com/montessori-theory/

What I learned about my Educational Philosophy

After taking the Educational Philosophies Assessment I was not surprised to find that my highest score was in humanism. This is a philosophy I truly believe in. I think that what children really need when they start their adventure of learning is a teacher who believes in them and is willing to nurture them along the way. I like Rousseau's suggestion that "children not be viewed as a blank slate or as miniature adults, but as individuals possessing natural goodness and needing continual support." In order to get the most from your students a teacher needs to be there to guide them, not judge them. I agree that "students emotional well being is of crucial importance in learning." As important as it is to teach academics it is just as important to help them grow as people. Although I do not plan on becoming a teacher, I would like to become a guidance counselor and as their counselor I would like to follow the Humanism approach with all my students.