T_Carter - Week # 3 Assignment
My Educational Philosophy
When I initially began my journey toward an undergraduate degree and pursuing a career, I entered the field of Information Technology (IT) with preconceived ideas of simply earning a steady salary and perhaps making a bit of a difference somewhere along the way. After earning an IT degree, I became disillusioned by the fact that the field had become oversaturated and there were no real jobs anymore because any and everyone with a computer considered themselves IT specialists.
Deciding to enter graduate school, my focus drifted toward pursuing education as a career. At the time, however, I felt no real connection to the field of education and was not at all sure if pursuing such a degree was what I really wanted to do as a long-term career goal. Ironically, life sometimes has a way of setting people on paths that they never thought they’d find themselves on. That’s exactly what happened in my case.
While I have had the opportunity to interact with children and students in various settings, including classroom observations, my philosophy of education, particularly special education, comes from my personal battle with late onset epilepsy, the effects of the neurological disorder and the multiple challenges associated with it. In dealing with my own, condition, I had difficultly finding where to go and how to get the proper care and services that I needed for myself. I soon came to the realization that I was probably not alone and if it was difficult for me trying to get help, I knew it had to be difficult for others, especially children.
In my quest to find out more about my own debilitating condition, I discovered there were staggering numbers of people with disabilities in the United States, including some 6.5 million-plus children. That’s when I began to think more about education and how I could become an advocate for those with special needs. After giving it much consideration, I came to believe that I could put my knowledge, skills and abilities to good use by focusing on special education and advocating for the services of those with disabilities. Today, I am not only committed to obtaining a degree in education, but, as a future educator, hope to someday be in the field of special education where I believe I can truly make a difference in the lives of others.
So, why special education? Whether physical or mental, having a disability can interfere with a child’s ability to learn and become a productive citizen in society. Special needs students are often labeled as “special” and are often not provided all the services and educational resources afforded to other students. While many school systems and government agencies advocate the “No Child Left Behind” policy, special needs students often do get left behind. That’s why special education is important to the learning environment of students.
Thankfully, there are laws, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that govern how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to children with disabilities. There are areas, however, that I believe school administrators and educators can focus on to further aid in the process of learning for all students.
Education focusing on adaptive teaching, collaboration, diversity, technology, and transition, would provide added value to the learning environment, particularly for special needs students. Through increased emphasis in these areas, as a teacher I would be in a position to provide these students with a better education and opportunity to be contributors to the world they live in.
First of all, I believe in adaptive teaching. I believe how well an educator focuses on the individual needs and rate of learning of students will determine to a great extent the successes as well as failures among students. Adaptive teaching would involve concepts of collaboration, teaching with technology, and incorporating things, such as field trips and special programs, to enhance the learning process.
Looking at the concept of collaboration, I believe incorporating group work or cooperative learning in teaching would greatly enhance the learning experience for all students. In this style of teaching, everyone has a job to do. Although some students need individualized instruction, collaboration is still a key element of the learning process. The concept is centered on, “working together and learning together” because when one person succeeds, we all succeed. I believe that the learning process works best when there is collaboration between students, parents and instructors. I further believe that through collaboration, school systems can move further away from the exclusion of special needs children that place them in special education classrooms to the inclusion of more special needs students in the mainstream classroom.
According to the October 2003 article, “Enabling Student Collaboration for Learning” by the Center for Teaching and Learning at Georgia State University, “Collaboration is the social process that supports learners’ development of capabilities in which they learn to do without assistance things that they could initially do only with assistance.” Working as a team, which includes getting parent support, collaborating with general and special education teachers, and allowing students to collaborate with one another, the potential for student development and learning is greatly enhanced. As a future teacher, I support activities and concepts, such as collaboration, that engage students and make them want to learn.
Teaching diversity is another part of my education philosophy. As noted earlier, special needs students are often labeled and don’t always get the services they need to succeed in life. Labels pinned on them by children and even many adults, such as “crazy,” “slow” and “handicapped” often follow them into adulthood and throughout the rest of their lives. Incorporating lessons on diversity into the educational plan would be one way to aid special needs children. Children can be taught that their school environment, like the world around them, is made of many different people with different cultures, ethnicities and abilities. Through lessons on diversity, special needs students can be made to feel as much a part of the regular learning environment as others.
In the not-too-distant past, technology was considered the wave of the future. Well, it has arrived, and whether one likes it or not, it must be embraced. Technology can play a significant role in enhancing the learning environment for all students, but more specifically for those with special needs. There are many programs and learning software to assist students with disabilities in various areas from reading to math and science. Here is one example of how technology could be incorporated into learning. Students who have difficulty expressing themselves can listen to stories using computer software and learn to express themselves in different ways. There are numerous computer programs and websites that provide resources for teaching students of all ages and abilities. In addition to the computer, cell phones, games and computerized toys can also be a source of learning for all students if the technology is properly incorporated in the educational environment.
