American education in this day and age is a multi-faceted, pedagogical and methodological combination of nearly every educational philosophy that has come "down the pike" over the last few decades. In addition, the avenues in which education can be administered and/or obtained are growing at a rapid pace. Traditional education, alternative education, online education, community education, adult education, immersion education, charter school education; name it… and there is a philosophy, school, and educator for it. Though some may argue that all educational philosophies ebb and flow, or are eventually recycled in some way, I believe there are certain principles that, whatever their label may be, are solid and useable educational foundations for any generation. In particular, I am an advocate for the idea of Multiple Learning Styles, which when paired with Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences, has become of personal interest to me and has garnished a lot of attention from educators and administrators nationwide.
As a prospective administrator myself, I am intrigued by the combination of these two concepts and have spent the last two years developing practical applications and methodologies for my classroom environment, and to the school as an entirety. In the future, I would like to take what I have done on my small scale, and replicate it at the community level, where I see endless opportunities for refinement, implementation, replication and expansion.
My idea centers on a core belief that everyone, at any age, is capable of learning. However, not everyone at every age can learn in the manner they are taught. Although most modern educators would agree with my statement, no one seems to know how to best implement this knowledge into a practical application, especially within the various types and levels of curriculum that exist in educational institutions all across America. How can we possibly standardize the fact that no one learner is standard? It is an arduous task to say the least, but for me, it has been the small efforts that have often seen the greatest results. Although I cannot make a single lesson plan that will cater to all learning styles and intelligences at once, there are facets and aspects of each that I am able to address with intentional, creative and thoughtful planning.
In an institution that I administer, I would like the staff to become knowledgeable and supportive of these philosophies. I would also hope that they would partner with me in administering the various programs and curriculum that integrate these principles. My greatest hope is that everyone involved will recognize that when a learner is taught in a style that they, in their individual ability understand, that the definition of what we deem as a successful learner may need to be reshaped to fit the new implementation of "multiple" methodology.
In the end I would like to make an impact on the learning path of all whose education I help administer, by creating and implementing curricula, classes and programs that recognize and cater to multiple learning style/ intelligences and encourages success as individually obtained by each learner who comes through the door.
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