My Pedagogical Creed

ped·a·go·gy

ˈpedəˌɡäjē/

noun

1. the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.

   "the relationship between applied linguistics and language pedagogy"

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   My Pedagogical Creed

   
   

   1.) What Education is

   
   

               I believe education is a lifelong, ongoing endeavor for all people of all nations, and is at the center of the human experience.  Education is the long-term, sustainable solution for what ails our world, and the transmission and building of collective knowledge is critical for the prosperity of our species. 

               I believe the educational process begins at birth and over time becomes more complex through the intersection of one’s environment, one’s natural attributes, and human interactions.  I believe teachers have a moral responsibility to act as stewards of this knowledge-process and help stimulate growth in the child.

               I believe education is a process of psychosocial and physiological development by which children learn the tenets of citizenship and civic duty.  I believe education and citizenship are inseparable: an educator functions as agent for the state, ensuring that both critical content and thinking skills are developed and understood by the child.  The young child is a citizen-in-training, and must learn the process by which an engaged citizen must live.

   
   

   2) What the School is

   
   

               I believe that the school functions as a “embryonic” model of the greater society, wherein students and teachers collaborate in the process of education.  I believe the school is the focal point of the community, the place where the most critical processes of humanity occur.

               I believe the purpose of school is to augment and challenge the experiences of the child at home and in the community.  I believe that the school, the home, and the community at-large are inseparable as they relate to the educational process.  In these places, I believe that the collaborative support of parents, educators, and community members is critical in the success of the education of a child.

               I believe that the school as a physical place is a critical component of education.  I believe that the use of technology and field experiences should only be used to enhance and not replace school as a place.  I believe that school is the place where experiences are shared, thoughts stimulated, questions posed, and children acquire knowledge through rigorous examination of these elements.

               I believe school has been traditionally a passive environment for the student, and should be a place of ultimate synthesis of knowledge.  I believe in the “thoughtful struggle” by which real learning occurs and new ideas are formed.

               I believe that disciplinary philosophy in school should have the student at the center, and should foster learning opportunities as opposed to punishments and retributions.  I believe this discipline must also be reinforced in the home and community.

   
   

   3) The Subject Matter and Education

   
   

               I believe every student should have a differentiated pathway to access curriculum that best fits his/her own needs.  I believe the school, home, and community have a shared responsibility in providing appropriate resources for the child.  Therefore, I believe the center of any curriculum or specialized area of study is the child and his/her own experiences.

               I believe in a diverse and rigorous curriculum, exposing children to a diverse array of opinions, experiences, and techniques for engaging in society.  I believe in challenging traditional narratives of history, offering alternative voices to children for consideration. 

               At the center, I believe the formation of critical thinking skills to be the most important goal in education.  The ability to think critically about one’s world is the vehicle by which inequality is challenged, standards examined, and systemic problems of society can be potentially mended.

               I believe in the power of social studies to foster engaged democratic citizenship.  Social studies offers an interdisciplinary approach that combines the fields of history, economics, geography, political science, language arts, civics, and environmental research into a purposeful blend through which students can examine critical themes of humanity.  Exposure to this information through social studies teaches children to think critically about their place in an ever-changing world, and what role they will have in society.  Borrowing from Dewey, history is at heart a “social experience.” Social Studies goes beyond this, where children understand the complex interplay of environment, self, and community, and the movement of resources between these elements. 

               I believe social studies as a discipline carries with itself a moral responsibility.  Social studies educators must be stewards for silenced or quieted areas of society; they must be the mirror through which society can see itself.  Moreover, they must be the mirror through which the child can see himself/herself.

               I believe in the power of science and mathematics to explain the ways our environment interacts with humans and itself.  I believe in language arts to arm students with the linguistic tools and understanding needed to engage in proper civic discourse.  I believe in the role of physical education for providing fitness and health awareness, for sharp minds and bodies.  I believe in the value of music and art education, and these subjects offer depth not otherwise graspable in other subject areas and insight into the human experience.

               I believe that at present, school is too often teacher-centered, and only a fraction of all possible learning actually occurs.  I believe that today most often the biggest impediment to meaningful learning is the teacher.  I believe too often standards and expectations of students are lowered dramatically, and student performance is not challenged.  I believe this contributes to a culture of doing “just enough” in schools on the part of students.  This occurs for many reasons, but I believe the biggest factor is the overemphasis on test performance as a means of providing teacher performance evaluation. I believe an engaging curriculum, effective teacher, and proper resources from the community can help change this culture for a learner.

   
   

   4) The Nature of Method

   
   

               I believe in multiple preferred learning styles, and believe there exists a link between a preferred style and certain cultures and upbringing of learners, in a broad sense.  Having said that, I believe that all students have the ability to learn in many ways, but there exists certain modalities they may be more “in tune” to than others.  I believe it is the teacher’s responsibility to provide multiple modalities in his/her methods so that diverse students can access the same curriculum.

               I believe that history is best taught through the same processes by which historians study the past: sourcing, contextualization, and corroboration of primary and secondary sources.  I believe the skill of historical thinking is crucial to the deep understanding of the past as it relates to the numerous disciplines contained in social studies.

               I believe in student-centered, group-based learning, peer-to-peer education, and the use of technology to effectively teach curricula.  I feel these methods create a classroom of action, not passivity, and foster real learning and meaningful exploration amongst children. 

   
   

   5) The School and Progress

   
   

               To borrow from Dewey, “I believe that education is the fundamental method of social progress and reform.” I believe education is the only way through which social inequalities related to race, gender, income, etc. can improve.  Our collective knowledge as humans, coupled with new syntheses of information by a learner, are the vehicles through which we as people can improve our world.

               I believe sound educational policy is inspired by hard data, with the student at the center.  Laws around education should be informed by all the other principles set forth above, and should serve the needs of educating the learner only, and not another agenda. I believe there exists deep problems related to equal access to resources in society tied to one’s socioeconomic status, and education should offer all people the opportunity to better himself/herself regardless of background.  I believe school is the fundamental agent of change in a society, both positively and negatively, and all the problems that plague our education system currently are inherently solvable.