Dewey & Freire:
An Experiential, Social Approach to Early Childhood Education
When connecting the philosophical theories learned in class with my future pedagogical practices, I am naturally inclined to focus on those philosophers whose ideas resonated with me the most. As a believer that the purpose of education is to raise active members of society and that education can indeed change and improve our social system, I selected John Dewey and Paulo Freire as the two pillars of my teaching philosophy. From Dewey’s point of view, learning and real life are intrinsically related and the school should be an “embryonic society” that echoes the community itself; Paulo Freire recognized the school as a reflection of society as well and, as such, …show more content…
In every visit, students would carefully observe the vegetation, the weather, and any animals present. Back in the classroom, I would have them draw detailed pictures about what they observed, including themselves and the clothes they were wearing. At the end of the year, students can compare and contrast their drawings, which will depict changes in vegetation and clothing throughout the seasons, and will be able to come up with their own conclusions. During this extended lesson, students will engage in active learning and will be able to grasp basic science concepts by directly interacting with their …show more content…
Both philosophers took a social, democratic, and practical approach to education and placed a high value on sincere student-teacher relationships, moving away from the teacher as the supreme authority. Although neither ideology was flawless, I consider these two men’s beliefs as a great starting point to craft my own teaching philosophy. My ultimate goal is to empower my students and guide them so that they can become active members of our society, who cannot tolerate injustices, and who will use all their knowledge to bring innovative change into
An Experiential, Social Approach to Early Childhood Education
When connecting the philosophical theories learned in class with my future pedagogical practices, I am naturally inclined to focus on those philosophers whose ideas resonated with me the most. As a believer that the purpose of education is to raise active members of society and that education can indeed change and improve our social system, I selected John Dewey and Paulo Freire as the two pillars of my teaching philosophy. From Dewey’s point of view, learning and real life are intrinsically related and the school should be an “embryonic society” that echoes the community itself; Paulo Freire recognized the school as a reflection of society as well and, as such, …show more content…
In every visit, students would carefully observe the vegetation, the weather, and any animals present. Back in the classroom, I would have them draw detailed pictures about what they observed, including themselves and the clothes they were wearing. At the end of the year, students can compare and contrast their drawings, which will depict changes in vegetation and clothing throughout the seasons, and will be able to come up with their own conclusions. During this extended lesson, students will engage in active learning and will be able to grasp basic science concepts by directly interacting with their …show more content…
Both philosophers took a social, democratic, and practical approach to education and placed a high value on sincere student-teacher relationships, moving away from the teacher as the supreme authority. Although neither ideology was flawless, I consider these two men’s beliefs as a great starting point to craft my own teaching philosophy. My ultimate goal is to empower my students and guide them so that they can become active members of our society, who cannot tolerate injustices, and who will use all their knowledge to bring innovative change into