As a participant in the MSET program, one is afforded many opportunities to use new technologies in the educational arena, evaluate the effectiveness of those technologies with regards to improved learning, and then to develop new ways to utilize these technologies within the context of the school environment. Many times the student of the MSET program is asked to assess the implications of these technologies in terms of impact on student progress, school improvement, cost effectiveness, practicality of use, and much more. In essence, the MSET participant must reformulate their philosophy of education based on the experiences and learnings the individual has acquired throughout the MSET program. For me, the MSET program has served to reinforce my current philosophy of education.

As a teacher I strive to go beyond “giving students an education.” One reason for this is that everyone should be afforded the opportunity to acquire an education. Another reason can be found in the maxim: Give a man a fish and you feed him for one day. TEACH a man to fish and you feed him for a life time. To put it simply, I teach. I do not give anything.

It is my belief that the best thing that I can teach any person is to be a life-long learner. In order to succeed at this endeavor, one must accomplish three big objectives:

1. Demonstrate and practice the art of how to learn

2. Make the information or skill to be taught relevant to the learner

3. Make the learning take place in situations that closely, if not exactly, mirror the real world.

By demonstrating and practicing how to learn, one establishes in the minds of students the fact that everyone learns. It also creates a foundation of skills for learners to emulate and, eventually, expand to fit their own needs. A partial list of these skills may include creating/forming appropriate questions or hypotheses, using available technologies and references to research answers to those questions, and the ability to synthesize new solutions to subsequent problems. The best way to incorporate this demonstration of learning is to build it into the design of instruction (See Instructional Design).

Making information or skills to be learned relevant to the student and making learning take place in authentic situations are closely related and both can also be built into the design of instruction. Relevancy is generated when the instructor devises guiding or essential questions that are reflective of the student's life or experiences. Such questions direct the student to seek answers to personally important information. By building in authentic, real-world scenarios in which the learning takes place, the instructor is creating motivational and interesting environments for their students.

There are many other important pieces to my philosophy; however, the three mentioned above are the foundation for my views regarding education. Teacher roles, student roles, what should be taught, parental involvement, etc...All these things must be built upon that foundation.