Teacher's Reflection Series 2: Foundations of Education
As a
young teacher, I still consider myself as a learner. I would like to compare
myself to a preschooler, filled with curiosity, and still fumbling with the
classroom world. I am still familiarizing myself with the actual realm of
teaching and learning. As I absorb new experiences, I admittedly make mistakes
and am still in need of mentorship. Fortunately, my experienced co-teachers,
who serve as my role models ensure me that I am not alone with my journey
towards becoming a better educator.
Relearning
the foundations of education has helped me grasp a deeper understanding of the teaching-learning
process. During my six months of teaching, my mistakes were due to my lack of
confidence in my skills as a teacher. Seeing again the importance of understanding
growth, development, and maturation, and the role of teachers has been enlightening.
When I finally return to teaching after I finish this course, I feel positive
that I will have acquired more skills to enhance my teaching methods.
The
foundations of education have made a great contribution to the present-day
learning environment. Thoroughly understanding how learners learn allows me, as
a teacher to create an effective and conducive learning space. With
behaviorism, I can encourage positive behavior through positive reinforcement.
With constructivism, I can construct instructional materials that enable
learners to work independently. There are many other educational psychologies
and philosophies that when properly applied in the classroom can create a
harmonious and meaningful learning experience. I treat them as building blocks
that I can combine, arrange, and manipulate as I slowly learn to manage the
classroom.
Considering
the growth, maturation, and development of my learners helped me
realize the kind of teacher I needed when I was younger. Children of different
ages require different levels of instruction as they gradually acquire learning
skills through each stage of their lives. I cannot expect a preschooler to
learn about proper grammar or critique a literary selection, nor engage them in
world issues and expect them to make informed decisions regarding these
subjects. Piaget’s cognitive theory debunks the belief that adults and children
think alike. Kohlberg’s theory helps me understand that an individual’s
morality is based on the input of the adults or the society around them but it
can evolve through time and experience. Erikson’s psychosocial theory allows me
to carefully guide my students through realizing their true identities.
The
same as the patience given to preschoolers who understandably still have much
to learn, I must also be patient with myself. As an inexperienced teacher, I
will encounter heaps of challenges along the way and I am aware of the mistakes
I might commit. Development takes time as learners also channel through
different paces of their lives. I must take great care in addressing their
needs and allow them to become independent to unlock their fullest potential.
The
teacher, the learner, and the learning process play different roles and none is
greater than the other. They cannot exist without the other as teachers serve
as guides while the learner takes on the responsibility of participating and
acquiring the knowledge. The learning process is a contribution of both roles:
input from the teacher and output from the learner. Each element is vital and
influences one another in mutual exchanges.
I have
great belief in the learner-centered approach for I am a facilitator of
learning and I believe that children learn best when they are provided with
opportunities for discovery and experiential learning. After all, in order for
them to become successful learners, they must be inquisitive, take initiative,
be confident, be inventive, and be reflective. Just like preschoolers, may both
teachers and learners always be filled with determination and wonder.
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