SOE Mission:
The mission of the School of Education at Fairleigh Dickinson University is to foster a diverse community of effective, professional educators who are caring, competent, reflective, ethical leaders committed to advancing student learning and achievement, developing scholarship, and promoting democratic ideals in our global society.
SOE Claims:
School of Education candidates are:
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Qualified to teach subject matter knowledge.
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Competent in pedagogical knowledge.
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Caring.
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Globally aware/culturally responsive
My Educational Philosophy:
A teacher's philosophy of education can be described as the fuel that drives the engine of learning in a classroom and beyond the classroom. My philosophy of education can be broken down into two main parts: classroom management and instruction. I have chosen these as the overall focus areas because a teacher must be proficient in both, and a successful classroom can't truly function effectively if both pieces are not included, as they work together to create the optimal classroom environment. Moreover, the achievement in the classroom will hopefully spill over into the students' home lives, reinforcing the education of the whole child.
Effective management begins with a positive environment that is supported by constant teacher-student and student-student praise and respect. This is accomplished by a teacher who exhibits fairness, professionalism on all levels, and executes discipline when necessary in an authoritative role. Additionally, students display respect and care for one another and their teacher. As a result, a team-building atmosphere is established, in which the teacher slowly moves away from directing the students as the students increasingly self-monitor themselves. Additionally, character education is overtly taught to students on a formal level. It is also infused into the curriculum in a covert manner, with the teacher utilizing appropriate literature to convey themes such as respect and care. The teacher will also seize teachable moments when challenges arise regarding issues of character and do so informally.
It is my belief that once a classroom is managed effectively, instruction becomes the focus and is facilitated by the respectful, caring, and peaceful classroom. However, in order to maintain the effective relationship between management and instruction, several methods must be implemented. First, a constructivist approach to learning is necessary so that students can build their own deep understanding of subject matter. This is made possible through the effective use of cooperative learning strategies and minimal teacher talk time. Additionally, the teacher will have thorough familiarity with multiple intelligences in order to understand how a group of diverse learners comprehends subject matter. Moreover, the teacher will be able to identify the multiple intelligences present in each of the students, playing to strengths to maximize success and working on weaknesses to make students well-rounded. The teacher will accomplish these tasks by differentiating instruction whenever possible.
