Philosophy of ed: Education Portfolio

J. Lopez

9/11/14

EDPC 603

1st draft

One of the most fundamental human conditions is the subjectivity of our experiences and how those experiences hence shape our sense of the objective world and lead us to connect with it.  Therefore as a consequence we come to create our own own thoughts, opinions, evaluations and even techniques when it comes to how we deal with the world and our professions. These statements are certainly true in my experience as a human and as an educator, and thus have come to shape my views on teaching, my profession and education in general. With these beliefs in mind, I can define my educational philosophy to be that of pragmatic rationalist who lightly embraces idealist concepts. This is because I use the tools of reasons that I have gathered throughout my experiences and compliment them with a number of principles and premises that are often overlooked in a changing world consumed by high speed and productivity.

            In my four years of experience as an educator both in deprived city districts and now in communities moderate to affluent populations, I have come to learn students from very diverse populations. These students, regardless of their socio economic, religious and cultural standings, value and desire the same thing while at school: A good education and en environment that nurtures interests relevant to their lives.  While it is true that students from particular communities require different ways of learning and that resources may vary from place to place, It is the educator who is primarily in charge and capable to deliver the quality education regardless of circumstances. Therefore, the educator alone has the ability and the responsibility to create an environment that nurtures learning where and whenever he or she may be present. This I can attest to, and this I have been able to experience while working in various settings in New York.  As an educator, I have had the opportunity to establish a community of learners who have emerged creating a constant flow of ideas and excitement for the learning process.

Learning is a process that is multi-faceted and when different techniques are implemented, knowledge and higher order thinking will transpire.  Since every student single has the ability to learn, and every student has a particular way of learning, it is important for the educator to try various approaches to make the learning process accessible and successful for one and all.  As a rule of thumb, the implementation of various resources and differentiation should be at the core of every lesson to maintain student’s interest and thus engagement.  The most effective tool therefore has become the use of technological tools to enhance the learning experience and to make the job more effective for the instructor. Therefore, the reliance on new techniques, software and hardware has become more necessary and an obligation. It is therefore my conviction that an effective educator must be able to adopt and grow in this field.

 It is my belief that the instructor has the responsibility to involve students and to address their needs in ways that will engage them and challenge them. This therefore should be done through the evaluation of student’s intrinsic and extrinsic interest. What this means is that the educator must develop and provide opportunities for students to do general and individualized work, hence giving them the opportunity to work within their intrinsic motivators. Also, the use of technological resources such as video, images and audio equipment should be at the core of an effective teacher’s repertoire. It has been my experience that students of all backgrounds respond relatively well to work and assignments that are technology based.

Differentiated instruction will require the instructor to check for understanding and assessing students’ critical thinking skills through methods that are not conventional in an education domain that is currently focused on standardized tests. Therefore I must be able to incorporate new ways to truly assess student’s abilities in ways standard test fail. Students will be encouraged to work harder if they are given a choice and a decision on what they want to do, and what grad they would like to aim for. That is why I implement backward design in my planning, and use project based activities to evaluate students leaning thus truly genuinely assessing students learning and abilities.

            It is my conviction that every student can learn as long as they are in a place that harbors an atmosphere of trust, effort, and participation.  It is the responsibly of the instructor to motivate students and to get them interest in the learning process. Fortunately, methods for attainment success in the classroom have improved making it current educators additional effective with the use of technology and resources that are available nowadays in the most limited environments. My students therefore are assessed through methods that truly demonstrate their understanding and their abilities. As a motivated and optimistic educator, I try to stand as an example to my students by being a life learner who is motivated to improve my life and my students life. For this, I ensure to instill the importance of effort, individuality and self-expression through technology, literacy and arts.