Voices of Educational Pioneers

Reading through The History and Philosophy of Education, Voices of Educational Pioneers, I had a bit of trouble narrowing my preferential philosophers to just a few, because the majority of them aligned with at least part of my philosophy, and below I have outlined these.
Overall, I did not wholly support the view of Quintilian. But, one thing I did appreciate from his philosophy is that although he thought of the teacher as the expert, he thought it was important for he or she to consider the developmental level and needs of the students, and to use methods that would motivate and stimulate students to learn. I like this idea because he realized that it was important to know not just that the teacher was the all-knowing expert, but that she or he should really take into account each student and what they need to be successful.
Jesus was another educator who I had shared beliefs with. Although I do not think religion should be so highly involved in the classroom, I agree with the idea of using storytelling, illustration, repetition, and silence, for didactic methods, and using conversation, discussion, question-answer and answer-question as interactive methods in the classroom. I think, as he did, that it is beneficial for the students to become involved in the application of both types of teaching methods.
I did not really find myself supporting the beliefs of Augustine, but one thing I did appreciate was that he thought that effective teaching meant that a teacher spoke with enthusiasm and motivated students to want to learn. I think it is really important for teachers to show enthusiasm while teaching, especially within his or her specific content area, and I think this is motivating to students in and of itself.
Erasmus is a philosopher who I thought had one important perspective on education. He believed that the teacher should gently instruct students using many examples to vividly explain concepts. I found this to be a valuable point because students learn in different ways, and having various examples can help ensure that all learners are capable of understanding the concept.
Comenius had a lot of ideas on education that I think are valuable. Comenius believed in the idea of universal education for everyone, despite social background, religion, sex, or intellectual ability. This is really important to me because I feel that everyone is capable of learning, and I believe that I will be able to teach each student that enters my classroom. He thought that teachers should encourage, be kind, give individual attention to students, and be open-minded to all types of learners. The subject matter should be taught with variety and practicality. He also thought that teachers should be paid more than they are, which I agree with because the job they do is so valuable to society and it is very demanding and involves extensive time in and out of the school, off and on the clock.
One element of Rousseau's philosophy that I appreciated was that he thought that instead of education being centered on the subject matter that is taught, it should be centered on the student who is being taught. I think this is an important distinction for the teacher to make, as lessons should be tailored to the students.
Pestalozzi had a lot of beliefs that are aligned with mine. He was an advocate for the idea that learning had to be stimulated by the interests and motivation of the child, instead of punishment and fear. He thought that no one, not even girls or the poor, should be denied education. Pestalozzi also said that teachers needed to take into consideration students' emotional and social needs while trying to teach to them. There should be a loving and caring student-teacher relationship, and the teacher should respect the child. He thought that the school should be a good home and the teacher should be like a good parent. I like this idea because for some students school is the closest they may come to a safe, caring home-like environment, with the teacher being as close as they get to a real parental figure in their lives, sadly.
In regards to Jefferson, I really liked how he believed in the equality of men, (and women, I would hope) despite race, religion, or habitat. He had a lot of confidence that higher education was capable of bring the lower class up to a higher class. I support this idea and think that education may be some people's best and only hope of moving out of poverty.
I enjoyed reading DuBois' philosophy because he was such an advocate for desegregation and equality among varying races, especially promoting equality for African Americans. I don't think race should have any matter in education, except for the teacher knowing the race each student identifies with and incorporating it into the classroom.
I liked Dewey's idea of the activity or hands-on method of educating students because I know that this can help reach many learners. Dewey favored the idea of democracy in the classroom and letting students make their own choices and have a say in their education. He acknowledged the multicultural world and saw education as a way to foster mutual respect among the diverse cultures, which I think is so important. School is a great way for students to learn about different cultures and be able to come to respect them and one another. He was a proponent for cooperative learning, which is most certainly something I will implement in my own classroom.'
Tyler's philosophy also aligned quite nicely with my own. He thought that the purpose of life was learning, and that the purpose of school was to help children learn and develop the problem-solving skills that would assist them in becoming actively engaged citizens in the work of a democratic society. Tyler encouraged teachers to introduce new experiences to their students, which makes me think of an example of how we will be teaching the technology-age students and it would be good for me to be able to show them different types of technology or resources on the web that they can use and I can use to teach them something. He valued cooperative learning, which, as aforementioned, I feel is very important and valuable. I also liked how he said, "Before I go to sleep I always ask myself three things: one, what did I learn; two, what did it mean; and three, how can I use it?" I really liked this quote and I think it is something worth reflecting on.
The final philosophical view that I appreciated was that of Piaget. He thought that teachers needed to understand the way that children understand things and this understanding must guide their teaching practice and evaluation. Instruction needs to be individualized in order to accommodate each learner. The purpose of school, according to Piaget, was to help children learn to think, discover, and create. He also supported the idea of cooperative learning.
So many philosophies of education and schools of thought I found valuable in learning and reflecting on in regards to my own philosophy.