Posts Tagged Goals of Education

Journal 2

June 7, 2010 at 9:33 pm · Filed under P1: Responsibilities/Policies ·Tagged , , ,

Week 2: May 12
          Character education is something that I completely agree with. American education was formed upon the basis of educating and unifying the American people. Part of this includes instilling moral character in students. Likona, Schaps, and Lewis (2003, p. 337) explain that “good character involves understanding, caring about, and acting upon core ethical values.” This is something that I believe students need to learn how to do, whether it is at home or at school. If schools only expect for the home to teach character education, they will be sorely disappointed by the results. Furthermore, it is difficult for students to learn character education in the home when these same principles are not reinforced at school, where they spend around thirty hours a week.
          Another benefit of teaching moral character in schools is the community that is created in classrooms as well as between students and staff. The relationships that are formed, “foster both the desire to learn and the desire to be a good person” (Likona, Schaps & Lewis, 2003, p. 338). The environment becomes a place of respect where students and staff want to spend their time. Showing how this type of environment can be created will teach students how to contribute to create similar environments in the future.
          All of this is not to say that the way character education is being taught in schools is being done the best it could be. Social psychologists suggest that schools “transform the structure of the classroom rather than try to remake the students themselves—precisely the opposite of the character education approach” (Cornwall, 2006, p. 343). Teaching character education means that we need to be cultivating an environment that allows for moral development to naturally occur, instead of trying to force the students into change to fit our prior expectations of how this should look.
          In sum, character education is a deeply-rooted ideal in the American education system. It is an important component in raising students. Just as other content areas have gone through revisions over the years, our approach to teaching character also needs to be revised to maintain its effectiveness.

References
Cornwall, K. (2006). The problem with character education. In D. Evans (Ed.) Taking sides: Clashing views in teaching and educational practice (3rd ed., pp. 343-55). Boston: McGraw Hill.
Likona, T., Schaps, E., & Lewis, C. (2003). CEP’s eleven principles of effective character education. In D. Evans (Ed.) Taking sides: Clashing views in teaching and educational practice (3rd ed., pp. 307-12). Boston: McGraw Hill.

Leave a Comment

Instructional Strategies Final Paper

May 16, 2010 at 7:38 am · Filed under T3: Instructional Strategies, Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Role Playing and Jigsaw:
Bringing Life Back to the Social Studies Classroom

