EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY (2007)
Cultivating change while nurturing individual development:
A Philosophy of education
Every student and person throughout the world demonstrates a completely different set of skills, abilities and cultural experiences. Education within the urban landscape suffers greatly from its attempts to force students to conform to traditional notions of academic success.[1] The School District of Philadelphia pays lip service to the reform of schools and progressive education, yet is shackled by an undemocratic test-based system of learning, which denies the cognitive and cultural richness of our students.
I believe in attempting to create an educational sanctuary for my students, or a positive learning environment not shaped by the test-crazed culture which has swept through this nation. The foundation of this approach recognizes the uniqueness of every individual that enters my room, and the importance of fostering a sense of educational independence and empowerment. Combining these values with compassion and dedication from the teacher help lead our students toward a path of success. The following philosophy of education illustrates the core of my approach to teaching; that every individual and the classroom environment must nurture diversity, independence, and interdependence, and not repress it.
Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence (M.I.) Theory influences both the instructional approaches and environment of my classroom. The theory asserts that humans possess eight universal, cultural and biologically significant cognitive characteristics, or intelligences, each of which displays it uniquely within every member of the species.[2] One of Gardner’s most important ideas is that traditional assessments favor individuals with linguistic and logical-mathematic cognitive abilities, and they fail to recognize any other intelligence. For example, the current system of college entrance utilizes two major standardized tests which focus on these two types of intelligences, and on which poor and minority students score historically low. At present, the preeminent educational dogma continues to value and require culturally and cognitively biased assessments, despite the strong empirical evidence disputing the effectiveness and fairness of the status quo. In order to show students that their individual strengths are valued in my classroom, I attempt to recognize the unique talents and experiences of each student beyond the two traditionally valued intelligences, by giving students the opportunity to express understanding through a myriad of ways.
In an attempt to create a positive classroom environment and culture I place importance on applying the general tenets of M.I. Theory to all social interaction in the classroom in order to make individuals feel valued. My goal as an instructor is to create a positive classroom culture where my students feel safe, comfortable and as active participants in a learning community. The first part of establishing this environment necessitates the construction of generally accepted rules, procedures and consequences governing the expectations for both teacher and students in the classroom. Utilizing many elements of behaviorism to establish some order and control in the classroom is essential, for people in general, but especially for adolescents who tend not to respond well to perceived injustice and inconsistency. The second part of creating this culture requires understanding my students as individuals and honoring their life experiences. For example, I respect my students’ desire not to be publicly addressed, or ridiculed. Notions of respect and saving face influence students to often act out of character in order to preserve social status. Therefore, sometimes responding or reacting to a student’s behavior in a public manner can offend a student, and he or she will, in order to preserve their perceived assault on the self, exhibit blatant disregard for the teacher or other members of the classroom. Respectful communication effectively models skills to students so I rarely raise my voice, and always try to speak with students eye to eye.
Once students come to class teachers must help them develop the necessary social, cultural and civic skills to participate as citizens in the outside world. Teachers bear the responsibility of not only teaching students about injustice, but by giving them the tools to combat it. Teaching students essential social skills, while balancing the growth of individuals, and cultivating their responsibility to the greater community, presents a daunting task.Modeling and scaffolding social scenarios is essential to this aspect of education. Always greeting students, shaking hands, and making eye contact, are just a few of the small things teachers can do to demonstrate positive social interactions.
In order to sustain positive interactions, teachers must genuinely care about the lives of their students. Teachers must jettison, and overcome any potentially harmful ethnocentric baggage they may unknowingly bring into the classroom. Possessing cultural competency on students’ lives outside of school, their struggles and tragedies, forms a basis for constructive relationships with them. Ask when they do not look well, call home when they do not come to class, and pressure them to do their best. Listen to their music and understand their language, for if no connection exists between teacher and student, making meaningful academic strides becomes more difficult.
Providing a wide variety of assessments not only acknowledges the dedication to applying the tenets of M.I. theory to that classroom, but also gives students variety to an otherwise bland repertoire of quizzes and tests. Teachers must give students some agency in their education. Students are not passive vessels waiting to have knowledge poured into them, they are complex beings with the desire to feel they are in control of their lives. In fact the ideal classroom situation is best described by Carol Ann Tomlinson as an equilateral triangle with three mutually important inputs: the teacher, the student and the content. Constructing a variety of assessments catering to the content and many of the strengths and interests of the class benefits all students.
