My Philosophy of Education

“Dewey was a firm believer in groups of people coming together to problem-solve in a peaceful way, through a process of ‘discussion, debate, and decision making’ (Gutek, 2014, p. 78)” (Williams, 2017, p.91). I took this statement to heart when trying to determine how to best define my personal philosophy of education. While I can appreciate and have found myself being pulled towards Essentialist and Perennialist beliefs, it was the work of John Dewey and Progressivists that I have found myself gravitating towards in my classroom. While I can understand the need to support the national priorities that will strengthen the United States standings as a global leader, I have felt that there can be more to classroom successes than achieving a top score on a standardized test. As an educator, I believe that children have a voice, that each student is unique, and that my lessons are designed around my students’ strengths.

References

Williams, M. K. (2017). John Dewey in the 21st century. Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education, 9(1), 91–102.