Kate Sigworth-Hippler

What is the purpose of education? How does this belief influence your pedagogy?

I think this question really touches on my educational philosophy and my ideals as to a teacher’s role…..
My personal philosophy of education is built upon the ideal of a teacher's role as an enabler of learning. A successful educator must not just provide answers, but also provide the path to answers. By doing so, teachers provide the tools needed for the students to face the many challenges of the world.
A successful educator facilitates their students by serving as an aide and a motivator. An educator needs to be organized and aide the student's learning experience by providing the materials, supplies, and resources necessary to accomplish the tasks and lessons. As an educator it is important to assistant the student and show them how to use the provided resources to arrive at the correct answer, but not to do the task for them. Students must be motivated to look beyond the answer and encouraged to look to why it is the correct answer. By accomplishing this, the students are able to rise to new challenges and see the world not just as black and white.
By having the skills of learning and problem solving, students can more easily adapt to the world outside of the classroom. This will lead to capable, competent, and proficient members of society who are equipped with the problem solving skills to deal with every challenge they will face.