Category Archives: My educational philosophy

Our importance in the Physical Child

We have learnt that we, as teachers, mainly focus on cognitive development due to being conscious of role expectations. However, physical and cognitive functioning are closely linked. However, this factor is not always appreciated with young children. We, as teachers, need to consider all aspects of a child’s development as we look at the children in holistic terms: ‘the whole child’

Physical development in concerned with a child’s gross and fine motor skills, the way a child exercises their body in their surroundings. Physical development is an important aspect which is studied as growth determines the experiences a child has and also can affect the reactions of others.

Whilst, developing children are compared to ‘the norm’ this is the normal expectations of the child at their particular age. For example, by the age of 4 children should be piecing together sentences and be able to communicate with ease. The role of practitioners is to expose the children to environments which allow them to become aware of their senses and use appropriate language to help them make sense of these experiences.

Through doing this, children will be able to understand the key value, we have as teachers, that every individual is different and have different limits to what they can do, this will build empathy towards others that are not as fortunate as themselves.

To strengthen children’s physical development, we can engage them with activities that will exercise their fine and gross motor skills. For example, running and climbing will build a child’s gross motor skills whilst developing the pincer grip through painting will develop a child’s fine motor skills, all of which will be beneficial as the child progresses into/throughout school.

The Nature/Nurture Debate

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For several years, there has been a debate over nature/nurture and which has the biggest influence in our brain development.

We know that the brain is a complex and astonishing organ of the human body. Without the brain, we simply could not live.

Genes are critical in creating humans as individuals – they create varying personalities and physical appearances. Genes also play a very important role in learning and learning disabilities. We know that just a slight difference in our genetic make up can result in serious disabilities. Therefore is genetics enough for brain development?

I believe that whilst genetics do have a lot to answer for in terms of brain development, so does the environment we are exposed to throughout our lives. It is to our knowledge that we develop greatly through the use of our senses which are enhanced through exposure to different environments.

We are aware that our environment shapes up greatly which has been demonstrated throughout numerous studies including, a study which had some rats placed in isolation with no stimulation of other environments or their senses. The other rats were placed in normal environments with extra luxuries to interact with including toys, puzzles etc. All of the rats were then placed in sewer conditions in which they had to navigate through, the results were that the rats which were isolated failed miserably whilst the rats exposed to a healthy environment exceeded. This proves that the environment we expose ourselves to has a great impact on our brain development.

We must think of education as a landscape, and we the teachers are the gardeners.

Teachers as Professionals videos

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What makes a teacher who makes a difference?

From watching this video I was able to identify several key aspects that are vital to teaching with a difference. These include;

Teachers must be aware that, like other professionals, they are involved with life and death situations. For example, a bad education will not produce a professional. A bad education is an abuse of human rights as it will not progress society. Therefore, teachers must be reachable by their pupils, parents, colleagues and community. This involves educating as a community for example, keeping parents up to date with their child’s education, enjoying watching children progressing and taking initiative and making contributions that will make a real difference.

To be a professional teachers must also: realise that their degree is not enough they must strive towards self development, constantly. This can be done by reading educational magazines and being aware of what is happening as education is ever changing and dynamic; not only educating themselves in new teaching methods but also develop the skills of other teachers by passing on information and sharing on new concepts and ideas. Teachers should never be content in sitting around and must overcome the odds to progress children to the best they can be.

Teachers must also: be available 24/7, dedicated 100% to their profession by sacrificing and discipline, committed and have a passion to create miracles. All professional teachers, to me, love their job and this can be seen through professional accountability – there is always a guaranteed quality. Also, professional teachers take responsibility for their actions if something goes wrong and always go the extra mile by being approachable, passionate and professionally up to date.

Do you agree with what these teachers call professionalism?

I agree with Miss.Long that there is more benchmarking and that teachers are being ranked on how well their student’s are doing. I believe that this puts more pressure on teachers to adapt all of the learning approaches to education so that each and every individual child has the same opportunity to do well.

Mrs.Chimmi also stated that a teacher’s professionalism can initially affect the children within the classroom as they grow up into adults. This is why both Mrs.Chimmi and I believe that it is important in the way a teacher portrays themselves in the way they speak, the way they act and their appropriate attitudes. We as teachers are role models and our behaviour will hopefully one day be adopted by the children that we teach so they become good, responsible citizens.

“Professionalism is a big part of being a teacher” I agree with what Mrs.Smith said. I also agree with her viewpoints that professionalism in teaching is vital to relate with other teachers and it also allows you to be an effective communicator when trying to resolve problems with both parents and pupils alike.

Finally, Miss. Long encouraged that teachers as professionals should continually develop professionally by researching trends in teaching and learning standards in order to be cater for every individual child, with which I agree with.

What is the message here?

I believe that Chris Christie places teachers very high up in the professional hierarchy. However, his viewpoint, to me, did not seem to suggest that he had a great deal of knowledge of the education system. He seems to think that teachers can be satisfied within their jobs with a pay rise. “they care about our kids and they’re doing a great job.” This again, to me, shows his lack of knowledge. He’s made no attempt to back this statement up with any evidence or experience of the teaching profession. I think that Chris Christie should maybe subject himself to difficult teaching in a disadvantaged area to portray that teaching isn’t always easy and sometimes no matter how hard the teacher tries; the job is left done partially or not to the expected standards.