            Dates and dead people. These are the two traits that are most commonly attributed to a high school history class. Two of my goals in becoming a high school social studies teacher are to increase the interest and participation levels in social studies courses. Teachers have the ability to make a social studies classroom come alive, which is what I hope to do. If a teacher wants to make this happen, he/she needs to be intentional about the instructional models used in the classroom. These models not only have the ability to bring life to a previously stale classroom, but more importantly, they address and support the different learning styles of students. It will be my job as a teacher to make sure that the students in my classroom understand the content I am sharing with them. Using different instructional strategies will allow for students with different learning styles to better understand the content. As a social studies teacher, I fully intend on using the cooperative learning models of Role Playing and Jigsaw because they encourage students to interact both with one another and the content while also supporting academic achievement for all students.
Role Playing
          Role Playing is a method that transforms the dead people of a boring history textbook into living, breathing, people—students. Dell’Olio and Donk (2007, p. 282) explain the purpose of Role Playing as “a model of teaching that facilitates social problem solving” that can also be used academically in the social studies. Role Playing uses multiple opportunities for students to act out a scenario and discussions to decide on the best way for people to handle a situation (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). These scenarios can be made up by the teacher or based upon current or historical events. An opportunity that allows everyone to get involved, Role Playing allows for a few student actors and the rest of the class to be an active audience who share their comments in between takes. Students who are too nervous to be actors in the front of the class still have important roles as observers in the audience.
          The steps to Role Playing are rather simple, but all of them are vital for the success of the lesson. First, the teacher must warm up the class using verbal and physical exercises so the students will be ready to participate (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). Student volunteers are then chosen to be the first set of actors; specifically, students “who will most likely get the role play session off to a good start” (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007, p. 297). The next step is the teacher’s most important job: to review the purpose for the Role Playing and asks students to describe the context and scenery, in addition to preparing the audience members, who may undervalue their role because they are not in the front of the room (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). The actors then take charge and begin Role Playing the situation for the first time, while the audience watches attentively (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). After the first role play, students discuss and evaluate what they just saw; the teacher does not need to say a lot during this time, just prompt the students as the dialogue dwindles (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). The second scene can be acted out with the same set of actors or with new volunteers; it begins after the first discussion is finished, but is altered from the first scene in some way (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). The second scene is followed by another evaluative discussion; after which, new volunteers are selected for another reenactment of the again-slightly-altered scene (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). These two steps can be repeated as many times as the teacher believes to be necessary. The final discussion compares and contrasts the scenes and comes to a conclusion about them all, such as choosing the best solution, how each person is impacted by the solution, or which is most realistic from history (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). Even though high school class periods are often rushed at the end, this final discussion is important because it connects the entire lesson and allows students to come to some sort of conclusion about what they just participated in.
          The social studies classroom allows for many different opportunities to take advantage of Role Playing. First, in terms of how Dell’Olio and Donk (2007) described its use for social problem solving. Many social studies classes discuss controversial issues such as abortion, immigration, and war. The Role Playing model allows for students to present different approaches to these topics in a neutral manner because students are acting on behalf of characters and cannot be attacked for their own beliefs (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). Second, many history classes read historical novels. Dell’Olio and Donk (2007, p. 298) suggest that students act out “scenes that do not exist in the actual work.” For example, conversations that may take place between two characters that an author does not write or how a situation in the book may turn out differently based on alternative decision making (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). Role Playing in this situation encourages students to think critically about the book and forces them to analyze literature outside of the English classroom.
          One wonderful benefit to Role Playing is that it allows the teacher to step back from the front of the class and for the students to have more of a lead in the lesson. Teachers are facilitators during role playing. The teacher still needs to spend time setting up the scenario and preparing prompting questions for the students to begin discussions from; however, the students gain ownership over their learning by being the actors and carrying on the discussion. Additionally, according to Alvarez (2008, p. 188), who conducted a study on using Role Playing simulations in the classroom, students found the most difficult of the three Role Playing exercises (averaging a 3.06 out of 5) the role play that brought the most enjoyment “(3.14 versus 2.96 and 2.92)” and the most amount of learning (3.55 versus 3.52 and 3.51).” Alvarez (2008) further tested the success of these simulation activities with an end of the year survey which found that the top ranked Role Playing activity was also the class’ third overall favorite activity; two field trips were rated in the first and second positions. This means that not only are students learning necessary information from these activities, but that they truly are enjoying the class more than if they were spending the period doing an alternative activity. Therefore, opportunities to use Role Playing need to be embraced by teachers and not avoided, why not encourage enjoyable learning? Furthermore, Role Playing “engage[s] the multiple intelligences” and “clearly challenge[s] the interpersonal skills of all students and their ability to work with each other” (Alvarez, 2008, p. 187). Students are not only learning about human interaction in these social studies classrooms, they are becoming successful at human interactions themselves; this is a skill that schools cannot afford to skip over.
