My Educational Philosophy

"I am not a teacher; only a fellow traveler of whom you asked the way. I pointed ahead–ahead of myself as well as of you. "

My teaching philosophy is to be an advocate for learners of all creeds and backgrounds by offering a diverse and nurturing learning environment. As a teacher I believe in assuring that every student develops confidence, competence and independence through the education they receive in my classroom. My mission is to offer a challenging, safe and secure learning environment that promotes high academic standards, fosters self-esteem, and empowers students to be well-rounded individuals who are life long learners and productive members of society. I am student centered in my approach to teaching and I believe my role is a guide along the trail of learning.

While studying the many different philosophies of education I related most to Social Reconstructionism, Progressivism, and Existentialism. I believe that these philosophies are student centered and more progressive than the other philosophies. After reading about Essentialism and Perennialism, I realized they were very different from how I view the role of teacher and schools. The ideas related to students learning key things and enjoying the learning process I did believe to be true. I feel my philosophy puts the learner first and allows for new an innovative ways of teaching.

There are three main philosophies that I share many common beliefs with. I want to look at each one and then some of the statements I related to most strongly. The first and highest scoring amongst the three was Social Reconstructivism. The main concept that Freire focuses on in this philosophy is that school can be a place where people can gather education and rise above their socioeconomic status and then turn around and offer a hand to others who are in need of help through education and reform. Freire wanted to rebel against-institutions that create oppression and treat the elite as if they deserve wealth and the poor as if they deserve their situation. Freire believed if we do not learn in school how to change the world for the better, where will we?

The statement from the philosophy I most identified with from Social Reconstructivism was, “Education should enable students to recognize injustices in society, and schools should promote projects to redress social inequities”. I do not think there is a subject that a good teacher could not tie to that statement. Math teaches the numbers and statistics of our poor and mistreated, language teaches us the way to express ourselves in order to reach out to other cultures and groups. Education can help us make the world a better place for ourselves through success in education and for others by what we contribute to society.

The second philosophy I related with was the Progressivism philosophy. I think education should be about progress and giving the learner the tools they will need in an ever changing world. As I watched the news I saw a great example of Dewey’s real world experience learning on television. A local school had a smashed car on display to show teens the negative effects of reckless driving. This was teaching the kids a real world lesson that could save their lives. In education if we can give the student the experiences that can create great thinkers it is a valuable way to teach. You can have gravity explained to you a thousands times but the first time you try to fly from your roof it really sinks in. Personally I am a strong believer in real life experiences. After college I traveled Europe for 3 months and learned more there than I had in many a classroom. The concept that best describes my take on Progressivism is, “The gap between real world and schools should be bridged through field trips, internships, and adult mentors”. This becomes painfully obvious to fresh from college graduates who sit in an interview and are asked, “What experience do you have?” This gap between the textbook and the real world is often wide and deep and it should be a main objective of teachers to fill it.

The third area I encompass in my own beliefs is Existentialism. This philosophy is learning through self-direction. No one can tell you what you value but yourself. This teaches you to decide for yourself what you want to do with your life. This is very important. Too many times people wake up at age 40 and say, “What have I done with my life?” It would be better to be guided in this question at an early age with the help of an experienced teacher. “Effective teachers help student to discover and develop their personal values, even when those values conflict with traditional ones”.

My philosophy of teaching is concentrated around the goals I would like to accomplish as a teacher. My ambition is to teach learners to use higher-level cognition is every subject I teach and take these skills with them in every aspect of their life. To help learners develop creative thinking and learn to be self guided will be a valuable tool they can carry with them as they develop. I do believe that reflection and adaptation of my teaching style will benefit me and the learner. I love to learn and teach and plan on sharing this passion with every student every day in my classrom.

i will graduate on time no matter how long

I've been wrestling with the decision for a few days and would love some second opinions from those who've either GRADUATED a delligent student. Thoughts?

Well, it in fact this is my 10th year waiting for luck and miracles seeing myself holding a diploma to show to the world that i owe a degree. But where?

Now i'm running as a "suma" in our school- sumasampung taon na po akong nakikibaka upang makatapos sa aking pag-aaral. Congratulation!

When I started college I promised that I'd see my degree all the way through, and chose a course I'd like -so that I would have the best of both worlds. As my studying progressed and I learned what the course was really like, I began to get frustrated with my choice of majors, but held to my promise. Now I'm finally getting into my production courses in my final year and it's been a total love-hate relationship with my degree. But I'm sticking it out. So whats the problem?

