In October 2006, I wrote a paper on my philosophy of education. The paper was introduced with a definition of education followed by my philosophy. By defining what education is, I somewhat narrowed my thinking. The end result was a philosophy that sounded similar to the definition of education. Although education is an act of acquiring knowledge and preparing oneself for a mature life, the definition is too general to formulate a philosophy around. For the purpose of my reflection, I will leave my more mature philosophy for the conclusion of the paper while I keep in mind my original philosophy; education is a means of opening new doors to a more prosperous, mature life. Education is constant and attained until the day we die. Education is attained through interactions not only between student and teacher, but just as importantly in our daily activities in life. Each day brings new experiences and these experiences add to the abundance of knowledge already stored in our brains. Going a step further, through critical thinking and learning actively, people are able to acquire knowledge more effectively. These standards will be used to critique my philosophy of education and finally a new philosophy will be revealed.
Critical thinking and active learning are key concepts in school that pertain to education. Critical thinking is a process that allows a student to gain better insight. More specifically, as Colombo says, a critical thinker asks questions opposed to expecting answers. This is key to understanding the basis of my philosophy. In a classroom setting, I see a critical thinker as someone who takes the information the professor has laid out for them, processes that information, and asks questions about the information. The student who raises their hand and asks questions, which may lead to a class discussion, is a person who is trying to reformulate answers or get further clarification. By doing so, new questions arise and the knowledge is more readily available in the persons mind. This approach sums up my presence in a classroom. I literally cannot sit in a classroom and not make comments or ask questions. In a funny way, that’s actually a good thing. The peak of my learning attainment comes when I ask questions and gain further insight because I better attain the knowledge. What this allows me to do is explain the material to other people, more specifically other students who ask me for an explanation. By teaching other students the material, I display my understanding of the material and demonstrate my ability to actively learn.
A specific example of my ability to demonstrate understanding was during the week we watched the video on Muslims and the Middle East. When we got into small groups after the video and talked about the questions we had, the group tended to look at me as a figure who had a better grasp around the material, when in fact I did not have the strongest grasp until I was put in that position. It made me think critically, and it opened my mind to teaching the students. As days passed, I had a better sense of understanding; understanding that I would correlate with my ability to explain the material. This example also pertains to the immigration project I completed on Iran. I educated myself through research about the history of Iranian immigration from 1920 to present day. This history was very complicated and did not have a simple equation. I had to separate the variables that contributed to Iranians coming to the United States, both push and pull factors, and in presenting these ideas to my parents really attained the information. That was the first step in the process. The second was during presentations in mentor session. I did not have to use the PowerPoint as a guide; I really just gave a presentation on what I had learned and that was true attainment of knowledge. This was education. From this idea, a transition can be made to the philosophy of education that develops over the last year.
As the school year comes to a conclusion, I can reflect back on the past three terms at Portland State University. It is now June 2007 and I have completed 39 credits. I have taken courses in various subject areas including psychology, sociology, and criminology as well as business. It would be a waste of my education, and of course time and money, to have taken courses in these subject areas and not have come out a mentally stronger person. I not only have opened up my eyes to the world around me, but have a better understanding and appreciation for life. Education is a sorting system, especially in America, that allows one to find their deepest interests and aspirations. Elementary school teaches the basic foundations for ones education while middle school takes the foundation for learning one step further. High school is then a preparation for college with more in depth work and time in the classroom than ever before. Finally, a student reaches college, which in a symbolic sense is like the end of the road. College is an institution where education comes full circle. I have spent 12 years in this system of education and it all comes down to finding what my true endeavors are. Each of the courses I have taken over the course of this year at Portland State University has provided me knowledge that will help me make decisions about my future. In Constructed Self, I came to a realization that I have a strong passion for Middle Eastern Studies and issues that impact the world, such as war. My sociology course further extended that passion. I still have many credits to fulfill for a future Bachelors degree, but with each course I take, I will better understand why the education system I have been in the past 12 years will aid in my future aspirations in life.