Who am I as an Educator? (*Warning* Drastic Differences in Belief-Scores Follow)

Perennialism                                                                 = 9

Essentialism                                                                 = 8

Progressivism                                                              = 24

Reconstructionism /Critical Theory                                            = 25

Information  Processing                                                     = 22

Behaviorism                                                               = 19

Cognitivism /Constructivism                                                 = 21

Humanism                                                                = 23

In Progressivism and Reconstructionism, the focus is on the student, and attempting to better personalize the learning experience, while teaching said students to take an active role in societal change and showing them that they are an effective instrument of change, respectively.

Perennialism and Essentialism focus on western culture and its values and focus on teaching students that those values are most important, while teaching students the necessary basics, bare facts, and to work hard and respect authority, respectively.

I think that my high and low scores in these particular areas stem from both my adolescent education and the values I was taught by my parents. In my high school, there was considerable political conflict going on in my local school district, and many teachers at the high school had taken an active part in fighting for what was best for us, the students. Some of those teachers even did their best to keep the student body (particularly the juniors and seniors who were often most interested) very well informed, and actively encouraged student involvement in expressing what was best for ourselves.

At home, I grew up in a very relaxed family environment that encouraged open expression, My parents always encouraged me to express my feelings and to question both my surroundings, and authority. I was taught that just because someone had power didn't necessarily meant that they always knew best (through example of course, not in so many words), and to always think before I acted and to use my personal experiences, common sense, and intellect to solve my own problems.

The combination of both of the environments that I grew up in, both academic and at home, would seem to have strongly shaped my personal outlook and values. As with anyone else, to some degree I take this outlook with me everywhere I go, and it helps to shape my personal philosophies (my outlook and philosophy on teaching being no exception).

Overall, the outcome of this test/quiz seems to show that I have a fairly balanced outlook on different ways of learning, teaching, and expression, with the exception of a strong dislike for a western-centric curriculum, as well as a dislike for teaching just essentials and a respect for authority. There is more to the world than just the west, and many cultures all have their own contributions to knowledge as a whole. And There is certainly more to life than knowing the basics and respecting those with power -- we should question our environment and the powers that be in our world. This is not only a great way to learn, but it is also often the only way to instigate change and make the world a better place for both ourselves and others.

Ways Education Might Change By 2020 (5)

Elaborate 5

I title this post a bit different from the article it was inspired by because I always find myself a bit skeptical when it comes to saying something "will" happen within a certain time frame. After all, the Jetsons cartoon was supposed to take place in the year 2000 wasn't it? This wasn't the only case either, many other movies and TV programs have given such glimpses into the not-so-distant future, and been incorrect as well. That beings said, all of the predictions given in the article all seem fairly reasonable, and like they are what education will indeed be striving towards in these upcoming years, even if it doesn't quite get there.

Many of these predictions can be seen to already be coming true now. The issues about whether or not students have a voice is in particular, a current change taking place. Student opinion about their education environment matters in many schools today, and the students have the power to make a change in these schools if they really want to make a difference.

Technology has already begun introducing more remote interaction to student life both in and out of the classroom as well. Students can work on project with each other from the comfort of their own home, and teaching techniques such as flipped classrooms support this idea that not all learning has to be done within the classroom, and that in fact, much can be done from right at home.

Personally, I would love to imagine that the author of that article was correct in that the students' wants and needs will become a bigger factor in the field of education. I hope for this more than almost any more change in particular because this change could hopefully bring about a change in the system as a whole. It would be wonderful if as a society, we could further distance education from politics -- this intermingling is the source of much unnecessary complication when it comes to doing what is best for students, and while the closeness of education to politics and government can bring about change for the better, that is not always the case, and I have all too often seen administrators more concerned with their political career and position than with the well being of the students. People working in education with this sort of attitude only hurt the students, and I sincerely hope that the future brings a concerned eye to see what is going on and what needs to change.

Link to the referenced article.