          While Role Playing does have its downsides, the positives outweigh these negative aspects. One complaint of Alvarez (2008) about the instruction model is that it is time-consuming. This is probably a major complaint about this activity by many teachers because Role Playing does normally consume an entire class period. However, the impact that it has on students academically, socially, and interpersonally make it worth the time because of everything that students gain from this one activity. From my experience with working with high school students on a regular basis, I can predict that a potential hazard may be that the same students swill be the actors during the acting portions of Role Playing. While students may enjoy watching their funnier peers participate as the actors, a teacher needs to be able to push for all students to have the opportunity to participate as actors during Role Playing throughout the year. Initially, shy students may want to avoid this at all costs; on the other hand, they may enjoy being given a very small part that just allows them to participate up front more than anything else. While it is great to get everyone involved as an actor, Role Playing is set up for the non-actors to have a valuable impact on the activity through the group discussions. Teacher s can facilitate to make sure that these students especially are given a voice during these times. While Role Playing is not the perfect activity, it is evident that teachers have the ability to work around these possible drawbacks that are not strong enough reasons to dismiss this cooperative learning instruction model.
Jigsaw
          The Jigsaw model of instruction follows suit with the Role Playing model in that student learning is interdependent. Students need the participation of one another in order to gain the most information from either model. The Jigsaw model of instruction is described by Dell’Olio and Donk (2007, p. 246) as “a type of cooperative learning experience that promotes both academic and social goals for students.” These very words can be used to describe Role Playing; however, Jigsaw revolves around small group work instead of one big group. Jigsaw can be used in the high school social studies classroom as well as in many other disciplines and many other grade levels, making this a very flexible instruction model. The way that the Jigsaw works is “each member of a Jigsaw group has one portion of the total content to be learned, and the members will each teach their portion to all of the group members” (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007, p. 246). Each expert group learns about a different topic, for example, the different regions of the United States of America, and become experts on their area. After the first group discussion with this original group, students then break up into groups with students who were assigned different regions and teach one another what they have learned (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). How the information is displayed or evaluated is up to the teacher each time a Jigsaw is performed (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). Students may post blogs, make slideshows, use posters, small dramas – the possibilities are nearly endless! The students can do a final presentation in front of the class with their expert group and the class can have any final discussions to help make sense of the new information, tying it all together (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). Finally, the teacher can use an individual assessment to check for understanding from each student. The steps in a Jigsaw are very simple and allow room for creativity and adaptations, making it an instruction model that can fit into any social studies classroom from history to economics to psychology.
          Aside from flexibility and simplicity, the Jigsaw model has many benefits. Part of the positives of the Jigsaw comes from the reason it was created. As a part of the multicultural movement, “the original intent of Jigsaw learning was to provide children from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to work effectively and interdependently with one another” (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007, p. 257). Teachers can be very intentional about placing students in groups with students they do not often work with or talk to, creating groups that are both racially and academically diverse (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007). With the work divided among everyone, students have the opportunity to see that their peers can do work equally well. This is another benefit of the Jigsaw model as opposed to other group assignments. Jigsaw is designed for everyone to have to contribute to the work, “no one student can dominate the group” (Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007, p. 246). Students are each assigned a portion of their topic to become experts on and teach to the rest of their group; the group is depending on that student for the group success. Johnson and Johnson (as cited in Dell’Olio & Donk, 2007, p. 246) organized five essential components for cooperative learning; Jigsaw is an academic model that actually encourages all five components: positive interdependence, face-to-face interaction, individual accountability, social skills development, and group processing opportunities. This instruction model is beneficial for the social studies classroom because students gain valuable life-skills that do not form from reading a textbook and answering questions. Sadler and Klosterman (2009) studied the use of Jigsaw in a high school science classroom using the topic of global warming. The