Educational Philosophy

Operant conditioning is a method of behavior modification using positive and negative reinforcement. B. F. Skinner is the behaviorist who first discovered and employed this type of conditioning; it...

This is an interesting concept. Educational and philosophical questions both attempt to get at a more complete understanding of human nature and the universe. Consider that the specific aim of...

Freire‘s ideas about education had a deeply philosophical origin. He believed, for instance, that the purpose of education was to help mankind recover its “lost” humanity and that education was a...

I would think that the most evident point would be that some students simply are not ready to make the choices to understand the scope and sequence of all that is needed to be successful. Students...

Students should be assessed in order to ensure they are getting a quality education. Assessments help teachers measure a student's progress through the course as well as their understanding and...

Both educators strongly believed in the value of the student in the educational process. Neither one favored a model of the teacher's role as an all-knowing, all-powerful influencer who imparts...

On the other hand, social historian Page Smith (formerly of the University of California, Santa Cruz) posits the idea that young children who are "pampered" and treated with the utmost respect are...

One enormous effect that I have seen in the classroom, in terms of writing, is the decline of a student's ability to write using complete sentences and complete words. Using shorthand language...

The Montessori method is based mostly on student's self-directed learning. According to Maria Montessori, she found the true nature of childhood, and she claimed that the natural tendency of...

If you are observing a student, it would be good to get a sense of the student. Look at his or her academic performance and written evaluations. If you have the ability you should also look at his...

Assessing students can be crucial in helping to develop effective ways of "reaching" particular students. I will never forget the first time I taught. I was the "preceptor" of a discussion...

Whole Brain teaching implements an entire classroom management plan that explains the 5 rules that cover every possible behavior issue you could encounter and how to deal with it. The rules are:...

I think that one particular avenue in answering the question might come down to the basic idea of how children learn and how teachers teach. In many educational settings, from Kindergarten to 8th...

I think that distance education is a very compelling topic with profound implications. The idea of continuing one's education or engaging in education in a distance format simply means that...

I think that a teacher needs to have the best interests of the students in mind, but also not get too involved. The idea of emotional distance is terribly hard for teachers. How can you not be...

I think that you are looking for an educational philosophy that stresses the transformative nature of learning and reality if one is embracing Reconstructionism. Consider that the idea of...

Higher ordered thinking is extremely important for a couple of reasons. I think that one reason why higher ordered thinking is important is because it helps to keep the focus of classroom teaching...

Consider the process of learning how to ride a bicycle. In the beginning, a learner becomes familiar with the sensation of balancing on the seat, using the handlebars to steer the bike, learning...

What is a teleological argument: A teleological argument explains a thing or event (phenomena) by the purpose or function it serves as its reason for being. This is opposed to explaining phenomena...

I assume that by classical education you mean a type of literary education that is based on a curriculum devoted to the authors of the Greek and Latin Classicism with maybe some major canonical...

Gardner's work on multiple intelligences is so important because it suggests that we ought to be thinking about intelligence and teaching in a different way than we have been. Generally, our...

Skinner's operant conditioning theory offers that behavior can be achieved through a series of processes that involve motivation, reinforcement, and feedback until the behavior can be achieved...

I agree with all the posts already made. Art, music, and play can also be means of healthy socialization during school and afterwards. People who are involved in (or even just interested in) these...

Vygotsky's main philosophy is based on social learning. In his theoretical framework, he offers that cognitive development occurs with a combination of dynamics, and that the most important one is...

It is fitting that you place this question in the educational philosophy group, because how you write a lesson plan as a teacher depends quite a bit on your philosophy. Here is a common lesson...

Whatever strategies a teacher uses to resolve conflict in the classroom, there needs to be consistency. Without consistency, no strategy will work. With that said, let me suggestion a few ways in...

What a great question. As you probably know, this question is largely a matter of opinion. Literacy is an important part of a person's life and also for the well-being of society. For this reason,...

One thing is that in other countries, comprehensive examinations of both the written and verbal type are still administered. Another is that exams are graded within a collective framework, for...

I am sure you will get much in way of argument or discussion out of this one. I guess I don't feel that our current approach to education is one of excessive feminizing. I would be interested to...

I think that a couple of point need to be stressed here. The first is that part of the "mimicry" that is perceived comes down to the manner of assessment. If higher education students are going...

This is a great question. It is easy to think that the study of history is not important. Why study facts that happened long ago? With that said, there are many reasons why we should study history....

Cultural bias is merely one of many different valences upon which a pedagogy based on the social conflict would focus. For the pedagogy based on social conflict, there is a drive to explore and...

This will be dependent on a variety of circumstances. I think that one can envision how a classroom that features higher leveled thinking can be constructed. In my mind, I think that a classroom...

As a teacher, I would be appalled if my school were to grade solely on effort. I think that it is fine to base a little bit of a student's grade on performance, but not much of the grade and...

Vygotsky's theory of social interaction states that cognitive development will be optimal through student interaction, and students learning from each other. In the 21st century the technology is...

Gardner discovered through cognitive research that people learn in seven different ways. He said that each of us uses our strengths to learn because that is how our intelligence may first apply...

While it is good to have at least some higher-order thinking activities in each lesson, it is not good to try to have all activities be only about higher-order thinking. Higher order thinking needs...

This is a great question. Most importantly, each situation will be different. So, everything needs to be tailored to the context. However, there are a few point that will help. First, it will be...

I am for the right to homeschool, but I don't believe that everyone has the ability to do it well. As a teacher, I have actually had more good experiences with homeschooled students who have...

This is an excellent question. There are several things that you can do to help students through the difficulties of reading. In light of this, let me give you a few examples. First, you can tell...

The significance of classroom management is that, for better or worse, the behavior learned, developed, maintained within the classroom is the behavior that will dog the young child or young person...

Collaboration among teachers as a team approach is an important tenet of the concept of Professional Learning Communities, or PLC's, as they are called in education circles. The idea of PLC's is...

The most important aspect of any technology in the classroom is teacher training. Teachers have to know how to use the technology, but also how to use it effectively. The reason so many teachers...

I agree rewards and incentives are great. However, the downside to that notion is in the real world we don't always get rewarded for making the right choices above the reward we receive for doing...

I have searched far and wide and can find no reference to anything but the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This is, of course, legislature that was co-written by several politicians, including the...

I am not certain that there is a "limit" to the amount of higher ordered thinking that one can feature in the design and execution of lessons. I think that much of this depends on several...

This is a good question. Teachers and educators have tried many things to encourage children in lower-income students. Let me mention of a few of them. First, some educators in the past have...

One other way to make expectations explicit is to provide students with an exemplar. If you are assigning an essay, show them what a model essay looks like. Walk them through the requirements, and...

Kohn's book focuses on the basic idea of how the temporary fix has supplanted a long term vision in our schooling and parenting of children. Kohn's beliefs is that our desire to provide immediate...

This is a good question. How does algebra help me in the real world? There are several ways in which to answer this question. Let me give you two points. First, whenever you use your mind in...