Philosophy of Education 1

Philosophy of Education
Anthony Farley
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Purposes of Education:

The most important goal of education is to create learners who can use critical thinking to

contribute to society in a meaningful way and achieve their own personal goals. Critical thinking

involves so many aspects of education and promotes lifelong learning in and of itself; therefore,

students who become critical thinkers can reason and justify their actions to obtain their goals in

all realms of their life. Beyond critical thinking, there are three other important purposes of

schooling that I have chosen to identify and discuss.

The three most important purposes of schooling are to create functional members of

society, instill secular ethics in students and offer students equal opportunity to achieve their

goals. To begin, functional members of society need to be able to obtain a career and cooperate

with others. Second, teaching students secular ethics means we should be teaching students how

to be good, loving people, regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof. When someone can

develop a sense of compassion and empathy they are significantly more likely to stand up for

social injustice and hate. Third, every student entering education should be presented with the

same opportunities to obtain happiness regardless of class, color, geography, and past personal

experiences. The entire purpose behind education is to help students better themselves so that

they can pursue their goals and contribute to society in a meaningful way.

Characteristics of Learners:

Learners are unique individuals that have their own wealth of knowledge. They should be

engaged through their funds of knowledge and be in an inclusive environment where their

backgrounds are always considered when planning the curriculum. In order to engage learners in

the classroom I will incorporate many different types of activities and lessons. Some students

learn best through hands on activities, some through watching, some by reading and others by
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listening. In my classroom I want to engage learners of all types by creating progressive lesson

plans that involve different forms of learning for each piece of the curriculum and connect

directly back to the real world through problem solving.

The most important thing to understand about learners is that two learners are never the

same, one student may catch on to a subject during the first ten minutes of class whereas another

may not understand until you connect it back to their funds of knowledge. It is important to stay

patient with all students because they all have different needs when it comes to education.

What Counts as Knowledge (Curriculum):

Knowledge is our understanding of the truth or falsity of propositions based on critical

evaluation of the evidence provided. In other words, what counts as knowledge is whatever a

student decides it is through proper reasoning. Therefore, we should be teaching critical thinking

and logical problem solving as well as the fundamental skills such as reading, writing, and

arithmetic. Through this approach, students can become life long learners and pursue knowledge

in whatever subject matter excites them.

Curriculum development should be a collaboration between students, parents, teachers,

administrators and an informed government. I believe it is not our right as teachers to determine

the full extent of the classroom curriculum, we are all far too biased for that to be useful for

students. It is, however, our duty to act as the mediator between other parties involved in

curriculum development and to always be a strong advocate for students’ rights since their

desires are too often forgotten in curriculum development. I will teach the standard curriculum,

which the state asks me to teach. However, I also want to incorporate critical thinking skills by

introducing thought experiments and real world learning. In addition to the regular curriculum,

my students will also learn acceptance and love of all people through daily community building
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exercises. I want students to leave my class knowing that love and acceptance are always better

than hate and prejudice.

How to Teach (Pedagogy):

Curriculum should be taught through a real world progressive approach where the teacher

utilizes a student’s funds of knowledge to analyze situations and problems based on their past

experiences. This analysis should be done through the philosophy of hands on, real world

experimentation and design where students stay engaged through developing their own designs,

experiments, and analysis in order to discover the intricacies of the world around them first hand.

It is critical that teachers connect the curriculum to students’ funds of knowledge; by connecting

new concepts to familiar concepts, students can progress quicker and enjoy learning more. The

progressivist approach to teaching is outlined by a student-centered philosophy. Students in a

progressive classroom are asked to design and test experiments that coincide closely with their

interests. They would work in small groups to develop and test questions they have about the real

world. Teachers in a progressive classroom are there to help facilitate experimentation, mediate

the conversations and help students come to their own conclusions.

Equity or Creating an Inclusive Classroom:

An equitable education for all students looks like equal access to resources and

opportunities beginning at the earliest years of school. Students will never have equal home lives

so it is on the shoulders of school staff members to mitigate outside influences and help each

student attain their goals. I will make my classroom inclusive through extensive work connecting

to student’s funds of knowledge and by providing any resources I can. I want all students to have

an equal chance to engage with the material and subjects they find interesting. I will also make
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my classroom design inclusive for all students by representing many different cultures and

backgrounds so that anyone who walks in can find a piece of himself or herself represented.