Epistemology and Knowledge Essay

Epistemology, or the study of companionship, overlooks the scholar analyze the what, how, and wherefores of their own intimacy. Asking these questions of themselves is essentially kick ining that which they withstand learned. in that location be various origins of fellowship as conceptualized by philosophers, educators, and scientists. earlier philosophers defined populateledge as warrant true belief (Cooper, pg. 23). In ensnare for an individual to know whateverthing it must be true, he or she must cogitate it, and the belief in it must be justified or rationally reasonable. Later, proterozoic modern philosophers requisite knowledge to be proven and absolute.The scientific mode was utilize to provide proof for ideas and beliefs. The manner by which knowledge is cond varies. Feldman cites seminal fluids of knowledge as perception, full testimony, memory, reasoning, and introspection (Feldman, 2003). As an educator, instructing primary years scholarly person s on a cursory basis, I must non solo declare great perceptiveness into what I bank, precisely I excessively must get insight into my students knowledge as tumesce. Instructors need to know a number of things around their students, much(prenominal) as Do the students have adequate previous knowledge to understand the reinvigorated hooey be presented?Are the students sufficiently ca usance to engage in the cognitive tasks required of them? Does the information fit an existing evasion of knowledge or result it require some alteration of current sense? Understanding what my student know and at what depth they are able to apply that knowledge guides my counselling. My graphic curiosity, a natural inclination for question, and a need for answers prod the search for explanations. Knowledge and wisdom travel by an understanding of our position, intent, and function in the world.Achterbergh and Vriens (2002) stated, The role of knowledge in generating appropriate proc eedings is that it serves as a covertground for articulating possible courses of consummation (articulation), for judging whether courses of action will yielded the intend result and for using this hatful in selecting among them (selection), for deciding how actions should be implemented and for real implementing action (implementation) (pg. 223). Knowledge enables interpretation of cognises, predictions of consequences, and provides the world power to fixate certified decisions.My own individualised epistemology is a product of each of these views. face-to-face experiences have a major learn on beliefs and should be an acceptable source of knowledge but non the only consideration when acquiring knowledge. There is alike a place for the scientific method which offers proven selective information to base knowledge. For me, knowledge is a product of reasoning (Feldman, 2003). I derive knowledge from information merchandise finished different modes and from various sour ces, such as personal experiences, advice from experts, and selective information.These inputs of information are cognitively processed and filtered with the reference to late(prenominal) experience and previous knowledge to pop off new justified true beliefs (Cooper, ). Thus, knowledge acquisition is a process involving the appeal of raw info or information, reasoning, and judicial decision making. For example, afterwards my students have taken a test, I look at the data, regain about the patterns in the data, or the miss of a pattern using prior knowledge and experiences as a filter. Finally, I decide what my adjacent gradation or strategy will be.Do I need to reteach the present because the pattern suggests that nigh of my students did not fully understand the acquisition or concept? Or do I move on to other more complex skill or concept because my students have proven themselves versed? It is in this way that I acquire knowledge and apply that knowledge to trai ning lessons for my students. Many of my colleagues entrust solely on the scientific method to disembowel decisions in regards to student study. They are satisfied with smell at a spreadsheet full of data and believe that it tells the complete yarn in regards to students.They are also under the speculation that haemorrhoid derived from a series of duple choice tests presumptuousness on a set of skills will reveal if a student has acquired the desired knowledge. Basing grades on these tests is also appropriate. I do not believe that this tells the full story of my students knowledge. These tests may license the ability to throw off this knowledge at heart a trusted context, but out of this context this may not be true. I do, however, use this data to serve up inform umpteen another(prenominal) of my decisions, however, I do not make decisions based exclusively on this data.There must be a commensurateness of reasoning, using my 16 years of experiences and traini ng, as well as raw data tells a more complete story of my students knowledge and abilities. I have worked for Porterville Unified School district (PUSD), in Porterville, California, my entire passage. PUSDs fancy and flush statements read as follows PUSD students will have the skills and knowledge to be ready for college and career and to make a unconditional impact in a dynamic worldwide society. The mission of PUSD is to provide students a dynamic, engaging and efficient fosteringal experience that prepares them with the skills to be productive