Pedaling: My Philosophy

Individuals who have gone through a teacher-prep program probably remember writing a philosophy of education in one of our undergrad courses. I remember polishing mine and putting it in my portfolio, which I distributed to school corporations when I applied for teaching positions. I came across my portfolio when I was cleaning not long ago and decided to take a trip down memory lane, revisiting my student teaching experience and job search.

My portfolio contains a general philosophy of education as well as a philosophy of education as a teacher of English, both of which were written in an educational theory course in my undergrad program. Reading through these, I find that my basic beliefs about the purpose of schooling are mostly intact over a decade later, despite the implementation of myriad policies and practices aimed to "improve" our educational system during that time. One thing that particularly struck me, though, was a section of my English education philosophy that addresses technology growth. The statement reads, "Even in an age of technology where we progress in leaps and bounds, there is not a spelling and grammar check on most job applications or pre-employment tests; everyone must use at least basic English skills at some time in his or her life."

I clearly do not have psychic powers and had no way of knowing just how much technology would change society. Many job applications and pre-employment tests are online now. Although they don't always have spell check, a resourceful person could certainly use Google or a smart phone to look up the correct spelling, if needed. Now I am faced with questions educators everywhere need to consider: Are all of the skills and content knowledge I once considered vital still applicable? Has technology altered my perspective of the fundamental aspects of education?

Forgive me for the following cheesy metaphor, but it defines my philosophy well. In my opinion, education serves as the “training wheels” for the bike ride of life. Students must be the ones “sitting in the seat” in order for the education to be effective. If we, as teachers, are always holding the handle bars, students will become dependent on us; when the training wheels come off, and our pupils are in the real world, they will fail if someone is not there to hold their hand. Instead, teachers should guide students as they develop the skills and confidence they need to be successful when independent. As we raise the training wheels and work toward independence, we must provide strategies and encourage students to problem solve ways they can overcome obstacles that prevent them from reaching their goals. BALANCE

Technology makes the learning process more powerful; instead of having one “coach,” students have access to a huge number of resources. Through the power of technology, students can find help that is suited to their individual interests, learning style, and ability level. In the traditional, teacher-centered classroom, learners are limited to whatever their instructor knows or is willing to share. With technology, students can hear about bike riding first-hand from Lance Armstrong. They can watch the process of riding in slow motion or hear it explained in many ways by many people. They can learn about bikes in different cultures around the world and even talk to people in other countries, perhaps to get pointers about how kids learn to ride there. Students can learn the mechanics of how the bike works and even watch someone dismantle, repair, or rebuild a variety of models, maybe even their own.

Perhaps the most important part of the whole thing is that the skills become ingrained. Just as people say that once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget, once students learn the skills necessary to be independent learners, they will use them for life. If they take risks, they will inevitably fall off at some point, but those failures are an unparalleled opportunity for growth.

Effective education means an engaging environment where adults and children interchangeably play the roles of students and teachers. There is a focus on learning how to learn and developing critical thinking and problem solving skills. Students ask questions and use technology to access resources from around the world in pursuit of their answers. Choice is abundant in the student learning process, and there is an atmosphere of risk-taking and growth present in the classroom. The climate emphasizes encountering new material and learning, not earning a certain grade. Student time is valued by using pre-assessments to gauge previous knowledge and honoring the mastery of those skills so that there is no need to spend time “practicing” skills for which they already have demonstrated proficiency. Technology must serve as a natural, fluid part of the educational process. Collaboration occurs, both within the school walls and within the local and global communities. These are things I think I have always believed, but it took me about eight years to embrace and employ this philosophy. Like many, I was afraid of losing control, looking incompetent, or having a wild and chaos-filled classroom. Once I was willing to give up my role as the knowledge keeper and became comfortable saying, “I don’t know,” teaching was even more fulfilling. The students owned their education, which made the learning victories so rewarding for them.

In short, I think my philosophy regarding the role of a classroom teacher has changed, and my belief in the need for differentiation and technology has become a more important part of my vision for a 21st century classroom. When we move out of the captain’s seat on our tandem bicycle of education, we give students the power to steer instead of having them sit and pedal blindly. Standing beside the bike, we can see how the journey makes students stronger and allows them to take directions that will lead them to a life without training wheels.