researchers used video to observe the groups’ interactions with one another and observed “that most students were actively engaged in analyzing the different perspectives and contributing to small-group discussions” (Sadler & Klosterman, 2009, p. 12). Many teachers know from their own previous experience as students that group projects have the tendency to be dominated by only a couple of students from the group. Research on the Jigsaw method shows that the majority of students actively participate in this small group setting, making it a model worthy of implementation. In addition, Sadler and Klosterman (2009, p. 12) claim “that the activity seemed to help students keep an open mind throughout the unit because they did not feel as though we were forcing them to adopt a predetermined position.” High school students are at a point in life when they want to make decisions for themselves. Jigsaw presents the facts but allows the students to decide on a position for themselves. The Jigsaw model is a method that encourages student interaction, improves cooperative learning skills, and increases student learning.
          Just like Role Playing, Jigsaw has its negative impacts. Like many cooperative learning models, Jigsaw requires a lot of time. Sadler and Klosterman (2009, p. 12) explain that “students had to rush a bit but completed the task in a 55-min class period.” It may even be better to provide one and one half or two class periods for the assignment; that way students will be guaranteed enough time for each group session and to debrief as a class at the end. While Jigsaw teaches students to work with people they would not normally choose to work with, there is still the potential for higher-achieving students to become frustrated or dissatisfied with the work done by other students in their expert group. Dell’Olio and Donk (2007) suggest that teachers leave expert groups together for at least a couple of Jigsaws, which can lead to built up frustrations because the higher-achieving students are continuously disappointed in the work of their peers. However, this in itself is a learning opportunity and the teacher can take advantage of this opportunity to discuss more than just racial differences. In addition, teachers can assess students separately, instead of giving one group grade. This solution will relieve a lot of the stress on students which will allow them to interact more positively with their peers. Time is a drawback of cooperative learning that cannot be remedied, but the benefits of the time spent outweigh that time spent on one activity and the potential for students to become dissatisfied with their groups can be dealt with by the way the teacher handles the situation; thus, the negatives about Jigsaw are not strong enough to not use this activity in a class.
Beneficial teaching for all
          Role Playing and Jigsaw are intentional cooperative learning strategies that coincide with the multicultural movement. Diversity and multicultural education are two very important components of education in the twenty-first century. I am not even a certified teacher yet and I myself have already taken two diversity courses in preparation to become a teacher. Lisa Delpit is an author who focuses on equal education for every student, regardless of skin-tone or background. In her book Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom, Delpit (2006, p. 140) cites researcher B. Holliday who found “that motivation in African-American children from low socioeconomic groups is more influenced by the need for affiliation than for achievement.” Teachers who use cooperative learning are surrounding students with their peers, encouraging African-American students to affiliate with their peers through academics. If African-American students are not motivated on their own, working with a group may help them to become more motivated. Researcher Harry Morgan did a study in 1990 that is consistent with the finding s of Holliday (as cited in Delpit, 2006). Morgan found “that a classroom that allows for greater movement and interaction will better facilitate the learning and social styles of African-American boys, while one that disallows such activity will unduly penalize them” (as cited in Delpit, 2006, p. 169). Both Role Playing and Jigsaw encourage student interaction and involve getting up and moving around the classroom, criteria needed to improve academic achievement among African-American students, especially boys. The multicultural movement seeks to remove the Eurocentric focus of the United States’ education system. The content used during Role Playing and Jigsaw do not need to be directly about diversity or multiculturalism in order for them to be sensitive to this movement, their formats are what make them positive contributors to a multicultural education. Teachers who have any level of diversity in their classrooms need to be aware of how their students learn best. For example, if I have a student who I know needs to be able to talk about content with his/her peers, I will do what I can to make that a possibility for him/her. When there is a student who needs to be able to get up and move around during class, I will be inclined to ask him/her to be a volunteer during a Role Playing lesson, just so he/she can get up from the desk. Teachers want students to succeed, that is why they are teachers; therefore, they need to be aware of learning strategies that can help to make their students more successful.
           In conclusion, though I am not yet a teacher, I have a solid grasp on what learning strategies have the ability to have positive influences on a high school social studies classroom in the twenty-first century. Students gain motivation and show more engagement with material when they actively interact with the content. These two components are influential in promoting academic success. Cooperative learning strategies like Role Playing and Jigsaw give students the opportunity to interact with one another and gain social skills for life outside of high school and in the workforce. When students face difficult content matter they embrace it as a group and are given the opportunity to work through the coursework together. Additionally, cooperative learning is a positive response to the multicultural movement because it is responsive to the needs of American students with different learning needs. Role Playing and Jigsaw may be only two cooperative learning strategies out of many; however, they show evidence of success and are responsive to quality student learning.

