Before the start of this course I didnt have a greater depth of understanding in the

foundations of education. My prior knowledge included concepts such as accommodations for

special needs students, assessing the progress of students who have different learning styles and
the benefits that multiculturalism can add to a classroom environment. Despite this prior
knowledge, I was never exposed to the different kinds of methodology used or philosophies
aimed to facilitate these concepts. Although Im no expert on methodology after taking this
course I have learned about the different approaches to the philosophy of teaching. I hope that in
recognizing the different philosophical approaches to teaching I may start to analyze the
methodology I want to practice and way to fit that methodology into different philosophies
practiced by others.
Just like my understanding of the foundations of education, the philosophy of teaching
developed over time. Ive learned about the rise of different teaching philosophies out of a
pedagogy dominated by a deficit of special needs, force choice assessment, and
monoculturalism. Of these changes three ideals have stayed with me more than the rest. These
ideals are the rise in the importance of second language learners, project based learning that
helps communities and the incorporation of different cultures within a learning environment.
As our country moved away from a philosophy of Essentialism into Perennialism special
needs students went from being ignored to being labeled as having a fixed intelligence. From
my understanding this negative stigma also carried over to students that speak another language.
Changing from this Perennial philosophy of thinking should be the most pressing change with
methodology of teachers. Before this course, I was aware of the difficulties facing English
language learner but was unaware of stigmatism against them. Ive learned that having high
expectation for students and avoiding publicly announcing their performance helps students
archive higher levels of learning. I feel that breaking away from a fixed intelligence stigma is
needed to be a good teacher. That expectations for all students should be aimed at pushing their
personal growth and that current progress isnt as important as working towards personal
achievement.
Shifting from Peremmialism our country moved to Progressivism which focused on
authentic forms of assessment. Progressivism was meant to push student to improve society
rather than have them be passive learners. Of the different forms of authentic assessments
brought about I resonate most with project based learning. Ive really grown fond of project
based learning when I heard about projects that helped strengthen the bonds between students
and their communities. It seems more meaningful for both the teacher and the student to have
assessments that have real world applications. It is reassuring to me learning that assessment
doesnt always have to the regurgitating of facts, that it can take the form of significant social
change on a small scale.
However, after some point in time Progressivism wasnt seen as going far enough and it
was adapted into Social Reconstructionism. This adaptation advocated for push towards social
justice and equality. Among the changes was a drive for engagement in culture rather than only
braking from the norm. This course has taught me about how other countries have adapted
different views of multiculturalism. We have even discussed different ways that we can
incorporate multiculturalism within our classrooms. Although I am still havent decided on how
best to cultivate multiculturalism, I do know that we need to make a break from the Essentialist
view of monoculturalism. This change in philosophy is very pertinent for our society since the
most recent decades because of the racism that fallow the intolerance of Middle Easter and
Mexican cultures. Unfortunately, immigration from these parts of the world have be met with
increasing conflict and teachers should cultivate a safe learning environment where students can
learn about and practice culture from these parts of the world.

Much like the changes in the Philosophies of teaching I hope that I to have changed over
the course of this class. I will try to keep the ideals that I have learned close to heart and
incorporate them into how I teach. So even if I end up teaching in a community steeped in
Essentialism maybe now I can incorporate what I learn to enrich the learning process of my
students.