FFA Philosophy

“Learning to do, Doing to Learn,” this first half of the FFA motto speaks to me as I develop my teaching style and philosophy. Ever since I learned the FFA motto in high school, I have chosen to live my life and fashion a functional classroom environment by it. The motto best exemplifies progressivism, which is the idea that education occurs best in a student-centered setting, should focus on experimentation and the use of the scientific method (1999). In order for students to be engaged in their learning, I, as the teacher, need to provide an interest for them based on their needs and interests.

Learning is the acquisition of knowledge by doing, being taught, and by studying, according to Merriam-Webster (2015). It is a lifelong adventure

which are reinforced by repetition and the addition of new material. Jean Piaget was one of the first psychologist’s to study cognitive development and believed that learning occurs with social interactions. In early childhood development, day-care teachers, baby sitters, and, primarily, parents, family members, and caretakers are responsible for a child’s rudimentary development and learning. Every event in a child’s life is a learning experience that shapes a child cognitive development. This buttresses Russian psychologist, Lev Vigotsky’s theory of “scaffolding”, in which children learn in systematic ways (2001). For example, I remember being eight years old and playing baseball outside with the neighborhood kids. We would play every day from the time we finished homework until supper time. I, also, remember not having all the necessary equipment, so we had

Washington had interesting views on education. His views will guide the process in which I create classwork and assessments protocols. The students must be motivated in order to learn. However, this can only happen if the information is interesting and makes sense. I do not want to assign nonsensical busywork. Students should not be required to memorize material they do not understand. Mastered proficiency will only occur efficiently when students are ready to learn the topic and have ample background to understand the concepts. Every assignment will be purposeful and will aid in the students success in the course while assessments will not be harsh or meaningless, but will track student progress in the class. While classwork and assessments provide educational tracking, it is imperative to create procedures to keep students on track and behaving properly in my