Jonah Cude

EDU 221

Dr. Fast

Philosophy Statement

Growing up, I never considered entering the field of education. Both of my parents were

teachers, so like any other rebellious child, following in their footsteps was not on my radar.

Instead, I always had a strong interest in the natural world; I even started my higher education in

the fields of forestry and biology. As I learned more and gained more experience, I began to

open up my mind to a career in teaching. One of the things that I realized was that I’ve always

been naturally inquisitive about a variety of subjects. This quality, I believe, has allowed me to

appreciate and empathize with children’s natural curiosity. As I thought more on the subject, I

realized that I’ve always been passionate about teaching people, no matter the situation or

dilemma. Any time someone has a question, I have a natural desire to either explain the answer

myself, or point them to a source that can. After realizing this, I began to consider the career

itself. I recognized that even though my parents raised our family somewhat modestly, they

always had a fulfilling, stable career that allowed them plenty of free time with us children, as

well as allowing them to provide us with everything we needed. These factors solidified my idea

of becoming a teacher, and since that point, I’ve spent quite a bit of time learning the dynamics

of teaching and developing my teaching philosophy. As I studied the different philosophies of

teaching, I began to find that I side, in many ways, with John Dewey’s ideas of progressivism

and pragmatism (Koch, pp.42-43).

 Like Dewey, I believe that students need to learn how to practically function among one

another. In my opinion, school is already a significantly social environment. Even when group

projects aren’t specifically emphasized, there is still a significant amount of socialization

happening between students. In my own experience, I believe that socializing with both other

students and teachers in school greatly aided my ability to interact in society, outside of school.

As a future teacher, I believe I’ll still try to emphasize socialization and cooperation in the

classroom instead of just leaving it up to the natural atmosphere of the school setting. There are

several methods I plan to use to encourage student interaction in the classroom. Primarily, I’ll

often implement group work to encourage students to cooperate with each other and become

more accustomed to solving issues alongside other people. I’ll also make it a point to encourage

healthy discussion in the classroom, rather than a one-sided lecture from myself. I also believe

that more casual socialization methods like games are often underrated. Games and other

lighthearted activities seem to help students strengthen bonds, give them pride in teamwork, and

help them learn how to compete in a healthy manner. Students that don’t have constructive

socialization and community as a key component of their education will be somewhat set back in

their efforts to interact in society. (Koch, pp. 42-43).

Part of interacting successfully in society is being able to make decisions and

problem-solve independently, without someone determining the direction of your life for you.

This is another way in which I find Dewey’s ideas very interesting. In a classroom, I think it’s

necessary to give students more responsibility to guide their own education, in a constructive

direction. To me, this concept can be represented by several examples. As a teacher, I’ll try to

tailor my teaching to each student, as well as giving students slightly more independence, as long
as it benefits them. I might do this through methods such as allowing groups or individuals to

create their own assignments (approved by me), giving the students plenty of opportunity to offer

their feedback, allowing students to vote on certain topics/assignments, as well as creating a

strong classroom community (Koch, pp. 147). I believe that by employing methods that

encourage students’ independence, the students will develop confidence in their own efforts and

decision-making, which will aid them greatly in life as adults. (Koch, pp. 42-43).

Another educational belief that I strongly hold is encouraging students to actively

participate in their own learning. By this, I mean that a hands-on, engaging approach is key to a

student’s educational success. This ties in to my belief that students should be somewhat

independent. Each student learns differently, and holds different interests. By bending the

educational material in the direction of each interest and learning style, I believe that students

will be able to learn and retain information at a much higher rate. All through school, the

material that I really held onto, was the material that was interesting to me, and that I was able to

actively participate in and apply to my own experiences. Although not all students are

necessarily hands-on learners, I believe that each student benefits from material that they can

truly engage in. To employ this idea in the classroom, I would present material in a way that

grabs the students interests. I would emphasize discussion and make an effort to point out how

the material relates to various interests that the students have. Where applicable, I would also

emphasize concrete, hands-on, and trial-and-error manners of learning the material. If the

students are an active component of what they are learning, and they can tailor it to their own

interest and experience, I believe there will be far greater success in helping students retain
necessary information. Afterall, I believe that the most important result of school is how each

person can apply it to their life. (Koch, pp. 42-43).

Overall, my teaching philosophy draws many parallels with John Dewey’s ideas of

progressivism and pragmatism. Students should be practically prepared to be healthy,

functioning members of society, while still holding onto their own independence. Strong

socialization and a sense of community in the classroom teaches students how to successfully

cooperate with people in a constructive way. In another way, encouraging independence helps

the students learn how solve their own issues and gives them more confidence in their own

decision-making. When actually learning specific material is involved, I believe that the students

will benefit most when the material is presented in a manner that engages them and allows them

to apply it to their lives. As a future educator, my goal will be to keep these ideas at the core of

my philosophy and teaching style. Each and every student will be a priority, and I will use this

philosophy to help them function strongly in society and discover their own paths.

References:

​ elmont, CA: Wadsworth,

Koch, J. (2016). ​Teach 3rd Edition: Introduction to Education. B

Cengage Learning.