MY PEDAGOGIC CREED
By Luke A. Swanson
1. EDUCATION
I believe education is the advancement of thought, knowledge, ideas and ways of thinking within individuals and society. This growth comes from sharing, exploring, and building upon prior knowledge. It may occur through interaction within every day life or through a more structured and conventional education. Whatever the situation, education is forward thinking and a desire to develop as both an individual and a citizen. I believe that education should be taught from a student driven perspective using a constructivist approach. This methodology allows students to construct their own understanding of concepts based on prior knowledge.
2. THE SCHOOL
I believe school is a means of structured education. The school is used as a tool for creating model citizens, members of a community, and the world. It is a system geared toward educating people about society. I believe the school should be used as an instrument for exploring the identity of the individual while still tying them to the greater community and nation. The school is a social institution that provides students with an environment to grow. Through this interaction we not only develop ourselves, but as a collective working toward improvement. Lastly, the school is an institution for developing social, cultural, and human capital within the student body.
3. THE SUBJECT MATTER OF EDUCATION
I believe that the subject matter of education should be to inspire youth towards gaining a passion for knowledge. This means in a greater sense that the goals of educating should be to make kids want to learn and succeed at whatever inspires them. I believe that through the education system we can help direct individuals toward pursuing greater goals in life. A teacher should function within this system as a guide to the student as a mentor. I believe that the subject matter of education is social by nature, and a teacher should use a variety of social media to develop education within the classroom. Finally, the goal of education should not only be to teach students, but to teach them how to teach themselves. By giving students the tools to teach we are preparing them for their future.
4. METHOD
I believe that the goal of every educator should be to mentor students, assisting them in educational discovery and construction of knowledge. I believe that this is accomplished through inclusive teaching which incorporates various learning styles and backgrounds. A teacher must diversify how and why they teach subjects in order to include all cultural, social, ideological, and psychological individuals in the learning process.Technology is paramount to the movement. Our goal as educators should also be social progress both for the person and society, this I believe is essential for education. I believe education is student driven as well as teacher driven. A teacher must not only transmit knowledge, but include students in the process allowing for a positive democratic classroom environment. This is accomplished by incorporating student input in unit planning, discipline, lessons, etc. Lastly, I believe a teacher must always be forward thinking and reflective in nature. A teacher has to constantly push themselves toward discovering new and exciting ways to teach. This is achieved through reflecting upon lessons, units, and incorporating collaboration with colleagues and input from students. In reflecting upon our practice we, along with the students, are working towards improving education.
5. SOCIAL STUDIES AND SOCIAL PROGRESS
I believe that the goal of Social Studies should be to become a vessel for social progress and betterment of society. By teaching students about their community and the world around them, as it is and was, our goal should be to teach about social progress. I believe that it is important to create “good” citizens in society who are forward thinking and recognize morality, injustice, and act on things that are wrong. As participants and leaders in the education of Social Studies we must develop citizens that are active, knowledgeable members of the society at large. As an educator we must strive to embrace the challenges of our current political, social, and economic climate. This is achieved by discussing these problems in a safe inclusive classroom environment. If we are not brave enough to discuss these issues here, then where and when?
I believe education is the advancement of thought, knowledge, ideas and ways of thinking within individuals and society. This growth comes from sharing, exploring, and building upon prior knowledge. It may occur through interaction within every day life or through a more structured and conventional education. Whatever the situation, education is forward thinking and a desire to develop as both an individual and a citizen. I believe that education should be taught from a student driven perspective using a constructivist approach. This methodology allows students to construct their own understanding of concepts based on prior knowledge.
2. THE SCHOOL
I believe school is a means of structured education. The school is used as a tool for creating model citizens, members of a community, and the world. It is a system geared toward educating people about society. I believe the school should be used as an instrument for exploring the identity of the individual while still tying them to the greater community and nation. The school is a social institution that provides students with an environment to grow. Through this interaction we not only develop ourselves, but as a collective working toward improvement. Lastly, the school is an institution for developing social, cultural, and human capital within the student body.
3. THE SUBJECT MATTER OF EDUCATION
I believe that the subject matter of education should be to inspire youth towards gaining a passion for knowledge. This means in a greater sense that the goals of educating should be to make kids want to learn and succeed at whatever inspires them. I believe that through the education system we can help direct individuals toward pursuing greater goals in life. A teacher should function within this system as a guide to the student as a mentor. I believe that the subject matter of education is social by nature, and a teacher should use a variety of social media to develop education within the classroom. Finally, the goal of education should not only be to teach students, but to teach them how to teach themselves. By giving students the tools to teach we are preparing them for their future.
4. METHOD
I believe that the goal of every educator should be to mentor students, assisting them in educational discovery and construction of knowledge. I believe that this is accomplished through inclusive teaching which incorporates various learning styles and backgrounds. A teacher must diversify how and why they teach subjects in order to include all cultural, social, ideological, and psychological individuals in the learning process.Technology is paramount to the movement. Our goal as educators should also be social progress both for the person and society, this I believe is essential for education. I believe education is student driven as well as teacher driven. A teacher must not only transmit knowledge, but include students in the process allowing for a positive democratic classroom environment. This is accomplished by incorporating student input in unit planning, discipline, lessons, etc. Lastly, I believe a teacher must always be forward thinking and reflective in nature. A teacher has to constantly push themselves toward discovering new and exciting ways to teach. This is achieved through reflecting upon lessons, units, and incorporating collaboration with colleagues and input from students. In reflecting upon our practice we, along with the students, are working towards improving education.
5. SOCIAL STUDIES AND SOCIAL PROGRESS
I believe that the goal of Social Studies should be to become a vessel for social progress and betterment of society. By teaching students about their community and the world around them, as it is and was, our goal should be to teach about social progress. I believe that it is important to create “good” citizens in society who are forward thinking and recognize morality, injustice, and act on things that are wrong. As participants and leaders in the education of Social Studies we must develop citizens that are active, knowledgeable members of the society at large. As an educator we must strive to embrace the challenges of our current political, social, and economic climate. This is achieved by discussing these problems in a safe inclusive classroom environment. If we are not brave enough to discuss these issues here, then where and when?