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.
