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Philosophy Statement
Nelson Mandela once said Education is the most powerful
weapon which you can use to change the world. Universally,
everyone undergoes some form of education not all occurs in the
classroom, but all have the same fundamental purpose, to teach an
individual so they can become knowledgeable. Essentially, educators
teach so their students can learn. Throughout history, teaching
methods have evolved and branched out in many different directions
yet, not all are suitable for learning. While teaching methods are
continuously changing and arent stagnant, there is a method that
surpasses the rest which is progressive teaching. Progressivists
believe that education is found in the needs and interest of the
students. They encourage individuality, progress and try to make
school interesting and provoke curiosity. This form of teaching is
centered on a proactive involvement by the students rather than just
memorizing. With a more direct involvement in the learning process
and being able to understand the root of the problem, students
increase their critical thinking skills and are able to deal with
everyday situations.
It seems foreseeable for education to include philosophy.
Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge,
reality and existence. These topics can be further elaborated through
analyzing and reading. Its accepted that in order to be a teacher you
need to be extremely patient and through the use of philosophical
methods you can try to understand the psyche of an individual and
see how a human brain functions. As stated by Jorgensen, Philosophy
is both a body of ideas and a way of thinking. The reason why music
education can encompass an array of subjects is because music
education derives ideas from other areas such as music, education,
psychology, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy.
Philosophy
allows an educator to be self-critical, be able to examine ideas, and
justify their decisions in philosophical ways. This assist teachers with
designing a curriculum that embodies their decision of what should be
incorporated into the class and allow students to not be given so
much content but to explore certain things intensively. (Jorgensen 19)
It is critical to provide students with a well-rounded musical
curriculum that upholds the caliber of traditional styles and also
Works Cited
1. Concordia University. "Early music lessons boost brain
development." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 February 2013.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130212112017.htm>
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2. Hicks, George. "How Playing Music Affects The Developing
Brain." CommonHealth RSS. 17 July 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
<http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/07/music-languagebrain>.
3. "The Twelve Benefits of Music Education." Music Education
Online. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/12benefits
/>.
4. C. J. Steele, J. A. Bailey, R. J. Zatorre, V. B. Penhune. Early
Musical Training and White-Matter Plasticity in the
Corpus Callosum: Evidence for a Sensitive Period. Journal
of Neuroscience, 2013; 33 (3): 1282
DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3578-12.2013
5. Sheffler, Julie L. "Creating a Warm and Inclusive Classroom."
Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education. 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 23
Nov. 2014.
<http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1102&context=ejie>.
6. "Progressivism." Progressivism. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.siue.edu/~ptheodo/foundations/progressivism.html
>.
7. "Progressivism and Philosophy." 123HelpMe.com. 23 Nov 2014
<http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=31987>.