Works Cited

Alvarez, Patricia (2008). Students play the notables: Testing a simulation exercise. History Teacher, 41(2), 179-97.

Dell’Olio, J. M., & Donk, T. (2007). Models of teaching: Connecting student learning with standards. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Delpit, Lisa. (2006). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York, NY: The New Press.

Sadler, T. D., & Klosterman, M. L. (2009). Exploring the sociopolitical dimensions of global warming. Science Activities: Classroom Projects and Curriculum Ideas, 42(4), 9-13.

Leave a Comment

American Education Final Paper

May 16, 2010 at 7:17 am · Filed under L4: Contextual Community Centered ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Approval Standard L4 (Contextual community centered (responsible citizenship for an environmentally sustainable, globally interconnected and diverse society) :
This work attests to my proficiency in knowing the importance of teaching and promoting high-quality citizenship and academic achievement to students. This will be beneficial in aiding them to not only become good citizens and students, but also to prepare them for life and to be lifelong learners.

Question 1: Many of the authors we study contend that the most important goals of education are to improve the moral and social fabric of students and to raise academic achievement. Explain what this means to you and provide illustrations showing how these goals might be best attained.
           “All that we are not possessed of at our birth, and which we require when grown up, is bestowed on us by education” (Rosseau, 1773, Book I). These words, spoken by philosopher Jean Jacques Rosseau, place a high amount of responsibility on the education system. To prepare a person for life and complete this task before adulthood is a highly demanding job. Students need to be capable of conducting life with the rest of society without causing pandemonium. Rosseau explains “should a man, in a state of society, be given up, from the cradle, to his own notions and conduct, he would certainly turn out the most preposterous of human beings” (1773, Book I). In order to keep society in order, it is essential that teachers improve the moral and social fabric of students. It naturally follows from this to encourage students to do well in their academics. Using education to construct high-quality citizens out of students and push them towards higher academic achievement will benefit society and the students; these goals are lofty, though completely attainable.
            Educating students in such a way that influences them to become high-quality citizens is a valid goal for societies that strive to become more advanced and civilized. John Dewey (1897, Article V) describes a society like this and how “through education society can formulate its own purposes, can organize its own means and resources, and thus shapes itself with definiteness and economy in the direction in which it wishes to move.” Education has the ability to direct the future through the way it trains up students; what schools choose to teach and not teach students implies what that culture believes is of value and importance. Multiple generations work for decades or centuries to become as advanced as they are, in order to remain that advanced, or to continue to improve, future generations must become educated in disciplines and skills that will further benefit the nation. The necessity of educating quality citizens is described by Martin Luther (1483-1546), who explains, “the highest welfare, safety, and power of a city consists in able, learned, wise, upright, cultivated citizens, who can secure, preserve, and utilize every treasure and advantage.” In order for a society to continue to flourish, its students need to learn how to continue to move forward; education is the key mode for this to take place.
            Higher academic achievement challenges students to learn beyond the necessity and to make learning a lifelong habit. This includes the need for a well-rounded education, in which the student has a basic education in several subjects. In The Great Didactic, Johann Comenius (1633-38 ) stresses this point that “one ought never to instruct anybody in such a way that he becomes perfect in one branch of knowledge to the exclusion of others.” This principle encourages students to give attention to more than one discipline, even if it is not the student’s preferred discipline. Part of high achievement is having an understanding of more than that which is of particular interest to oneself. In addition, Alfred North Whitehead (1916) explains that “the mind is an instrument; you first sharpen it, and then use it.” Education is not an idle activity, it is meant to have follow-through with it. When students are encouraged to sharpen their minds, they are also challenged to use that sharpness. In addition, they will get into a routine of using their sharpness and make it a lifelong skill.
            Knowing the significance of the most important goals of education is of very little use if they are not attainable. These goals are possible and have even adapted to the modern day. For example, to help create high-quality citizens out of students, Luther (1483-1546) states that “it is advantageous to know as many histories as possible and to train yourself in them, so that, by the example of others, you may know how to follow what is useful and to avoid what is harmful.” There is value in learning from the mistakes of one’s forefathers; it prevents wasting time on lessons that have already been learned from. It is also important for teachers to know that students need to learn a variety of skills to prepare them for society and ever-changing life. Dewey (1897, Article I) describes that “it is impossible to prepare the child for any set of conditions. To prepare him for future life means to give him command of himself; it means so to train him that he will have the full and ready use of all his capacities.” Students do not only rely on teachers to learn factual information; in order to train-up high-quality citizens, teachers need to provide students the opportunity to develop problem-solving skills, persistence, metacognition, and courage to take risks; skills that are valuable in any situation. In regards to the technological era that describes today’s culture, teachers are also responsible for teaching both regular and digital citizenship. Digital citizenship is a new concept that includes, but is not limited to, etiquette, education, commerce, responsibility, safety, and security (Ribble, Bailey & Ross, 2004, p. 7). Students need to know how properly behave not only in face-to-face interactions with people, but also in the new digital world, especially on the Internet. There are numerous facets in teaching students to become high-quality citizens; in order to promote positive citizenship, the education system is responsible for all of them.
            Teachers have the ability to promote high academic achievement in the way they teach their students. Comenius (1633-38, ch. 2, sec. 3) writes, “education, which is preparation for life, should be finished before adulthood.” While Comenius is describing formal education, part of higher academic achievement is training students to be lifelong learners. Creating lifelong learners is a process, as this is being done, it is important to teach in such a way that students can follow and learn to make connections with their studies and everyday life. Part of this is teaching in a way that is cumulative “so that each step prepares for the next one” (Comenius, 1633-38, seventh postulate, sec. 1). Information has more meaning if students can make a connection across lessons and disciplines; they see the importance of the skills they are learning. This pushes achievement because students are encouraged to recall former information. As connections are made across the disciplines and through different units, it is beneficial for teachers to push the students to reflect on their learning. Ellis (2001, p. 32) calls reflection a “vehicle for knowing to what extent connections are being made.” Students benefit from reflection because they have to show in words, pictures, or another mode, what they have learned—their understanding comes out into the open. Finally, the most important way for a teacher to promote higher academic achievement among every student is for the teacher to model a belief in each student to succeed. Students are given confidence when they know someone believes in them and in their abilities. As Ellis (2001, p. 8 ) puts it, “there is always room for improvement.” High academic achievement not only depends on the efforts of the students, but also on the efforts of the teachers, but it can be accomplished.
            In conclusion, education has the potential to instill more than just inert facts into the minds of students. When the goals of pushing high-quality citizenship and higher academic achievement are strived for and sought, education has the ability to have a lifelong impact on students. Not only can students learn positive information, but they can learn how to become community contributors and lifelong learners. While some of the ways of accomplishing these goals look different from the education systems from the days of Luther and Dewey, the goals remain the same and still carry significant value. Teachers have a great responsibility on their shoulders and many people depend on them; but their accomplishments and impact on students are irreplaceable.