Also, I believe that Karen Lewis makes teaching out to be a chore. She believes that teachers are in fact educational “workers” and that “workers” are those who simply punch a clock. This makes teachers out to not care for the needs of each individual pupil, which we all know isn’t true of a professional.

To me, Chris Christie’s view is more favourable of teachers and the one of the two that I agree with more. I believe that the teaching profession should be placed amongst the likes of doctors in the professional hierarchy as without a healthy education the professionals such as doctors, dentists and veterinary surgeons would not be in the jobs they are in today.

Everything is down to a great education which can only be delivered and enhanced by a teaching professional.

A Philosophical Approach

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Coming to uni, I didn’t have a clue what Philosophy was. It wasn’t a subject ever covered from the high school I came from.

This all changed when we began our Philosophy module with John. I soon became aware of some the key concepts and began to challenge my own thinking.

We were introduced to key philosophers and their views on education including; Dewey, and his view that immaturity is important in education as it allows the individual to grow; Plato, and his view that the soul is immortal and that we do not learn anything instead simply we recall information and also that error is a very important part of education; Aristotle, and his view that practical subjects, for example music, are just as important to the holistic learning and development of an individual as the scientific ones; Gramsci, and his view that there is no unity between school and life resulting in education becoming like a tool; Paulo Freire, his view that education is an ongoing activity due to the human being being incomplete; Maxine Green, and her view that today’s teachers must be aware of their student’s needs; Alfred Schutz, and his view that our actual experiences aren’t merely retentions and recollections and himself, and his view that education beyond education is an invitation to estrangement.

Plato’s story ‘Allegory of the Cave’ was really interesting and helped my understanding of the main philosophical questions. In his seventh book of the republic Plato tackled the philosophical question of ‘What is reality?’ In the story Plato imagined a group of people born in a cave who couldn’t escape and could only see the shadows of the people, animals that pass the opening of the cave. This builds up their reality of the real world. However, one day one of the people escape the cave but at first is blinded by the natural light. Over a course of a few days, their eyes adjust to the light and they begin to experience the outside world and return to the cave to tell the others that their reality is just a projection. However, without the others experiencing the outdoor world then the story is just a projection. This develops the theory that you can have a projection of something that isn’t it’s true form.

I feel these philosophy lessons has helped my understanding greatly. I now feel confident in writing about philosophy for my VIVA which, at the start, before the lessons, I was dreading.

Why I want to become a Teacher

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Growing up I always respected my teachers highly and remember thinking “Wow, they know everything. I wish I did!”

That’s when I started to become curious as to what was involved in becoming a qualified teacher.

This curiosity only continued further as I moved up into High School and my opportunities broadened. When I was 14, I signed up to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. This involved a 6 month period of volunteering which I returned to my old Brownie unit to complete. During my time here, I shadowed and encouraged a young girl with severe autism, Jess. I remember the feeling of pride I got when she managed every day, simple tasks and remembering thinking “Wouldn’t it be great if I could experience this sense of achievement every day?” For me, that’s when I knew I definitely had to become a Teacher.

I always grew up immersed by teaching due to my Mum’s dance school. At 13 I began to take an interest in the dance but more importantly the teaching. I liked the idea that I could help the children better themselves and help them achieve in life. I began to help my Mum run her classes and even had the idea of establishing a rewards club. I began to run the ‘FunClub’ in May 2012 and have continued to this day. The sense of pride I receive each week from doing so and from parental feedback cannot be matched.

From running the ‘FunClub’ I have been able to explore what kind of teacher that I would like to become. I have been able to establish myself with authority but have also, at the same time, been able to adapt myself to the same level as the children so that they can confide in me with any problems they may have.

My work experience placement at High School also broadened my expectations of myself as a Teacher. In the p3 class that I was placed in there was a girl who had Downs Syndrome and required specialist one to one attention and encouragement. I was able to help Lily with various tasks that week including maths, language and topic, all of which required patience and the correct level of encouragement.

In my final year at school I had Wednesday afternoons free so I took it upon myself to get in contact with a local primary school. I phoned the Head Teacher and agreed to come along for an induction, I loved it. For the next year I then began to assist the teachers throughout the school, at various stages. For my final few months I was to shadow a first year student and assist her where need be. This opportunity opened my eyes up to all that was involved in lesson planning. Having someone in the position that I would hopefully find myself in the following year was also key to my understanding of the role. I was able to ask questions, gain experience in lesson planning and teaching a class of 26 students.

This experience also allowed me to develop my skill of peer reflection. After each lesson myself and the student would sit down and discuss what we thought went well, what we could improve for next time and what we thought the children gained from the lesson. This also allowed me to always consider the benefits of the lesson first and to adapt various learning styles so that each child has the opportunity to strive.

My experien why I want to be a teacher ces have only strengthened my passion to become a Teacher further. I know that I would like to be a teacher who is approachable, patient and also has authority. I would like to be an encouraging teacher who strives for the best in each child’s individual goals and one that is flexible and can adapt to the different learning methods of the new curriculum.