Philosophy of education free essay sample

My personal philosophy of education is most closely related to constructivism, which is a theory based on the thought that learning is student led and teachers are the facilitators of children’s learning. Within this type of learning students are required to be active thinkers, explainers, interpreters and questioners (Woolfolk Margetts,2007). Constructivism is an educational philosophy that focuses on constructing knowledge through rich and authentic student centered learning experiences, rather than the reproduction of knowledge from teachers. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are accredited for developing these theories. My area of specialisation within primary education is early childhood literacy however; my passion is special needs education. I understand that classroom education is not just about teaching and learning but a range of different factors that work together in order to provide a safe, secure and stimulating environment that caters to each individual child. I believe that there are vital elements in order to create this environment and they include subject knowledge, knowledge of students’ abilities, wants and needs, differentiation of work, the ability to change and adapt to different situations, a fun learning environment which is warm, welcoming, caring, understanding and approachable. It aims at creating the necessary understanding for what is good and bad (education purpose. org 2007 ). Education is also evolved according to the needs of society. Behind every school and every teacher is a set of related beliefs,a philosophy of education influence what and how students are taught. A philosophy of education represents answers to questions about the purpose of schooling, a teacher’s role, and what should be taught and what methods (higered. mcgraw-hill. com 2003). The student’s role in the classroom is to be active, which means that the students should contribute to classroom discussions by not only answering the questions the teacher provide but also their peers as well. Students should feel free to ask questions or express their own ideas about a subject. Lev Vygostsky’s theory believed that children learn when adults (teachers) provide scaffolding. Vygostsky felt that children learn very little when they perform tasks that they can already do independently. Jean Piaget’s theory described learning as the modifications of children’s cognitive structures or schemata as they interact and adapt to their environment. The teacher’s role is to create a warm protective environment for their students. Teachers carry a big responsibility in their classroom, mainly because students depend on him/her. Everything that the teachers say has important impact on the students. The teacher should have a positive attitude at all times because it has an influence on the students and they are watching everything.