Educational Philosophy Scarlet Sink CI- 5060 Teaching, in my opinion, develops much like the skills of a great chef

or artist. Years of practice and study of other like-minded professionals formulate the methods used in the classroom. An individual cannot become a great chef without learning from other masters of culinary arts, nor can artists learn through observing art. Practice, reflection and refining are key ingredients to becoming a master at any skill. After taking the surveys, it was no surprise that my philosophy leans heavily toward progressivism and the theories of John Dewey. I firmly believe that children learn through meaningful experiences where they make mistakes, struggle through natural consequences and work collaboratively. I plan units of study around broad essential questions that integrate across the curriculum. This intentional planning stems from a desire to build connections to subjects that naturally branch out from on another. A prime example of this would be our study of Leonardo DaVinci, not as an artist, but as a scientist and engineer. Students learn briefly about the Dark Ages in order to build an understanding of why the Italian Renaissance became such an important time period for self-expression and exploration. DaVinci provides an excellent platform of discussion as children research and learn about his dissection of cadavers and engineering pursuits. They learn about the controversy of discovery through his journals and patron sponsorship. Students begin to internalize the struggles as they explore force and motion and build with found items in the classroom. Students discover the importance of accurate note taking and writing skills. While my students wont all remember each detail about DaVinci, they leave the classroom excited about making their own discoveries and recording their findings.

Although I believe that the experiences lead to deeper understanding and connections for students, I also believe in Essentialism, that students need specific skills and structure to master in school. Without these basic skills, the ability to explore, communicate and understand the world around them would be limited. Perennialism nurtures the ability to question and seek truth in topics. Discerning the truth becomes especially difficult in the technological age, where anyone can post misinformation on the Internet and have it be interpreted as truth. Existentialism complements my philosophy in that I want to nurture creativity through exploration of topics in which the children are interested. Lastly, behaviorism also finds a place in the classroom, where often students must learn to how to learn, become organized or master procedures. I feel this becomes particularly important as students become workers and must learn to adapt skills to benefit their work and home environments. Understanding a particular teachers educational philosophy becomes important when taking on the role of Curriculum Specialist. As with politics and religion, teachers believe they are most effective with the philosophy in which they believe. Forcing a behaviorist teacher to adopt perennialist practices in the classroom may be difficult and foster a relationship of resentment. Curriculum specialists must ultimately advocate for student learning without sacrificing the classroom teachers personal philosophy or values. Achieving a balanced approach to professional development with the different philosophies will assist teachers with success in implementing strategies in the classroom. Professional development may touch upon how the ideas reflect practices for all of the philosophies. When challenges arise with teachers or between teachers, understanding

their educational philosophy may help the curriculum specialist or administrator identify where issue between the teachers lies. Then steps can be taken to identify the points of view and seek a solution, which allows both teachers to maintain ties their philosophy yet respects the other teachers point of view.