Blog 1-- My thoughts on educational philosophy....

My beliefs in education are... and how it compare to other philosophies..... Being a future special education teacher I believe I will need to follow many different types of teaching philosophies to meet that needs of the wide range of students I will come across. The philosophies statement I believe in the most is. “I believe that each child is a unique individual”(Coher). In special education students will be diagnosed with the same disabilities; however what works for one student may not work for another student. So it will be my job as a teacher to make sure I meet each student’s unique needs and find different teaching techniques/ philosophies that meet each students needs. My philosophy I feel can fit some of the the aspects of the progressive philosophy discussed in John Dewey’s book. Special education students learn best through hands on approaches. I will use many hands on approaches to meet the unique needs of the students in my classroom. Special education does not fit great into all parts of experiences. Continuity experiences discussed in John Dewey’s book are those that are experiences that are carried forwards and influence future experiences. Students with severe disabilities go through many of the same education experiences everyday such as, washing hands, however these students will never be able to master this task even though they have experienced this before. After reading Dewey’s thoughts on the traditional teaching philosophy I feel this philosophy, I have a much harder time connecting to my teaching beliefs. The people who follow the traditional philosophy believe that learning happens best what things are “handed down from the past”(Dewey 18 ). What troubles me the most with this philosophy is, this statement. What happens when things that have worked in the past do not work with a new student? Then what steps do teachers take? I just feel this philosophy is too structured. Special education does fit well with the essentialism teaching philosophy. After reading more about the educational philosophy of essentialism through this assignment I have come to believe that I like some aspects of this teaching philosophy. I will have to teach the basics as a special education teacher, and the basics is what I will mainly focus on if I get to teach in a severe and profound classroom, which is my dream. My educational experiences I have had…. What might have improved them? I have had mean education experiences that have taken place through my life so far. In general most my school learning experiences I believe have followed the essentialism and traditional teaching philosophies. All the subjects I feel that I covered from grades K-12 were subjects that the state or school felt had worked best in the past, which would fit the traditional teaching philosophy. The subjects also I feel focus on the basics, mathematics and reading. School is not the only place where I have gained knowledge from. Through life experiences people gain the knowledge to have the ability to drive a car. The ability to drive a car can not be learned expect through experiences. This I believe would fit the progressive teaching philosophy. Work Cited Coher, LeoNora M., and Judy Gelbrich. "Sample Philosophy Statements." Oregon State University. OSU- School of Education, 1 Jan. 1999. Web. 22 Jan. 2012. . Dewey, John. Experience and Education: The 60th Anniversary Edition. West Lafayette, IN: Kappa Delta Pi, 1998. Print.