Philosophy of Education Essay

The philosophy of education can be defined as a belief/thought/theory on the ways which can be used in the process of education and also the importance of education. This defines how children are to be educated as well as the purpose that education plays in the society. There is a necessity of philosophy which can be termed as the same as the need for a plan in life or even as a way in which to find a destination in life. The major source of the philosophy in education is the mixture or combination of material which has been read or studied on the thoughts of other people which can be termed as idealism or rationalism and also the personal experiences which can be grossly defined as direct and also indirect realism of empiricism(Carr, 2003). In a period of time there have been a lot of changes in technology as compared to the philosophy of education. Online courses have been made a reality through the advent of the internet and the computers. Creation of a learning community which is effective has a major requirement that the supposed learners do share the knowledge that they have and also their suggestions and thoughts so that the process of interaction with the fellow learners and their respective instructors is of importance. At the same time these processes should contribute to the readings and also to the assignments. I believe that education is truly a major factor in promoting the evolution of not just an individual but the society as a whole. This paper presents the role education plays as well as my personal views on this concept. With the philosophy of Neo-Thomism and Locke, Rousseau being my greatest inspirations as a teacher, the paper further explains these two concepts. It clearly brings out my role as a teacher, my vision for how schools should be in terms of curriculums, instructions as well as assessments. The role of a student has also been defined. Towards the end of the paper, the paper presents intervention measures that would be most effective in dealing with drug, tobacco and alcohol use and abuse and with teen pregnancies as two risk factors among the young students. The paper is written out of my own experience as a seventh grade science teacher. It contains my personal views and possible actions. Classic Educational Philosophies and Philosophers Educators draw their motivation from different philosophies or philosophers of education. My closest match for me has always been the philosophy of Neo Thomism by Jacques Maritain and Etienne Gilson as well as that of one great philosopher called Locke, Rousseau. Neo Thomism goes against modern philosophy and philosophical systems. The philosophy calls for the use of principles used to build philosophy. According to Gilson, this principles are very important are important necessities during philosophical inquiries and orientations. Rousseau called for an educational system that exposed a child into particular environment and allowing the students to learn form the situations within that environment. Students should learn from their surroundings and from the happenings in the society, this way they will have the capacity and skills to solve any situation and day to day occurrences. This is in line with my goal and objective of bringing up students into mature adults who can fearlessly and strongly face the every day hassles of the world and develop workable solutions in life be it at work, in their personal, social or emotional lives. Role as a Teacher My personal role and goal as a teacher is to ensure that children enjoy learning and completely deal with the every day perception that school is boring. It is with this in mind that I always incorporate fun in learning, engaging in out door activities that will further promote understanding of what is learnt in class. Education should aim at creating a will to learn more. Vision for Schools It is important that schools always work towards bringing out individuals successful students not just academically and out of high grades but also socially, emotionally and psychologically. Education should teach students on how to successfully deal with the day to day situations of life, it should teach us how to find solutions to various challenges (Gutek,1997). School curriculums should aim at bringing out the best of what is education is meant to bring. It should be a curriculum where students can learn to make use of the day to day happenings and innovations. I personally find the West Australian’s recently implemented outcome- based curriculum whereby a the curriculum is planned on the basis of what outcomes the teacher wants to achieve rather than on particular contents that have to be taught(Bloodworth, 2002). This curriculum also has its negative side mainly due to its difficulty in promoting uniformity in education quality. Incorporating the two approaches , the outcome based and the content based, as well as the use of the internet is a one way through which quality workable curriculums can be developed (Clabaugh & Rozycki, 1990). One suitable way of assessing what the students have learned is holding a question answer session after each lesson. Success rate will in this case be rated by the student’s ability to answer questions. The participation of each student should be a major consideration. Role of the Students Generally, seventh grade students have been found to divert their interests from learning to other issues such as fan and socialization. It is important to have these students have the inner drive to learn and achieve success. The best of achieving this is creating a situation whereby students can positively learn from their peers through class discussions, interaction and active engagements in class projects as well as presentations. Risk Factors Young children are faced with a number of risk factors likely to expose them to numerous problems in their lives and to affect their education. As an experienced teacher who has taught seventh grade students for over five years now, I have learnt to deal with these risks and have specifically dealt with teenage pregnancies and with the abuse of alcohol and drugs. In a situation where I have a student with these two risk factors in my class there are various interventions that I would undertake to deal with these problems. My first action would be to create a foundation at which the student can trust and confide in me. My listening skills should be of importance at this point. I will also ensure that the child does not feel discriminated and out of place neither is she the only person who has been in similar a situation. The views, desires and ideas of the student will enable me to identify the necessary steps to take with the need to make her realize the need to positively change. Introducing this student to other young persons who are going through the same problem as she is would be an effective way of positively encouraging her. The group will give her the chance to open up, give her a sense of belonging, hope and will to change. Learning from the experiences of others, both peers and older people, could be a workable intervention. Students and young people need to know on the various other ways through which they can have fun without necessarily having to engage in sexual activities or drug use (Zygon, 1985). The involvement of parents is also very essential. The parents need to know the positive role they should play in ensuring that the child is able to deal with the situation. One way through which these interventions can be implemented is through professional counseling and guidance for both the student and the parents or guardians. A counselor will effectively be able to communicate with them, get to the root causes of the problem and in turn develop workable solutions. Rehabilitation of the student as a way of dealing with alcohol and drug abuse is another sure way of enhancing positive change and ability to deal with the problem. In each of these cases, the student should be let to interact with other peers going through the same situations. Learning from the existing happenings in the society and from the experiences of others will be an effective form of intervention. Conclusion The philosophy of education acts as a personal guide for every teacher. It helps in defining ones goal as a teacher, outcomes or results desired and ways of achieving these outcomes. A philosophy basically acts as a basis to promoting the development of a child in school. It defines the role of both the teacher and student. Educational philosophies are therefore effective means of promoting quality education with purpose of education being clearly defined. A teacher with a philosophy will not only be able to provide quality education for his students but to also effectively deal with the various risk factors that students may be going through. , a teacher should be able to build the child physically, mentally, socially and emotionally. It should train them on how to deal with the day to day situation and to find solutions to the various problems they may come across not just as students but also as adults. Education gives a basis for the future. This can only be achieved if the students are allowed to learn through the everyday happenings and situations in the society. References Bloodworth R. (2002) â€Å"Methods of and Curricula for Institutionally Implementing and Sustaining Education†. Educational Philosophy and Change, 2(1): 234 Carr, D. (2003) Making Sense of Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy and Theory of Education and Teaching. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Clabaugh, G. & Rozycki, E. (1990). Understanding schools: The foundations of education. New York: Harper & Row. Gutek, G. (1997) Philosophical and Ideological Perspectives on Education. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Zygon, K. (1985) â€Å"Zygon: Imaging the Future: New Visions and New Responsibilities†. JOP, 20, (3):65.