Question 3: Of all the individuals and philosophies we have discussed during this course, select one or two whose ideas have influenced you the most. What are those ideas, and what relevance do they have to your own philosophy?
            “I believe that every teacher should realize the dignity of his calling; that he is a social servant…” (Dewey, 1897, Article V). These words that John Dewey uses to describe the teaching profession are a solid part of my teaching philosophy. Teaching is all about serving. It means giving up of one’s own time and energy for the sake of others. While some professions revolve strictly around a content area, teaching includes both content and caring for others. My teaching philosophy is not completely solidified; however, Johann Comenius, John Dewey, and their views on education play influential roles in the formation of my teaching philosophy.
            The steps that Comenius took in improving the educational process are respectable and worthy of implementation. In his work, The Great Didactic, Comenius (1633-38) explains a goal of his where “teachers teach less and the learners learn more.” Though many teachers use the lecture method to convey a vast amount of the knowledge, Comenius believes that a student “should get accustomed to penetrating to the real root of things and to take into himself their true meaning and usage, rather than read, perceive, memorize, and relate other people’s opinions” (1633-38, ch. 2, sec. 5). Experiential learning is messy compared to the traditional lecture-style of education; however, it is one way that a teacher is able to serve students. Through experiential learning, students are able to become active in their learning and have ownership of it. Ellis (2001, p.12) supports Comenius’ approach, “those experiences, which we deem to be of high quality have another attribute, they tend to be participatory.” For the benefit of the students, it seems common sense for education to involve participation. This type of learning, where the teacher cultivates experiences that guide the student’s learning, serves the students because it teaches them to be active participants in life, a skill that will be beneficial for them when they finish school.
            In addition to having valuable ideas in how learning takes place, Comenius provides direction for teachers in managing students. First, Comenius makes a bold statement that “all obstacles ought to be removed from the pupil” (1633-38, ch. 16, post. 3). In today’s culture, students enter the classroom with baggage that cannot be left at the door. This baggage can be anything from problems at home, to hunger, to stress relating to their peers. Some of these things will not have a critical role in the classroom; on the other hand, if the student is homeless and does not know where his family will sleep that night, he is not going to be as dedicated to his work as his peers. Comenius’ statement is unfortunately unattainable for some students, but it is important for a teacher to be aware of what is going on in the lives of the students and be willing to make special efforts as needed. In addition, Comenius (1633-38, ch. 16, post. 5, sec. 2) argues that “the teacher should explore and apply all means and ways for making the acquisition of knowledge possible.” Teachers must be willing to take the time to get to know each individual in the class and realize the different learning styles of the students. This will allow the teacher to cater lessons to the class, which may be different from a previous experience that teacher has had with the same content. One of the most demanding components of the teaching profession is addressing the needs of each student, but in order for the most learning to take place, this is completely necessary.
            John Dewey follows in Comenius’ footsteps because he too sought to provide students with an experience during their education. Even as students, young people are part of society, school is a social situation in which a student “is stimulated to act as a member of a unity, to emerge from his original narrowness of action and feeling, and to conceive of himself from the standpoint of the welfare of the group to which he responds” (Dewey, 1897, Article I). Teachers have the opportunity to use the classroom as a place to encourage interaction with other people in ways that are similar to the outside world. Students learn to work together and interact appropriately with their peers and adults. According to Dewey (1897, Article I),