citizens in a global society. As a result, it is perceived that all students will develop and demonstrate critical thinking and problem resolve skills cultural awareness and the ability of meet with diverse groups effective communication skills of listening, oratory and writing creativity and innovation leadership, self-management and organizational skills obtained through and through real world applications and union involve ment (and) the ability to navigate the global world of work and further their education (Porterville, 2012). Porterville Unified (PUSD) has given explicit expectations for what students should know at the end of their educational career with the district, how students get to these end goals is a subatomic less clear and left to the judgment of the teachers. There are some expectations of teachers and lessons presented to students given by the district. Many professional evolution hours have been spent on instructing teachers about the specific things that administrators will look for as they do brief observations of classroom instruction.The expectations implicate tenet explicitly to the essential standards note of the essential standard being taught 80% student engagement during the lesson display of cautionary work higher order challenge and thinking skills. executive directors collect this data and dispense it with grade directs and schooling wide to admirer teachers f ocus on areas that are lacking. Administrator walk-throughs give a quick burgeon forth shot of the type of teaching and learning taking place during a lesson and they help to build a holistic pick up of the teaching methods and resources being used (Hetzner, 2011).PUSD has set(p) an emphasis on the strategies needed for effective lessons and, in turn, effective student learning. As a fourth grade teacher for Porterville Unified School District, my task is to shit daily lesson plans that serve to guide me as I teach my students. My first step in creating these lessons is to determine my students level of prior knowledge. I drop accomplish this by looking at formal and informal assessments and data. Observation of this data gives me a better understanding of what my next steps with my student should be.In some cases, I need to go back and reteach skills, while in other cases I can teach my students a new skill. I have to make an informed decision as to what cognitive level I need to teach to next. sense of how my students are performing as well as where I need to be as far as pace and staying on track to get through all the skills needed to be taught within the year are vital to my daily task as a 4th grade teacher. As I contrast my personal epistemology with that of my district, I nominate that I spend more time assessing data after the lesson has been taught while the district places more emphasis on data undisturbed during a lesson.Both of these approaches are rich and, in fact, the district does place quantify on the end result (i. e. utter test scores), however, there is little action that can take place after the end of the year data is collected. PUSD has pose and emphasis on good instruction because they see it as the road to a good education, as well as, the skills and goals they have set in the mission and visual sensation statements. Our epistemologies align in that we both rely on the research of experts.I trust, as does PUSD, that the data given by experts is worthy to our own knowledge and it should guide how I teach my students. The district also views its teachers as experts in the field and has given many freedoms in the presentation and uses of resources when teaching students. As I reflect on my school districts focus as compared to me I realize that even though our epistemologies are not exactly align we are aligned in our focus of the students. Students come first. That means I will use whichever strategies I need to in order to compel effective student learning.Reviewing test scores and planning lessons are vital to student learning, however, I have been so relate on what I am teaching that my students have not been engaged as well as they could be and gum olibanum have not learned the subject matters to their full potential. Also, although pacing is important, it should not be of top priority. Top priority should be assessing my students during the lesson and changing strategies, or even the skills being taught, if my students are not engaged.There is no point in plowing through a lesson if the majority of my students are not listening to what is being taught. This new insight will definitely help to bowel movement my instruction and will help make me a more effective teacher. References Achterbergh,J. , Vriens, D. (whitethorn-June 2002). Managing possible knowledge. Systems Research and Behavioral Science. V19i3p223 (19). Cooper, D. E. (Ed. ). (1999). Epistemology The classic readings. Malden, MA Blackwell. Feldman R. (2003). Epistemology.Upper Saddle River, NJ apprentice Hall. Hetzner, Amy, 2011. Walk-throughs give school administrators firsthand view of staff in action. JSOnline Milwaukee, Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. May 14, 2011. Retrieved on November 20, 2012 from http//www. jsonline. com/news/education/121843078. hypertext markup language Porterville Unified School District, 2012 . PUSD Vision and mission statements. Retrieved on November 20, 2012 from http//dnn. por tervilleschools. org/dotnetnuke/District/VisionMission. aspx.