Philosophy of education

Philosophy of Education Education is one of the most interesting and important aspect of human being’s life. It not only helps in achieving all-roundknowledge of world but also helps people in achieving a ‘ complete’ personality. From my childhood experience, I have learnt that teachers play an essential role in a life of a student. I loved my school and learning process as my teachers gave me guidance, direction and inspiration in life. My philosophy of education is to respect individuality in every student and to make learning fun, interesting and inspirational for them.
Aristotle strongly believed that education has a potential to make a person live a happy life as it is through education that he learns to acquire, develop and evolve different virtues in life. Hence, he was of opinion that schooling should be provided publicly and should follow one method for all people in the society. Moreover, Aristotle’s belief that only that person who has better judgment, thoughtful observation and purpose in life is the happiest person, is true to a great extent as these are the qualities that helps in flowering human being’s personality and making him achieve his highest potential. Hence, it is extremely important to consider education as a pillar of human happiness and not just a means of gaining a ‘ qualification’. However, Aristotle’s belief that education should be ‘ one and the same for all’ is not applicable in today’s time.
Science has evolved and developed to a great extend and has proved that different children have different intelligences and hence, need to be taught in different ways. I believe in this theory and would like to integrate it in future, if I get an opportunity to become a teacher. I aim to become a teacher and make learning in schools a joyful and fulfilling experience for children, as it was made for me by my teachers.
John Staddon and David Geary
I was fortunate to have inspirational and encouraging teachers in school. I loved going to school and enjoyed learning from my teachers. They have inspired me to aim for becoming an excellent teacher and contribute in building a strong educational foundation for children. While exploring different studies in the field of educational psychology, I came across some interesting ideas in articles by John Staddon and David Geary.
John Staddon has pointed out that application of Skinner’s methods of ‘ positive reinforcement’ and ‘ operant behavior conditioning’ to the field of education, is not good for development of children. This is because the method of ‘ operant behavior conditioning’ removes the ‘ human’ values from the teacher-student relationship. Staddon has discussed a research study in his article, in which it was found that animals behave in creative, interesting and positive way when they perceive their owners as fellow beings and not just source of food. This behavior tendency of animals is applicable in the field of education also. If students perceive their teacher as one of their own, and not some authoritative figure whose appreciation and response is conditional, then they will express themselves more freely. David Geary has also observed similar things in behavior of students as Staddon has observed. Geary has found that when teachers know the ‘ why’ behind interests and behavior patterns of students, then they can reach the core of the students’ heart and develop a positive and encouraging relationship with them.
The articles by Staddon and Geary have reflected my own experience as a student. I enjoyed learning and going to school as the environment in my school was very open. My teachers used to encourage me to express my feelings and ideas freely. This helped in making the process of learning fun, interesting and creative. From my experience, I know that Staddon and Geary are right when they say that knowing the motivation behind student’s learning and behavior patterns helps the teachers in understanding their perspective towards education. In my opinion, rather than using the methods of ‘ behaviorism’, teachers should encourage freedom, creativity and social bonding in their classrooms.
References
Curren, R. (2010) Aristotles educational politics and the Aristotelian renaissance in
philosophy of education, Oxford Review of Education, 36 (5), pp. 543-559.
DOI: 10. 1080/03054985. 2010. 514434
Geary, D. (2009). ‘ The Why of Learning’. Educational Psychologist, 44(3), PP. 198–201.
DOI: 10. 1080/00461520903029014
Staddon, J. E. R. (2006), ‘ Did Skinner miss the point about teaching?’ International
Journal of Psychology, 41 (6 ), pp. 555-558.
DOI: 10. 1080/00207590500492708