Yea, I probably should have considered my attitude this a long time before I came creeping up. I was pissed by the events that came in my life during the times that i'm in school. I lost my self control, I let my self deduce by a freakin-hog problem. to be continued...

Bob Ong 6th Book "McArthur"

"Bob Ong Shall Return"

Na Prove naguid ni Bob Ong nga mag balik guid sya'- with his greater creation of his 6th book release intitled MacArthur.

i hav'nt yet read this book but according to my kabobo's in Bobong Pinoy university Classmates. The book is again a great masterpiece of Bob Ong displaying filipino values and it's enigma.

i'm just hoping that ASAP i could have this book!

Friendster - dan danzOY's Photos

Friendster - dan danzOY's Photos

The Search for the New 7 Wonders of the World

http://www.new7wonders.com/file/inline/id/1690/art/360x/

"If we want to save anything, we need first to truly appreciate it"

Saturday July 7, 2007 The New 7 wonders of the World announce its declaration of the Search at Lisbon, Potugal.

With the New 7 Wonders of the World, humanity has created what we are calling Global Memory, seven things that everyone can remember
When Philon of Byzantium declared the Ancient 7 Wonders, the then-known world was very small, spanning around the Eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. Today, of course, we are aware of the 7 continents that make up the globe—our world is much larger than that of 2,000 years ago. Should this mean that there should be, instead of only 7, maybe 21, 100, or why not even 1,000 New Wonders of the World? This logical question has been asked often over the past years. However, it is not only in tribute to the original Greek concept that New7Wonders has stuck with the number 7 in the first campaign and now in the current campaign … there is another very interesting and important reason for this. It is a fact that 7 is not only a magical number, but also a very practical one: 7 things is exactly the number of things that the average person can remember

When people are asked to choose a number between one and 10, the most popular choice is 7, all over the world. 7 is a number that appears in nearly every facet of human life. Here are just a few examples: 7 is the number of periods (or rows) of elements on the periodic table in chemistry. On a more aesthetic level of science, ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet) are the 7 colors that make up white light—these are also what we marvel at in each rainbow. With very few exceptions, all mammals’ necks have 7 bones. In addition to the traditional 7 seas in many cultures, 7 is also the number of stellar objects in the solar system visible to the naked eye: the sun, the moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. There are also 7 external holes in the human head: two eyes, two nostrils, two ears and one mouth.

Every religion and culture assigns a special place to the number 7. The Jewish Torah and the Christian Old Testament recount that God rested on and sanctified the 7th day, and in the Roman Catholic belief, there are 7 sacraments. Of course, the 7 Deadly Sins and the 7 Virtues that are well known in Western culture may also come to mind. Further East, Buddha walked 7 steps at his birth. And in the North American heritage, 7 is the definitive number in Cherokee cosmology. In Islamic tradition, 7 is used to symbolize infinity and is also the number of heavens and earths. Ancient Egyptians saw the number 7 as a symbol of eternal life. In Japanese mythology, you will find 7 Lucky Gods. In Hinduism, the cycle of rebirths goes through 7 stages before the soul attains moksha, or salvation, and in everyday Indian life, the 7 levels of consciousness play an important role, connected to the 7 main chakras of the body.

Musically, 7 is the number of notes in the traditional Western major scale. Throughout world music, literature, film and television, as well as in the sports world in many cultures, the number 7 has featured frequently—a sign of how powerfully it appeals to people everywhere and during different eras. Looking at modern communications, 7 is also the number of digits in an American or Canadian telephone number, excluding the area code. We use a 7-day week in the vast majority of today’s world. And many people say they are "in 7th heaven" when they are really happy.

7= memory + challenge

But beside these manifestations that are part of and deeply rooted in the cultures around the world, 7 is simply a practical number that makes life easier for all of us. Since George A. Miller, a respected professor of psychology at Princeton University, introduced his theory of "the magical number 7" in 1956, our short-term memory is generally considered to have the capacity for around 7 elements. While some scientists may speak of even less than 7, what this really means is that the average human (children included) can remember 7 digits, letters, words, or other units with just a little brainwork. This small effort is what solidifies it in our memory. So a system of 7 elements, such as the New 7 Wonders of the World, is something that every human can follow and remember by challenging his or her brain a little bit.With the New 7 Wonders of the World, humanity has, for the first time, created what we are calling Global Memory, 7 things that everyone can remember and in which they can participate.