"The rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct."Why are teaching philosophies important?
A teaching philosophy is very similar to a personal philosophy. When someone has their own teaching philosophy, it means that they have a rationale for how and why they teach. A personal philosophy is very similar to a teaching philosophy except that it does not necessarily deal with the aspect of education. Hiving a personal philosophy for what we do is necessary for us to be successful as teachers because we must know why we are even teaching. Without a strong and sound reason; we may lose the point of teaching and forget why we became teachers in the first place.
Types of Philosophies
- Teacher-centered philosophies tend to be more authoritarian and conservative, and emphasize the values and knowledge that have survived through time. The major teacher-centered philosophies of education are essentialism and perennialism.
- Student-centered philosophies are more focused on individual needs, contemporary relevance, and preparing students for a changing future. School is seen as an institution that works with youth to improve society or help students realize their individuality. Progressivism, social reconstructionism, and existentialism place the learner at the center of the educational process: Students and teachers work together on determining what should be learned and how best to learn it.
How are these reflected in schools?
- Essentialism and perennialism give teachers the power to choose the curriculum, organize the school day, and construct classroom activities. The curriculum reinforces a predominantly Western heritage while viewing the students as vessels to be filled and disciplined in the proven strategies of the past. Essentialists focus on cultural literacy, while perennialists work from the Great Books.
- Progressivism, social reconstructionism, and existentialism view the learner as the central focus of classroom activities. Working with student interests and needs, teachers serve as guides and facilitators in assisting students to reach their goals. The emphasis is on the future, and on preparing students to be independent-thinking adults. Progressivists strive for relevant, hands-on learning. Social reconstructionists want students to actively work to improve society. Existentialists give students complete freedom, and complete responsibility, with regard to their education.
- Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are the three most legendary ancient Greek philosophers. Socrates is hailed today as the personification of wisdom and the philosophical life. He gave rise to what is now called the Socratic method, in which the teacher repeatedly questions students to help them clarify their own deepest thoughts.
Some questions you should be able to answer about yourself:
- What do you get up each and every morning wanting to do?
- What directs your actions and decisions, especially the impulsive ones?
- What gives you a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day?
- What feeling is in the core of your soul that you know to be self-evident? Sounds constitutional, and maybe that is good.
- Why are your beliefs important to you?
- How does your philosophy measure up to higher standards or ideals?
My experience:
In my past, I have a had more than a few jobs, some I loved and some I hated. There was even one that I hated but loved some of the aspects involved in it. At the time of each job I never thought about why I hated or loved it, because I did not have a philosophy for myself of what I wanted out of life. This happened again when I decided to re-attend school and get a degree. I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I knew that I wanted to help and work with people. That was the first step of my philosophy that I found for myself. From there I decided that teaching was right up my alley, it lets me work with people and have fun doing it.Fast forward to now and I have my own personal /teaching philosophy. "I want to work with and help people and if I cannot have fun doing it, then it is not something I want to do".
What I agree and disagree with:
I think all this research on teaching philosophies is pretty accurate. They are good and sound reasons for why education is the way it is. I don't think that these are meant to be a cookie cutter philosophy for anyone to take and use as their own. Sure, someone can believe in it but just agreeing with a teaching philosophy that is already made shows that they have not yet found their own. I also like how these ways of thinking have been traced back all they way the Greek philosophers. They created the basis of what we know and understand today. I thank them mostly for the power of inquiry.
As for what I disagree with, I think that the definitions and statements are too easy. When I say too easy, I mean that they make it sound easier to create and have a personal teaching philosophy than it really is. Reading a book to figure out how to create one is good, but we really need to know ourselves and what we want out of life in order to create an effective philosophy.
Applicability as a teacher:
This may be one of the most important aspects to being a teacher, as it can also be the most important aspect of any job. Knowing who we are and what we want out of life does not just set goals;it drives us in a determined direction. Having direction in a job is important and even more important as a teacher because we are responsible for helping kids learn. With kids' learning involved, we need to have our ideals and philosophies set in stone because if they aren't, they will surely crack when it comes time to perform the job.
Applicability to students:
This is something that I feel is taught to students, but they may not be ready to understand the importance of a personal or teaching philosophy. Most kids have to create 5-year plans in which the catalog what they want to achieve for their high school years and the year after high school. This forces them to look into the future, to see what they want and where they might be in 5 years. Like everyone else, students will have to figure out for themselves what they want to be when they grow up and start thinking about careers.
Works Cited
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072877723/student_view0/chapter9/
http://www.acthompson.net/PhilEd.htm
http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_196604_walcott.pdf
http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/masters-resources/what-is-a-teaching-philosophy-statement-and-why-do-i-need-it/
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