This I Believe: Governance and Finance and My Life as a Teacher

For each item, circle the number that best represents your belief. use the following scale as a guide:
4 = I strongly believe the statement is true.
3 = I believe the statement is true.
2 = I believe the statement is false.
1 = I strongly believe the statement is false.

1. All state govern education in basically the same way. 3

2. The state office of education in each state is responsible for setting rules and regulations. 3

3. In the past, the federal government has provided the largest source of educational funding. 1

4. Most of a district's budget goes to funding instructional activities. 4

5. Students in different districts across states are provided with approximately the same amount of money to fund their education. 1

Finding a Good School

3.1 Describe characteristics of an effective school.

• Effective schools are of an optimal size and have strong academic focus and leadership, high collective efficacy, and interactive instruction. They monitor the progress of students, maintain a safe and orderly environment, and involve parents and the community.

3.2 What is the most distinguishing characteristic of effective instruction in effective schools?

• The most distinguishing characteristic of effective instruction is interactive instruction. Teachers involve their students in learning activities that actively involve students in the content they're learning instead of lecturing them and giving them menial seat work.

3.3 Why is frequent monitoring of student progress essential for an effective school?

• It allows teachers to gather a lot of information on the students' understanding of course content. I also think that monitoring student progress allows you to see trends in student performance. It can give you a heads up on whether or not changes need to be made to the instruction.

School Levels

2.1 Describe two ways in which teaching in an elementary school differs from teaching in a middle school, junior high, or high school.

• Elementary teachers are responsible for teaching all the content areas, whereas middle school, junior high, and high school teachers all teach specific content areas. Elementary classes also have more flexibility on the amount of time spent on specific content areas, whereas the other three all have classroom schedules that are set ahead of time (e.g. 55 minute class periods).

How Do Schools Function?

1.1 Schools are described as social systems. Define a social system, explain how a school is a social system, and give another example of a social system in our society.

• Social systems are organizations with established structures and rules designed to promote certain goals. The different components of a school, with their own (or shared) established structures and/or rules, work together to achieve a common goal - educating students. There are lots of types of social systems in our society such as sports teams, churches, companies, and even families.

This I Believe: Choosing a School to Being My Career

For each item, circle the number that best represents your belief. use the following scale as a guide:
4 = I strongly believe the statement is true.
3 = I believe the statement is true.
2 = I believe the statement is false.
1 = I strongly believe the statement is false.

1. My school principal is the person who will have the ultimate responsibility for the successful operation of my school. 4

2. If I decide to teach in an elementary school, I'll have to choose between promoting my students' social and emotional development versus preparing them for standardized tests. 1

3. Middle and junior high schools are essentially the same but are given different labels. 2

4. Larger schools generally provide students with better educations, because they have better facilities and can provide a wider variety of programs. 3

5. If some of students fail to master the content at the grade level I'm teaching, retaining the students in that grade is the best way to ensure that they will acquire the knowledge and skills needed to succeed at the next grade level. 2

Developing Your Philosophy of Education

4.1 Why is a personal philosophy of education important?

• Your philosophy of education strongly influences what kind of teacher you want to become: the content you select, the teaching strategies you'll use, and the criteria you use to analyze, reflect on, and improve your teaching. With a clear educational philosophy, you'll be able to make systematic changes when you decide that your instruction needs improvement.

Philosophies of Education

3.1 What are the major philosophies of education?

• Perennialism: Believes in a constancy of nature and that education should provide a foundation for the future. Classic literature is emphasized as well as basic skills like math, science, and art. The curriculum is rigorous and remains largely unchanged over time.
• Essentialism: Believes the purpose of education is to advance society through specific needed, essential knowledge that all people should know. Instruction is directed by the teacher to make sure students attain this knowledge.
• Progressivism: Emphasizes real-world problem solving and developing individual students as completely as possible. Believes students should have experiences applicable to today's world, and the most common instructional method is question and discussion to guide the students as they learn.
• Social Reconstructionism: Believes schools, teachers, and students should take the lead in addressing social issues and improving society by eliminating social inequity to create a more just society. Classroom instruction is largely discussion based. The curriculum uses topics that reflect current social issues.

Branches of Philosophy

2.1 Describe each of the major branches of philosophy.

• Epistemology deals with knowledge and questions of how we come to know what we know.
• Metaphysics is what we know.
• Axiology considers values and ethics.
• Logic examines the processes of deriving valid conclusions from basic principles.

Philosophy and Philosophy of Education

1.1 Define philosophy and normative philosophy, and explain how they differ from theory.

• Philosophy is the study of theories of knowledge, truth, existence, and morality. Normative philosophy is a shared belief of the way things should be in a particular context (such as education). Theories are sets of related principles based on observation that are used to explain the world around us. Theories explain the ways things are. Philosophies suggest the way things ought to be. Theories are used to back up philosophies.

My Philosophy of Education

People are naturally inquisitive.  Learning is an inherent tendency that all people possess in order to answer their inquiries. This is done through basic acquisition of knowledge and the more complicated process of relating new knowledge to what is already known in order to create meaning and construct a new understanding of objects, events, and ideas in their environments.

My job as a teacher is to impart new knowledge and then facilitate an encouraging and nourishing environment in which students’ learning will flourish. This will be done by providing students with methods that promote analyzing, interpreting, and retaining new information and giving students real-world examples and applications that they can relate to.

This process will help focus learning around the individual and promote critical thinking and problem solving skills. The ability to apply knowledge to everyday life is a critical skill needed to function fully in today’s world. Reason and intellect will be obtained naturally if these goals are carried out, leading to students who are well-prepared for life outside of school and the responsibilities and decision making that accompany it.

To implement these goals, students will be given problems to solve or think about that occur in their lives. A nurturing atmosphere that encourages questions, discussion, and exchange of ideas will be encouraged and maintained. Projects that incorporate the practical use of class content will be outlined in the curriculum and will include interdisciplinary subject matter. All teaching will be done based on the students’ level of cognitive development to ensure the best retainment and understanding.

I will know that my students have successfully acquired and retained the content when they can demonstrate its use and/or processes through formal or project-based assessment. As I continue to grow as a teacher, I hope to find more and more realistic and illustrative ways to connect content with my students to best prepare them for their lives after school.

This I Believe: Educational Philosophy and Me

On a scale of 1-4, 1 strongly disagreeing and 4 strongly agreeing, rate the following:

1. The purpose of educational philosophy is to help me and other prospective teachers understand how past experts have thought about teaching. 2
2. Children should learn morals in the home. Teaching morals in school is not part of my job. 2
3. As a teacher, my primary goal should be to help students master essential content rather than to help them develop emotionally and socially. 2
4. Our nation's schools should focus on teaching students to think and solve problems in the real world. 3
5. I should encourage my students to think about their personal role in making the world a better place. 3