“The moral education centers upon this conception of the school as a mode of social life, that the best and deepest moral training is precisely that which one gets through having to enter into proper relations with others in a unity of work and thought.”

Teachers who encourage students to interact and work with not only their friends, but their other peers as well are promoting students to become high-quality citizens. Not only do students experience life as a community in school, Dewey believes that school is an opportunity to give students the skills they need to face life. This includes not only content but also life skills as well, so that the student “will have the full and ready use of all of his capacities” (Dewey, 1897, Article I). It is impossible to provide students with an experience identical to each situation they will come across in life; however, students can be taught the basic skills to handle any variety of situations. It is vital that students know they have the ability to face the unknown and succeed. Part of a teacher’s job is training students to use these skills and to provide students with the confidence in their abilities.

            Though my teaching philosophy is still being determined, both Johann Comenius and John Dewey have been influential in the shaping of it. Teachers exist for the benefit of the student, to train students up in a way that they absorb the information so they can apply it in the rest of their lives. Students need to be motivated and encouraged in their work, they need to know that they can develop the skills they need to be successful. Teachers have the privilege of walking with students as they grow, learning both about themselves and the world in the process.

 References

Comenius, J. (1633-38). The great didactic (sel.). Retrieved November 27, 2009 from SPU EDU 6120 Blackboard Site.

Dewey, J. (1897). My pedagogic creed, The school journal. Retrieved November 27, 2009 from SPU EDU 6120 Blackboard Site.

Ellis, A. K. (2001). Teaching, learning, & assessment together: The reflective classroom. Larchmont: Eye On Education.

Luther, M. (1483-1546). Letter in behalf of Christian schools. Retrieved November 27, 2009 from SPU EDU 6120 Blackboard Site.

Ribble, M. S., Bailey, G. D., & Ross, T. W. (2004). Digital citizenship: Addressing appropriate technology behavior, Learning & leading with technology 32(1), p. 6-12.

Rosseau, J. J. (1773). Emile; Or a treatise of education. Book I. Retrieved November 27, 2009 from SPU EDU 6120 Blackboard Site.

Whitehead, A. N. (1916). The aims of education. Retrieved November 27, 2009 from SPU EDU 6120 Blackboard Site.

Leave a Comment

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.