Engaging all of the intelligences simultaneously remains a difficult task. I prefer for students to use their talents in the group setting with the guidance of a rubric, so that their peers can genuinely recognize one another’s gifts. One of the first opportunities to apply an alternative assessment this past year was when students were given a project to create a poem, rap or song about a West African ruler in the mold of griots. Once they completed the project they had to perform it in front of the class. The project required students to apply historical knowledge about Mansa Musa or Sundiata into many of the cognitive aptitudes including the musical, interpersonal, verbal-linguistic and bodily-kinesthetic intelligences. At other times, I give menu projects giving students a variety of means to demonstrate their understanding of the material.
The responsibility for building a classroom of respect, tolerance, hard work, and growth is great. The teacher has to arrive early and prepared for school, mentor, teach, console, discipline, guide, and greet the children of this nation. This is an awesome task, and recognizing the gravity of it is humbling. Teachers, like the children they strive to influence, must remain open to new ideas, change and criticism, for becoming a master educator requires serious investments of time, effort, and continued education. No matter how poorly an educator feels about a group of children they must always provide those children with the best individual effort possible.
Recognizing each student’s uniqueness precedes success in the urban classroom. Teachers must make an effort to know each and every student in order to provide him or her with the education and attention they require most. No two children are raised exactly the same, so recognizing that each child might require different instructional inputs, consequences and assessments is a fundamental component of the American educational system. At the heart of this view lie the tenets of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory, which purports the cognitive-genetic diversity of the human species. Education will continue to flounder without dedicated teachers and administrators working tirelessly to create and give opportunities to our children. Until society understands that each individual possesses physical and cognitive uniqueness, teachers remain responsible for creating a society of respect, tolerance and academics on the micro level.
Sources:
Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple Intelligences: Theory in practice. New York, Basic Books, [pp. 14-19]
[1] See Wiggins, 1989, pp. 44-48, 57-59
[2] Gardner, 1993, pg. 15-16. The eight intelligences as described by Gardner are: Musical (the ability to sing, play, create music and process rhythm, melodies and other sound patterns), Bodily-Kinesthetic (the ability to control and under stand the movements of the body through any number of activities such as sports, dance, tool use and any other physical coordination), Logical-Mathematical (the ability to solve and understand logic, number and word based problems, or any other reasoning in the math realm), Verbal-Linguistic (the ability to effectively use and understand words through reading, soaking and writing), Spatial (demonstrate strong abilities in understanding use of space such as in maps, visual art, chess and other puzzles.), Interpersonal (the ability to understand others, communicate effectively, exhibit leadership abilities and work well with others), Intrapersonal (the ability to understand ones self), and finally Naturalistic ( the ability to understand the natural world).
I believe in attempting to create an educational sanctuary for my students, or a positive learning environment not shaped by the test-crazed culture which has swept through this nation. The foundation of this approach recognizes the uniqueness of every individual that enters my room, and the importance of fostering a sense of educational independence and empowerment. Combining these values with compassion and dedication from the teacher help lead our students toward a path of success. The following philosophy of education illustrates the core of my approach to teaching; that every individual and the classroom environment must nurture diversity, independence, and interdependence, and not repress it.
Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence (M.I.) Theory influences both the instructional approaches and environment of my classroom. The theory asserts that humans possess eight universal, cultural and biologically significant cognitive characteristics, or intelligences, each of which displays it uniquely within every member of the species.[2] One of Gardner’s most important ideas is that traditional assessments favor individuals with linguistic and logical-mathematic cognitive abilities, and they fail to recognize any other intelligence. For example, the current system of college entrance utilizes two major standardized tests which focus on these two types of intelligences, and on which poor and minority students score historically low. At present, the preeminent educational dogma continues to value and require culturally and cognitively biased assessments, despite the strong empirical evidence disputing the effectiveness and fairness of the status quo. In order to show students that their individual strengths are valued in my classroom, I attempt to recognize the unique talents and experiences of each student beyond the two traditionally valued intelligences, by giving students the opportunity to express understanding through a myriad of ways.
In an attempt to create a positive classroom environment and culture I place importance on applying the general tenets of M.I. Theory to all social interaction in the classroom in order to make individuals feel valued. My goal as an instructor is to create a positive classroom culture where my students feel safe, comfortable and as active participants in a learning community. The first part of establishing this environment necessitates the construction of generally accepted rules, procedures and consequences governing the expectations for both teacher and students in the classroom. Utilizing many elements of behaviorism to establish some order and control in the classroom is essential, for people in general, but especially for adolescents who tend not to respond well to perceived injustice and inconsistency. The second part of creating this culture requires understanding my students as individuals and honoring their life experiences. For example, I respect my students’ desire not to be publicly addressed, or ridiculed. Notions of respect and saving face influence students to often act out of character in order to preserve social status. Therefore, sometimes responding or reacting to a student’s behavior in a public manner can offend a student, and he or she will, in order to preserve their perceived assault on the self, exhibit blatant disregard for the teacher or other members of the classroom. Respectful communication effectively models skills to students so I rarely raise my voice, and always try to speak with students eye to eye.
