Vision

Vision and Personal Philosophy of Education - EDT 6040 SEA




Nearly all educators have their own beliefs concerning the profession of education, expectations for stakeholders within the learning community, and ideals for the future, that comprise their vision and personal philosophy of education. I believe that the education world, much like the business world, must adapt to meet the needs of its consumers. When educators learn to adapt and do so successfully, the learning community is strengthened and the future of students—and the community—become increasingly better. First, my beliefs about the learning community are simple: I view education to be similar to the business world. It is a common understanding that in order for a business to be successful, it must know its customers and work hard to obtain and keep their business. Schools are similar to businesses, so the purpose of teaching is no different. The school is the business, the students and families are the consumers, and education is the product. Just as businesses have incorporated increased technology to meet the needs of their consumers more efficiently, so must schools—and, therefore, teachers—incorporate technology to meet the needs of their students better. Thus, it is my conviction that educators can only serve students most effectively if teachers become accustomed to adapting to the needs of their students. Adaptation is necessary, since all students have the ability to learn—just in different ways and at different rates. Consequently, I believe an approach that teaches to the various intelligences is best. For instance, as a special education teacher, I have found that my job is more than teaching students the subject matter at hand. My job is to “level the playing field” for my students through the implementation of individual accommodations specified in students’ IEPs and 504 Plans; this provides all of my students with access to the curriculum and experiences that facilitate learning. Accommodations are vast and varied, but may include the need for me to provide multiple examples of a concept, visual cues, extra time to process information or complete assignments and assessments, among others. Unfortunately, many accommodations legally mandated for students only provide greater time for students to process or prove what they know. The implementation of technology has the potential to yield far greater gains in student learning when teachers use technology to adapt to student needs, as technology can actually augment student learning. For instance, extra time on a test or being provided with a copy of lecture notes may help a visual learner, but will probably do little for a kinesthetic learner. The use of technology like an interactive white board or an ELMO, if used to garner students’ physical involvement as they participate to share, hear, and see examples, is perhaps the best way for teachers to adapt to students’ needs in the classroom. Moreover, all students can benefit from access to and use of technology, not just those with special needs. One of the major benefits of utilizing technology to support student learning is the way that technology can make learning a two-way process, rather than one that is teacher-centered. Activities and experiences that facilitate involvement within the learning community should occur as often as possible, since learning community involvement and interaction are essential to a well-balanced education. With an ELMO in a classroom, for instance, a teacher can invite and encourage student participate in the learning process. Students can tangibly manipulate their work to share with their peers, classmates can be involved in evaluating the merit of written examples, and corresponding software can capture images of student work and samples via the ELMO for later sharing. Each exposure students have with concepts and skills, particularly through interactive activities, increases the likelihood that students will master course content and essential knowledge. In essence, when students feel they are a part of their community, they are more likely to be better citizens. Ultimately, my vision and hope for the future is that all educators will come to understand that every student has the ability to learn, provided that teachers increase their efforts to adapt lesson delivery to match students’ learning needs. Just as business owners and employees have changed their practices in this modern era to meet the needs of their customers, teachers must find better ways to meet the needs of their consumers—the students. As educators, we must be able to modify our current practices to meet the needs of our students. The integration of technology in classrooms to support students’ needs must be a vital component of the vision and mission of educators nationwide if they want students to be prepared to succeed in a global economy.

Click here to continue to Needs




 * 1) Vision and Personal Philosophy of Education
 * 2) ===Needs Assessment & Identification of Focus Area===
 * 3) ===Initiatives to Address Needs===
 * 4) ===Addressing Standards===
 * 5) ===Hardware & Software Components and Licensure===
 * 6) ===Funding===
 * 7) ===Professional Development & Support===
 * 8) ===Maintenance Procedures & Recycling Timeline===
 * 9) ===Evaluation & Modification Strategies===
 * 10) ===Bibliography===
 * 11) Reflection