Welcome to
Stephanie Greene's
EDU 581 Digital Portfolio

PHILOSOPHY (EDU581)
The goal of education is to provide skills for life long learning, problem solving, and application to students in a safe environment so that they may make mistakes and take risks while adding to their base of knowledge intellectually and socially.
An ideal environment for education would include appropriate and ample resources, a positive and safe atmosphere, and knowledgeable and passionate teachers who are flexible to the needs of the learning styles of the students.
I believe that students learn best when they have ample sleep and nourishment. Students learn best when surrounded by positive influences such as role models and stimulating activities. For the most part, the teacher should plan the lessons based on the curriculum but in conjunction with the prior knowledge and learning styles of the students. This may change from class to class and year to year. By creating a basic outline of lessons, flexibility must occur when students are learning at a different pace. In some cases a lesson can be built as a democratic learning experience, but the process should be well planned and guided for full impact and learning. Participation by the students is crucial, giving students the responsibility of an active role in their learning will reinforce the information and skills as they are learned. Participation can be achieved by both cooperative and direct learning activities and each should be used for variety. The student should be taught to identify and create achievable short and long term goals, and taught to reflect upon these goals. The students should decide what types of educational goals they have, but discussion and guidance by the teacher is necessary. Students, in an ideal world, should be responsive to the information and skills given to them. Learning is a give and take process, trial and error, and hopefully, with the correct guidance, students will learn to enjoy and become proficient at applying their new knowledge to existing knowledge and creating new information. Students do need to be responsible for maintaining a respectful and caring atmosphere and learn daily how to become accountable for their actions, be those actions independent or group related. At the same time they must share with others their own valuable knowledge and experiences to create a richer learning environment.
It is my hope as a teacher to develop the potential of any individual’s abilities. By doing so, I give information, tap into previous information, guide in personal discovery of information and inspire the desire to use the information. Honestly, the feeling of satisfaction that arises after interacting with students who “get it” is wonderful. If I can impart my passion for my subject to an individual at any level, and that person leaves with a little more than he started with, I feel good. I enjoy the feeling of seeing a student’s eyes light up at discovery, or seeing a connection made to a previous experience. I have the desire to help students thrive and grow by giving them the skills to do so. These skills include using instinct and creativity. As a teacher, by creating an environment of appropriate structure, maintaining flexibility when necessary, and providing guides and expectations in a well organized, positive and caring environment, the students will have increased success in the learning process.