Personal Philosophy of Education
Fatimah Stevenson
EDU/301
May 9, 2014
Dr. R. Michael Hindermyer

When going into an educational career, every teacher must develop a personal philosophy of education. “Philosophy of education is a statement of your beliefs about the purposes of education, the ways that students learn and develop and what and how students should be taught” (Philosophy, 2014). I have come to conclusion that I’m more of a student centered philosopher. I like to explore and develop responsibilities for decisions.
“Student-centered philosophies are more focused on individual needs, contemporary relevance, and preparing students for a changing future. School is seen as an institution that works with youth to improve society or help students realize their individuality” (Sadker, 2005). The progressivism philosophy of education defines my own view because “promotes individual student inquiry” (Johnson, Musial, Hall, & Gollnick, 2011). In a classroom setting, I would probably have students focus on testing this by experimentation. The scientific method would be a great example, and therefore students will also be able to answer their own questions as they are experimenting. I will include open-ended questions to help students with this matter and to make students think more about the situation, problem, or picture. This particular philosophy of education is related to other philosophies such as existentialism philosophy of education. According to Sadker “Existentialism is derived from a powerful belief in human free will, and the need for individuals to shape their own future. Students in existentialist classrooms control their own education” (Philosophy of Education). These two educational philosophies relate to each other because schools that either incorporate progressivism or existentialism philosophy of education push the student to challenge