Carrie’s TEBlog

I definitely identify with the pragmatism philosophy and fully support it. As I read about it all I could think is that this was describing exactly how I want to teach. It stresses using the scientific method and problem solving. I want to teach math so I can teach problem solving skills. I think they are by far the most important tools someone can have at their disposal. It helps make you a much more rounded person. If you can learn to approach each new problem with problem solving skill and use the scientific method to work it out, then ideally you can solve any problem to some extent. I mean it does not make much sense to teach only one subject. I think a much smarter person would be what the pragmatists consider to be smart. Someone who can draw on a well balanced diet of all sorts of information is much more likely to be able to get far in life. That is what problem solving is, using a recipe of skills that worked in other situations and learning to adapt already known information to new situations. I think the type of classroom it described was the ideal classroom. An environment where teachers facilitate students learning through their own processes and help them gain their own problem solving skills is a great way to create a real life social environment. A classroom that has students exploring problems for themselves and discussing their ideas openly is way more interactive and interesting then a class with a strict set curriculum. There is no set way to learn so students should be encouraged to figure out what works for them. There is no set rule that says this is what you need to be smart and get by in life, thus gaining lots of background and ways to incorporate information into new situations is way more important then learning one subject. I loved this philosophy because it is how I think people can better themselves.