The final component of my education philosophy is the concept of transition. Parents and teachers should be a part of the transitioning process as special needs students move from one phase in their lives to another. Transitioning phases -- from elementary to middle school, middle school to high school, and high school to adulthood—are very important phases in a person’s life. According to an article, “Special Education Transition Planning,” transition planning is crucial to students’ success after high school, particularly for those students with disabilities. The article goes on to explain that because students with disabilities often experience limited success after leaving high school, transition planning can help them be more successful in their adult lives. While resources may not always be available and time may be limited, I think it is encumbered upon all of us as educators to do all we can to make a difference.
In summary, as a future teacher, I must be adaptive, responsive to concepts of collaboration, teach diversity, embrace technology, be reflective about what works and does not work for individualized learning, and be continually sensitive and responsive to the needs of students as they transition from one place to the other in their lives. I think by doing these things, I will be serving the needs of students and fulfilling my mission as a teacher and advocate for the education of special needs students.
References:
Teaching and Learning With Technology Center. (2003). Enabling student collaboration for learning. (Center for Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLTC), Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia. Author. Retrieved from http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwltc/howto/enablestudentcollab.htm
Special education transition planning. Author. Retrieved June 26, 2010 from http://www.family-friendly-fun.com/special-needs/transition-planning.htm
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Teacher-directed vs student-directed teaching methods
Teacher-directed vs student-directed teaching methods
As a student myself, and also pursuing career in education, I believe that no one truly understands or prefers any particular teaching method until they actually begin to see individuality from the student. Most of the time, as a student begins their journey towards individuality, they don’t know which way to go, so teacher directed methods are needed. But, as the student progresses and begins learning how to do things for themselves, they begin needing and preferring student directed methods.
Though teaching begins at home, it is when a child enters into a modified or “teacher-directed” program such as a daycare or Headstart that they begin to become true individuals as students. In preschool, groups of children are slowly molded into individual students that develop likes and dislikes, and began preferring different teaching methods. For instance, some students prefer visual learning, while others prefer repetition or some other method. But, how can one discover this until he or she is first required to follow the traditional teacher-directed methods? As the student progresses, however, and begins to slowly unveil their paths, realizing what they want to do in life, it is evident that although they may need guidance, student-directed methods are then preferred. Traditional teaching methods are just that, “traditional”, which at times traps a student, while student-directed methods allows students to think outside of the box. For example, while attending traditional school and following the “traditional” teaching methods, I discovered that I was a visual learner. If something was shown to me, I could understand it better than if it were explained to me in words. But as I grew older, and became even more individualized and self-directed, I slowly began to understand that there was more to life that what I was being shown or taught and more than one way of getting there, but was up to me to out and find it.
Although students must be allowed to mature, I believe that after a certain point in life, I prefer student-directed methods. Following student-directed methods forces students to think outside of the box and discover things that may not have been discovered had they not been allowed to lead themselves and follow their own methods or the methods of their peers. The older one gets, the more they begin to realize that things are not handed to you, you must go out to find them for yourself. And, at the end of the day, although teacher-directed methods are good, most of the time they are standard. Student-directed methods, on the other hand, are personalized and they help students to discover their own ideas and talents, and create their own goals.
As a student myself, and also pursuing career in education, I believe that no one truly understands or prefers any particular teaching method until they actually begin to see individuality from the student. Most of the time, as a student begins their journey towards individuality, they don’t know which way to go, so teacher directed methods are needed. But, as the student progresses and begins learning how to do things for themselves, they begin needing and preferring student directed methods.
Though teaching begins at home, it is when a child enters into a modified or “teacher-directed” program such as a daycare or Headstart that they begin to become true individuals as students. In preschool, groups of children are slowly molded into individual students that develop likes and dislikes, and began preferring different teaching methods. For instance, some students prefer visual learning, while others prefer repetition or some other method. But, how can one discover this until he or she is first required to follow the traditional teacher-directed methods? As the student progresses, however, and begins to slowly unveil their paths, realizing what they want to do in life, it is evident that although they may need guidance, student-directed methods are then preferred. Traditional teaching methods are just that, “traditional”, which at times traps a student, while student-directed methods allows students to think outside of the box. For example, while attending traditional school and following the “traditional” teaching methods, I discovered that I was a visual learner. If something was shown to me, I could understand it better than if it were explained to me in words. But as I grew older, and became even more individualized and self-directed, I slowly began to understand that there was more to life that what I was being shown or taught and more than one way of getting there, but was up to me to out and find it.
Although students must be allowed to mature, I believe that after a certain point in life, I prefer student-directed methods. Following student-directed methods forces students to think outside of the box and discover things that may not have been discovered had they not been allowed to lead themselves and follow their own methods or the methods of their peers. The older one gets, the more they begin to realize that things are not handed to you, you must go out to find them for yourself. And, at the end of the day, although teacher-directed methods are good, most of the time they are standard. Student-directed methods, on the other hand, are personalized and they help students to discover their own ideas and talents, and create their own goals.
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