My Philosophy of Education: The Child, The Community, and a Play-Based Curriculum
These three core purposes of education: playful learning, student centered classrooms, and community engagement, are vital in creating optimal learning environments. However, it is impossible to accomplish this without understanding the internal and external developmental forces and needs that impact children’s maturational learning speed. Therefore, educators should be aware of each child’s learning preferences, maturational speed, and personality, because these internal forces will impact classroom learning. Educators also need to be aware that each child is not only unique, but is also a reflection of the external developmental forces they have experienced. These experiences may include their familial situation, community, and cultural backgrounds that influence their needs and behavior within the classroom. As an aspiring educator, I believe it is utterly important to be able to meet these needs whenever possible, by always providing extra food, drink, and clothing in the classroom for students to use in order to fuel their bodies and their brains. Furthermore, children need a safe space to come to in order to feel both emotionally and physically secure, within which they can learn their best.
This inclusive and culturally responsive classroom environment would not only give students the tools they need to be successful, but also give students a comfortable space where they can explore, experiment, and make mistakes. However, even though the classroom environment may provide tools that students can explore, students still need an individual to teach them how to use these tools, and most importantly, how to bring these tools into their future. I believe an educator should possess certain characteristics and qualities that would not only help students be successful with these tools, but also create a positive classroom community that students can emulate in their own lives. For example, I believe educators should never stop growing or striving to discover who they are. Educators should continue to be lifelong learners, even when they have finished their lessons, because in holding an endless curiosity for discovery, educators can inspire students to develop their own growth mindsets. While educators can inspire students to share their emotions or hold growth mindsets, it is up to the students to take these steps. This is why students and teachers should be aware of the roles they play in the learning process, and how they can work together to create an optimal learning environment.
Even though focusing on students’ developmental needs and creating a positive classroom community are both important purposes of education, I believe that the most important purpose of education is embracing the process of play. Therefore, it is vital for educators to manifest the ideas of play not only into the previous components, but also into the curriculum. Play is essentially the core “basic” need that children possess in order to grow, because it pushes them into their zones of proximal development, which is where the best learning can occur. Through play, children explore freely and experiment with objects that challenge them to conquer tasks outside of their safe cognitive, emotional, and physical space. Children can overcome obstacles through pretending to be “heroes”, “wizards”, or “scientists”, such as a child spraying a hose at various angles, hypothesizing about what happens when the water barrels out. In addition to free exploration, children can also understand a multi-layered math problem because they are “math-magicians”, or feel empathy for an ant that was crushed, by becoming an “ant” themselves. Playing pushes students past their cognitive limits, because within this state, children realize what they are truly capable of.
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The world of education is filled to the brim with students who are excited to learn, educators who are thrilled to teach, and a curriculum that is overflowing with subjects and activities. As a future educator, I believe that students should be given the opportunity to experience this world, not through expansive tests and worksheet drills, but rather, through what every child needs, which is freedom to play and explore. Therefore, I believe that the purpose of education centers around this idea of play and exploration, and most importantly, being able to make mistakes and experiment with different objects as a means of learning. However, even though I believe it is vital to ensure the curriculum centers around the process of play, I also believe the role of an educator should be to focus on how to help each student, with their specific learning needs and strengths, soar to their greatest potential. Finally, I know that every child, every teacher, and every administration is situated within a larger community that has influenced their past choices, and most likely will influence their future actions. As such, I believe the purpose of education should be to expose students to this exterior community, and support the building of a community within the classroom where everyone is respected.
Having a safe, secure, and positive learning environment is extremely important to allow students to let go of their past challenges, and look towards a future of possibilities in the classroom. Therefore, I believe children learn best within a classroom space that promotes equity, justice, and respect, where they feel comfortable sharing their beliefs because they know that they will be supported. Educators can work to create this classroom space by holding a community circle with their class to discuss student feelings or questions, as well as ideas on how to make the school year the best that it can be, where within this community, I believe that children have more opportunities to truly grow because the environment supports their learning.
Educators should act as the catalysts for the learning process instead of being “guides on the side” or “sages on the stage”, providing students with the care and support they need, while simultaneously challenging them to push themselves. Teachers can also help their students initiate the learning process by scaffolding them, until they eventually “let go” and allow their students to take the lead in their own learning journeys. Even though these roles are vital to the learning process, the classroom environment also greatly influences how learning occurs, and especially how students feel about learning. I believe the classroom should not be seen as the “teacher’s classroom”, but rather, should be seen as a collaborative community among the students and the educator. Therefore, when creating a classroom, educators should adorn the walls with colors the students enjoy, and the projects they have completed and feel confident in sharing. In addition, fostering confidence and self-efficacy can also be achieved through nurturing a class garden, which hopefully inspires students to foster both autonomy and a sense of industry and capability in growing something that they can be proud of. In the end, encouraging holistic learning roles, and presenting the classroom as an environment that belongs to both the students and the educator, can inspire students to view learning not as an output of memorized information, but rather, as a process of discovery that they direct themselves.
I am still discovering who I am as an individual, and who I am as a teacher through the process of play, where in my classroom I do not want to “make time for play” by simply adding separate “play-time” into the curriculum, but rather, I strive to incorporate it into the basic subjects. Within my activities I will encourage students to become mathematicians, scientists, or even historians when they learn, by allowing them to inspect ancient artifacts or read primary documents. In addition, to promote free exploration, I will ensure that assignments are as open-ended as possible and take into account students’ unique interests and strengths. To encourage open-ended discussion as an educator, I will also promote the use of questions, and explain to my students how questions do not signify a lack of knowledge, but rather, act as the doors that open up the continuous path of learning. Finally, in order to create a positive mini “ecosystem” within my classroom, I will strive to ensure that my students’ needs are met by providing the necessary resources and opportunities that they need in order to learn their best, and most importantly, feel their best. Overall, I not only want to inspire my students to become enthusiastic about learning, I also strive to open up the doors to a lifetime of learning about myself, because just like how I am a divergent, curious, and growing individual with no clear end on my life journey, the world of “teaching is not the light at the end of the tunnel, but rather, it is the train that you hop on for life” (Dr. Mark Bailey).
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