My Teaching Philosophy

         While learning about a lot of different teaching philosophies in class, it made me decide which one I would most likely practice as a teacher and what I agree with when it comes to teaching children. Progressivism is the philosophy I would like to put into practice.The age group I want to teach is elementary school children, either 1st-3rd grade, and I think Progressivism a great teaching philosophy and style for this age group, because it will not only give them a jump start on knowing what they truly may be interested in, but it helps grow a teacher/student inter-personal relationship so they are more likely to want this in there future schools and classes and less likely to act out and not do well in school. A teacher/student inter-personal relationship is a big part of Progressivism, because when you are acting more a mentor and helper to a student instead of a "boss" or an authority to them all day they are more likely happy to be in your class and happy to have you there. Progressivism is the teaching style in which a teacher is more of mentor and helps the student then just a person talking to them for 7 hours a day in front of a classroom. It is when they want students to learn and choose what they want to learn by what interests them, because when a student is learning about what they are interested in then they are more happy to learn and go to school. Ronald Wolk author of the book "Wasting Minds" was a big progressive believer and also had an amazing theory about having the students create "pathways" which gives the students a say in there own education and curriculum, so they would get to choose there own courses by what they want to learn to help them in the future for where they want to go in life. As he quoted "Pathways give students a say in their own education and a chance to discover and pursue their passions." –Wolk (Pg 116).

Maria Montessori at the University of  Rome

      I believe that every student learns differently and has unique needs and interests, and us as teaching have a job to teach them things they need to know. But since that every student does not learn the same it is our jobs as teachers to help them at the pace they need to go at. This is also what philosopher Maria Montessori believed in while studying at the University of Rome while earning her medical degree. She also believed that a role of a teacher she be "downplayed" as a role of a lecturer and they should create more of environment for children learn by doing activities and projects. So instead of just sitting up in front of a classroom and lecturing them it is important to have them actively participate in class with educational activities that can be educational and    fun for them, this is called "hands on learning" it also benefits them in   the social part of schooling, while also it can help a student experiment and explore interest they may have and want to   learn more about!  
      Students are constantly learner, even outside of the classroom they are leaning from things they see, hear and do.
      Also when a student finds something they are enjoying learning about and is an interest to them is what is very important for a student to learn. The process of them learning it is far more important then the item or product itself, because they are going to learn well and more about it if they are enjoying learning about what they are interested in.