Brandon Coleman Philosophy of Education The foundation of philosophy is built on the belief that what one believes directly

influences what one does. It is no different in the classroom. To effectively influence the lives of students, a teacher must know their own role as well as the role their students. Teachers must have a clear vision for their classroom climate, instructional methods and assessment to be most effective for their students. I believe education has a wonderful purpose in society that goes far beyond academics. No doubt good grades, test scores and knowledge provide opportunities for students to be who they want to be. However, teachers play a much bigger role than simply teaching content. I believe teachers find their purpose in being a servant for the students that have come through their classroom door, and should serve with the purpose of preparing their students for life in the real world. Existentialism in the classroom offers the belief that teachers should be available to help students grow into individuals that can become who they want to be. People have two choices: they can either dene themselves, or they can choose to be dened by others (Martin and Loomis 52). One of the main reasons I want to teach is so that I can help students become who they were meant to be, and that often means telling them to stop listening to what other people say they should be. The social reconstructionist philosophy offers a similar definition of the teachers role in society, with a greater emphasis on developing students into citizens with the skills to create a more just society.

I believe students learn best when they take a personal interest and pride in the work they are doing. The social constructivists believe in creating a classroom climate

where students engage in activities that instill purpose to their lives, providing them with a sense of accomplishment, and providing them with a support system (Martin and Loomis 54). A social classroom, where students interact with each other to develop solutions and proposals for real life situations is, in my opinion, the most beneficial style of learning. That being said, students take pride in and enjoy different things. We must provide students with differentiated instruction so each students can discover their skills and passions. Carol Ann Tomlinson defines differentiated instruction as the ability to assess student readiness, interest, and learning profile to tailor instruction to fit the needs of individuals in a classroom. Tomlinson also states effective differentiation is proactive, rather than reactive. We must plan multiple strategies that support different learners, not simply change our instruction when a method is not working. Differentiation should be assumed as necessary and prepared, not just a response.

I believe students should be assessed for their ability to perform well in groups, as well as their for their knowledge of content. Assessment methods should be varied, including formative and non-formative assessments. Not that selected response assessments are wrong, but other methods are necessary. I am an advocate of constructed-response assessments, because I believe they give students a choice to display their understanding in whatever way they believe they are best at. RAND defines this type of assessments as a test that asks a student to develop his or her own answer in response to a stimulus, or prompt. (RAND 23) and can include things like essays, projects, performances and portfolios (RAND 24).

As a teacher, I want to be a role model to students who need one. I want to serve each student who walks into my classroom anyway I can, with the intention of presenting them to the world as a confident individual with abilities and talents capable of changing it. This kind of learning is best done through interaction, meaningful and differentiated instruction and various types of assessment. While both the existentialist and social reconstructionist approaches cannot offer complete solutions, I believe these are a good start to where the focus in the classroom should be: on the student, and his or her development as an individual, destined for a life of meaning and purpose.