Teaching Philosophy

Essentialism is the first teaching philosophy of my choice and for various reasons. Essentialism is the belief that there are a basic set of skills and values that every American student should have and practice. Once students retain the necessary skills and information, repetition and memorization come into play to ensure mastery of the subject. Essentialism is a very popular theory in the United States education system today.
State standards for learning is one way students can master the essential skills at hand. With the standards broken up to the appropriate levels, the knowledge of the students can then be tested with the periodical standardized tests. This information provides educators with useful information and the students then retain the knowledge.
Essentialism is important to me because I feel that if students receive basic skills and knowledge they can apply it to their personal lives and their education. Retaining the knowledge they receive throughout grade school will increase there level of success, and they can take this knowledge with them.
Perennialism is an education philosophy I personally admire. With a strong structure and conservative teaching methods I find perennialism to be a very valid philosophy. Rationalization and reasoning are fundamentals to this philosophy.
When students come to a problem in their education, rationalization can clear thinking can assist them so one can find a solution. Perennialism and rational thinking would not only be successful in educational lives of students but in their personal lives as well. Personal development is a focus point for perennialism and reasoning. For instance, nearly all of my life I have been taught the acronym “my very intelligent mother just served us nine pizzas” to remember the names of the “nine” planets, and then suddenly Pluto is a planet after all. This came as a shock but maybe if the facts and numbers weren’t drilled into my mind and the characteristics of planets were, the reason for Pluto not being a planet might have made sense.
I find perennialism very important because throughout this year it has proved to be helpful. This principle of finding the reason and the background as to why something is rather than facts and formulas, is much more sensible. For example, after many hours of studying I could tell you how to rid a rational expression of radicals but I could not even begin to explain why or how it made since to do so. This is another instance where reasoning and perennialism would prove to be a powerful tool.

Technology Usage

Technology will be one of the main tools that I will use in my classroom, however it won't be the only tool. I think that technology is an excellent way to enhance the students learning but I don't think it is a good way to be solely dependent on one teaching method. I will integrate technology in my classroom on a daily basis. I will use it to display my student's work, interact with other classrooms, and to give my students access to learning at all times.

Tools

It is important to provide the students will all of the tools that they will need to succeed. I will insure that they have plenty of references and research tools when presented with an assignment. One of the biggest tools I can give my students is the internet. Information is everywhere and endless on the internet. The students will be allowed to explore and find all of the information they need. Voicethread, Timetoast, iTunes, Google Docs, Blogger, Twitter, and Delicous are all examples of tools that I will teach my students to use and give them access to.

Approaches

As previously stated, I will take an unconventional approach to teaching. I would like my students to learn in the way that they learn best. All students are different and they have different learning styles, and I will cater to all of them. I understand that this means having to take different approaches to the same standard. I want my students to see that they are smart, but they have to learn how they are smart. I want to get my students up and get them involved and I also want them to always have access the information I present them with.

Aptitudes

There will be many aptitudes that I plan to bring to my classroom some instinitive skills and others that I have recently acquired. It wasn't until recently that I learned many ways to communicate with other learners in distant places. I plan to take all of this knowledge and pass it to the different generations that I teach. I want to teach the students in a fashion that they are familar with. Blogging is a skill that I, myself, am still learning to navigate. I am sure that it will be a fun process that I will go through with my students.

Attitudes

My classroom environment will be welcoming and open to all cultures, families, and visitors. I think that will give every person that enters my door an idea about my optimistic attitude. I plan to teach an unconventional fashion that excites and motivates the minds of many. I would like to radiate optimism and love. I want my students to forget about any negative experiences with learning and school they may have had. I would like to show my students that they are intelligent and that someone believes in them. I will not except any negative attitudes towards anything, or anyone in my classroom. I am an optimist.