Philosophy of Education
The students are the focus of education. The role of the students is to acquire knowledge and gain information that will be useful to them in the future. They are to come to grasp the key concepts and ideas of the different disciplines and how they are related to their lives and futures. Without these concepts and ideas the students will not be as productive in the modern world.
Society plays an instrumental role in the education of students. Society sets the standards that the students must meet in order to be called competent citizens. Society and the community must provide the students with opportunities and challenge them to put their knowledge into use. Without the society and community working to better educate their younger citizens, it will be destined to fail.
The teacher has perhaps the most challenging role in the education process. The teacher can play many different roles in the classroom to effectively pass on the information or concepts to the students. I believe the teacher should use the role of facilitator in the classroom as the basic method of instruction. This allows for the students' cognitive development and the development of proper thinking skills. However, at times in the classroom the teacher must change their role to better illustrate a point or idea.
The role of social studies education is to create competent citizens that can think and act based upon their knowledge of the world and how it functions. We must use social studies to provide examples and experiences for the students so that they may use them in their decision-making processes. Social studies is one of the most important subject fields because it combines the entire world into one place to be studied. Without social studies we would not be able develop the ideas and concepts necessary to become competent citizens of the world.
In all of these roles and functions of education we must never lose sight of the goal, that the students are the most important piece of the puzzle. Without the students, there is no need for education. The focus of education should rest solely on the students and their needs.