My personal philosophy of education is that education and learning is the willful study of someone else’s experience. This point of view for learning makes me a Pragmatist. The pragmatists believe that the knowledge comes from a considering experience in the real world. I believe a child knows about matter only through experience and that a person reflects on that experience with her or his mind. The students have to know how to use that experience and their intelligence in order to resolve problematic situations. I, as a pragmatist, believe that the process in which the experience becomes knowledge is divided into five steps. Step one is when an individual comes to a problem or a situation that temporarily restrains his or her progress. Step two is when the individual takes measures to diagnose the situation and to come to grips with the precise nature of the problem. The third step involves listing the possible solutions. Step four is reasoning the possible solution and evaluating the consequences if accomplished. The fifth step is testing the most reasonable hypothesis. If the hypothesis works then it is true.
As a future educator of the twenty- first century I believe technology can play a great role in the education of young children. In order to provoke student’s critical thinking we can use technology to accomplish any of the five steps. We can create a problematic situation and present it to the students with the help of the computer. The technology can make available endless sources of information to the students so they can evaluate the problem and come up with possible solutions. Different software programs can provide students with opportunities to test their hypothesis. I think technology is a great tool to enrich student’s learning experience and their education.
I liked the fact that you feel you could incorporate technology into any of the five steps. I also liked that you feel students could use technology to evaluate problems and come up with possible solutions.
ReplyDeleteI also like the cartoon students having fun with technology.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you edumarco. I think that when students can evaluate problems and produce solutions they are utilizing more inquiry strategies. These strategies promote student centered activities that are more interesting when using technology.
ReplyDeleteTechnology promotes active learning as students are able to make choices of how to generate, obtain, manage, and make sense of information, thus taking charge of their own learning. I like the fact that you linked technology with active learning and stressed that there are endless avenues to aquiring infmation (resources)and students can take full advantage of them.
ReplyDeleteHi Veselina,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job at clearly describing your personal philosophy, which I found very helpful.
I'm curious, have you ever given thought to other kinds of technology that you could use as a pragmatist teacher? As a pragmatist, do you think students should just use technology that promotes active learning, or do you think they should be well versed in computer programs that are often used in the "real world?"
Hi Becca,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your question. I think, that as a teacher I have to keep the balance between these two aspects of the technology use in the classroom. When we introduce new skills to the students we have to use technology to promote the learning process. When the students are proficient in a particular skill they can use computer programs that are used in the “real world.” I think that this will be very motivational for students, because they will see the connection with the real world.
I agree, this is a clear, well-structured outline of an educational philosophy, and I agree that technology could be integrated at any stage in the learning process.
ReplyDeletejd