Once students come to class teachers must help them develop the necessary social, cultural and civic skills to participate as citizens in the outside world. Teachers bear the responsibility of not only teaching students about injustice, but by giving them the tools to combat it. Teaching students essential social skills, while balancing the growth of individuals, and cultivating their responsibility to the greater community, presents a daunting task.Modeling and scaffolding social scenarios is essential to this aspect of education. Always greeting students, shaking hands, and making eye contact, are just a few of the small things teachers can do to demonstrate positive social interactions.
In order to sustain positive interactions, teachers must genuinely care about the lives of their students. Teachers must jettison, and overcome any potentially harmful ethnocentric baggage they may unknowingly bring into the classroom. Possessing cultural competency on students’ lives outside of school, their struggles and tragedies, forms a basis for constructive relationships with them. Ask when they do not look well, call home when they do not come to class, and pressure them to do their best. Listen to their music and understand their language, for if no connection exists between teacher and student, making meaningful academic strides becomes more difficult.
Providing a wide variety of assessments not only acknowledges the dedication to applying the tenets of M.I. theory to that classroom, but also gives students variety to an otherwise bland repertoire of quizzes and tests. Teachers must give students some agency in their education. Students are not passive vessels waiting to have knowledge poured into them, they are complex beings with the desire to feel they are in control of their lives. In fact the ideal classroom situation is best described by Carol Ann Tomlinson as an equilateral triangle with three mutually important inputs: the teacher, the student and the content. Constructing a variety of assessments catering to the content and many of the strengths and interests of the class benefits all students.
Engaging all of the intelligences simultaneously remains a difficult task. I prefer for students to use their talents in the group setting with the guidance of a rubric, so that their peers can genuinely recognize one another’s gifts. One of the first opportunities to apply an alternative assessment this past year was when students were given a project to create a poem, rap or song about a West African ruler in the mold of griots. Once they completed the project they had to perform it in front of the class. The project required students to apply historical knowledge about Mansa Musa or Sundiata into many of the cognitive aptitudes including the musical, interpersonal, verbal-linguistic and bodily-kinesthetic intelligences. At other times, I give menu projects giving students a variety of means to demonstrate their understanding of the material.
The responsibility for building a classroom of respect, tolerance, hard work, and growth is great. The teacher has to arrive early and prepared for school, mentor, teach, console, discipline, guide, and greet the children of this nation. This is an awesome task, and recognizing the gravity of it is humbling. Teachers, like the children they strive to influence, must remain open to new ideas, change and criticism, for becoming a master educator requires serious investments of time, effort, and continued education. No matter how poorly an educator feels about a group of children they must always provide those children with the best individual effort possible.
Recognizing each student’s uniqueness precedes success in the urban classroom. Teachers must make an effort to know each and every student in order to provide him or her with the education and attention they require most. No two children are raised exactly the same, so recognizing that each child might require different instructional inputs, consequences and assessments is a fundamental component of the American educational system. At the heart of this view lie the tenets of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory, which purports the cognitive-genetic diversity of the human species. Education will continue to flounder without dedicated teachers and administrators working tirelessly to create and give opportunities to our children. Until society understands that each individual possesses physical and cognitive uniqueness, teachers remain responsible for creating a society of respect, tolerance and academics on the micro level.
Sources:
Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple Intelligences: Theory in practice. New York, Basic Books, [pp. 14-19]
[1] See Wiggins, 1989, pp. 44-48, 57-59
[2] Gardner, 1993, pg. 15-16. The eight intelligences as described by Gardner are: Musical (the ability to sing, play, create music and process rhythm, melodies and other sound patterns), Bodily-Kinesthetic (the ability to control and under stand the movements of the body through any number of activities such as sports, dance, tool use and any other physical coordination), Logical-Mathematical (the ability to solve and understand logic, number and word based problems, or any other reasoning in the math realm), Verbal-Linguistic (the ability to effectively use and understand words through reading, soaking and writing), Spatial (demonstrate strong abilities in understanding use of space such as in maps, visual art, chess and other puzzles.), Interpersonal (the ability to understand others, communicate effectively, exhibit leadership abilities and work well with others), Intrapersonal (the ability to understand ones self), and finally Naturalistic ( the ability to understand the natural world).