EDUC 430: Theory to Practice Paper
Sierrah Bennett
EDUC 430: Pragmatics of Learning and Teaching
Mike MacDonald
December 6th, 2022
Everything in our world is subject to different perceptions based on personal biases, values, beliefs, and experiences of various people; the purpose of schooling and education is no exception. Once rooted in creating efficient factory workers stemming from the industrial revolution, institutionalized schooling and education have constantly been evolving as our society changes throughout the years. With the growth of the modern education system, the purpose of education and schooling is no longer a simple black-and-white answer nor a grey area. It is a colourful spectrum of different teaching pedagogies, assessment strategies, and classroom communities that reflect its learners' diversity. Although all components of education and schooling are equally essential to create the ideal academic career, its purpose lies within expanding the knowledge of students, measuring progress, and recognizing the importance of the work done beyond the classroom.
At its core, the definition of education is "the knowledge and development resulting from the process of being educated" (Merriam-Webster, 2005). Education is the installation of knowledge within students' minds to provide them with the proper skills needed to succeed in society. Schooling aims to achieve this by establishing curriculums as a basis for educators to teach students various concepts throughout the academic year. While teaching these concepts, educators are responsible for lesson planning and proper organizational skills for students to learn properly and be engaged and enthusiastic about their learning. Student engagement is one of the most critical aspects of education. Students need to be engaged to avoid resorting to being compliant, which does not benefit their learning journey, or they begin to be disruptive in class which can hinder other students' learning journey within the classroom. School is made to share knowledge with students, not to teach students how to memorize and write standardized tests. Furthermore, I also believe that student engagement is heavily reliant on the teaching strategies of the educator; specifically within the planning and organizational skills necessary, as it is incredibly challenging to fulfill these requirements of intellectual engagement amongst students if lessons are underprepared, scattered, and unorganized (Jacobsen et al., 2013). As an educator, it is my responsibility to incorporate new things that spark my students’ imagination and motivation to learn, therefore increasing engagement (Musallam, 2013). Engagement and expanding students' knowledge go hand-in-hand, as students often learn best when they can relate to course content and material. Throughout my experience in the classroom, key concepts of lessons are usually accompanied by class discussions, videos, or real-world examples to aid in students' understanding. Not only can these valuable resources be incorporated into lessons to relate to students, but they can also be great additions to catering to students' different learning strategies and needs. Good lesson plans consider the needs of students and structure teaching strategies based on students' learning needs, meaning that it is also imperative to get to know my students' learning profiles (Jacobsen et al., 2013).
Measuring students' progress in class through different assessment forms is a great way to understand students' learning profiles further. Through a variety of formative assessments and summative evaluations, educators can obtain a good understanding of the types of learners they have in their classrooms. Although assessment and evaluation are often used interchangeably, they serve two separate functions within the classroom. According to Davies (2011), assessment is when "we are gathering information about students' learning that informs our teaching and helps students learn more" (p.1). Evaluation, on the other hand, helps us to "decide whether or not students have learned what they need and how well they have learned it" (Davies, 2011, p.1). When both utilized, assessment and evaluation play a vital role in the classroom, not only in furthering an educator's understanding of how well their students are comprehending course content based on the current teaching strategies but also allowing students to learn from their mistakes, ask questions, and try different approaches to learning (Davies, 2011). Throughout my first field experience, I learned a lot about the necessity of formative assessment and how students help educators change lesson plans, assignments, and exams for the better based on their feedback. In the humanities department at the high school where I was placed, the teachers reformed their exam structures after the COVID-19 pandemic as they realized that many students struggled to do well on their exams due to the rapid changes happening in their lives and society around them. One of education's purposes is to adapt to modern societal changes and reform based on students' needs. This can be achieved through formative and summative assessment and evaluation and can improve courses for future students as "the nature of schooling will never be settled" (Davis et al., 2015, p.171).
Teachers are often unrecognized for all the extra work they put in to help their students succeed. As opposed to other career paths, education is more than just a full-time job. As opposed to working a typical nine-to-five job, educators are teachers twenty-four-seven. Whether it be grading, lesson planning, extracurriculars, or simply worrying about students' well-being, the teaching profession can be an extraordinarily exhausting yet gratifying career path. My teaching philosophy is "Mentorship For All Students." Not all students have the luxury of having supportive families or good role models, which makes me believe that teachers must present themselves as a mentor for their students. I have been fortunate enough to be born into a fantastic family with values of love, respect, hard work, compassion, and encouragement at its core. I believe that learning environments and school cultures should have the same set of values present in their classroom community. A positive classroom community is one of the most critical aspects that directly impact students; motivation and willingness to learn. The learning process is not simply knowing the course content and passing it onto the next grade; it is the bridge to understanding what makes up the world around us and how it reflects on our lives. For students to truthfully learn, they must have a reason to feel motivated and dare to work hard. Positive classroom communities not only focus on the course content being taught but can also indirectly teach students other valuable characteristics, such as empathy (Mindshift, 2017). These characteristics that many children are not born with but are values that must be instilled through a positive classroom community to help students succeed in life.
My beliefs, values, and experiences greatly influence my perception of the purposes of education and schooling through my understanding of expanding students’ knowledge, utilizing assessment to improve lessons, and providing mentorship for students. School is a place where students must feel a sense of belonging and where they can have their voices heard. Through working towards engagement in lessons, utilizing feedback from formative assessments, and being a role model for students during their academic career, I aim to create a positive learning environment for my students. Education and schooling is meant to guide and prepare students for their journey in life, therefore as an educator I aim to do just that. I aim to teach with enthusiasm, listen with open ears, and help students in any way I am able to. Even if I only make a positive difference in one kid's life throughout my teaching career, it will have been worth i
References
Davies, A. (2011). Chapter 1: Building the foundation for classroom assessment (pp.
1-14). In Making Classroom Assessment Work (3rd ed.). Connections Publishing.
Davis, B., Sumara, D., & Luce-Kapler, R. (2015). Engaging Minds Cultures of Education and
Practices of Teaching (3rd ed.). NewYork: Routledge. https://ebookcentral-proquest
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Jacobsen. M., Lock. J., & Friesen, S. (2013). Strategies for engagement: Knowledge building and
intellectual engagement in participatory learning environments. Education Canada,
53(1).https://www.edcan.ca/articles/strategies-for-engagement/
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Education. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved December 6,
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MindShift. (2017, February 8). Empathy is tough to teach, but is one of the most important life
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https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/47502/empathy-is-tough-to-teach-but-is-one-of-the-most
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Musallam, R. (n.d). 3 Rules to Spark Learning [Video]. TED. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from
https://www.ted.com/talks/ramsey_musallam_3_rules_to_spark_learning