Introduction to Education/Foundations Philosophy of Education

BTSD Topic: Philosophy of Education BTSD Title: Forming a Teaching Philosophy Objective: Define and explain how teachers form their teaching philosophy BTSD topic: Factors in Teaching Philosophy Formation Every teacher, whether he or she realizes it, has a philosophy of education. A teacher’s philosophy of education is reflected in everything that happens within the four walls of a classroom. Many teachers have difficulty articulating how their teaching philosophy was formed. Although there are no specific rules for creating your own teaching philosophy, there are essential steps involved in the formation of a philosophy of education. These include:

• Creating a statement of your beliefs about the purpose of schooling and the nature of teaching and learning

o What does this mean for me as a teacher? How do my beliefs about teaching and learning match up with the traditional philosophies of education?

Am I a perennialist, believing that curriculum should be rigorously intellectual in nature? Do I believe that curriculum should focus on the great ideas that have endured throughout history?

Am I an essentialist, believing that curriculum should focus on the “basics” of reading, writing, and mathematics?

Am I a progressivist, believing that curriculum should focus on real-world problem solving and individual development?

Am I postmodernist, believing that curriculum should elevate the oppressed peoples in society and minimize racism, sexism, and imperialism?

• Examining your beliefs to ensure that they are consistent with each other o What does this mean for me as a teacher? Does the teaching philosophy that I

espouse match up with the knowledge that I possess about students and learning? Are my beliefs valid? Do they make sense intuitively?

• Articulating your philosophy in a concise, consistent statement o What does this mean for me as a teacher? Am I able to succinctly and clearly

articulate my educational philosophy? Are my goals, learning activities, and assessments consistent with each other?

Once you articulate your teaching philosophy, it then acts as a framework that you can use to guide your teaching practice. It can also be modified and updated as your professional knowledge expands and you gain practical experience. In the following activities, you will view three videos. As you watch, consider how each teacher’s actions reflect his or her teaching philosophy. Consider how your teaching practice will be affected by the formation of your own teaching philosophy. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Final Quiz Part 1 Part 1 Introductory Text: In this video, an elementary teacher uses a word wall and verbal repetition to reinforce spelling words. As you watch, consider how this lesson reflects the teacher’s educational philosophy. Video Title: Word Walls Video Asset: http://abavtooldev.pearsoncmg.com/myeducationlab/singleplay.php?projectID=languagearts&clipID=LGAR_016_102.flv Question 1 Text: From the teacher’s reflections and the activities in the video, with which traditional philosophy does this teacher most closely identify? Question 1 Hint: How do the goals, activities, and assessments in this video reflect a specific teaching philosophy? Question 1 Feedback: The teacher’s activities focus on repetition, drill, and practice. This is reflective of the essentialist philosophy described earlier. Question 2 Text: Do the teacher’s choices and actions in the lesson reflect a consistency between her philosophy (identified in Question 1) and her instructional choices? If so, how? Question 2 Hint: Does there appear to be consistency between the teacher’s goals and the activities she chooses to incorporate? Question 2 Feedback: The teacher states that her goal is application, in that students will be able to use words correctly in future writing assignments. The activity in the video does not reflect application, but rather repetition. This is consistent with the essentialist philosophy. Question 3 Text: Are the goals, learning activities, and assessments consistent with one another in this lesson? Explain your answer.

Question 3 Hint: Think about how a concise, clear teaching philosophy guides teaching practice. Is there consistency in this lesson? Does the activity reflect a concise teaching philosophy? Question 3 Feedback: The goal of the lesson is for students to apply spelling words correctly in a future writing assignment. The learning activity involves repetition of the spelling words using body and hand movements. There is informal assessment of student learning as the class participates as a group in the activity. The goal of application is not reflected in the learning activity selected for this lesson. The assessment method also does not reflect application of the words in a different setting. Part 2 Part 2 Introductory Text: Preschool students take part in a lesson about birds, and how chicks hatch from eggs. As you watch, listen as the teacher discusses the reasoning behind the curriculum. Video Title: Hatching Eggs Video Asset: http://abavtooldev.pearsoncmg.com/myeducationlab/singleplay.php?projectID=earlychildhoodeducation&clipID=math_science.flv Question 1 Text: From the teacher’s reflections and the activities in the video, with which traditional philosophy does this teacher most closely identify? Question 1 Hint: How do the goals, activities, and assessments in this video reflect a specific teaching philosophy? Question 1 Feedback: The activities in this video reflect a progressivist philosophy of education, which focuses on student involvement in learning and individual development. Question 2 Text: Do the teacher’s choices and actions in the lesson reflect a consistency between her philosophy (identified in Question 1) and her instructional choices? If so, how? Question 2 Hint: Does there appear to be consistency between the teacher’s goals and the activities she chooses to incorporate? Question 2 Feedback: The activities in this lesson reflect a progressivist philosophy of education, as students explore, manipulate, and act out science processes in the video. Question 3 Text: Are the goals and learning activities consistent with one another in this lesson? Explain your answer. Question 3 Hint: Think about how a concise, clear teaching philosophy guides teaching practice. Is there consistency in this lesson? Does the activity reflect a concise teaching philosophy?

Question 3 Feedback: The goals of the activity (engaging students and incorporating their natural curiosity) are consistent with the learning activities (observing and manipulating eggs and chicks, acting out the stages of a bird’s life). Part 3 Final Quiz Part 3 Introductory Text: In this clip, middle school students predict and experiment with how many times a coin will land on heads. As you watch, consider the philosophical beliefs that are implied by the instructional choices made by the teacher. Video Title: Probability Lesson: Flipping a Coin Video Asset: http://abavtooldev.pearsoncmg.com/myeducationlab/singleplay.php?projectID=mathmethods&clipID=MMET_014_218.flv Question 1 Text: From the teacher’s reflections and the activities in the video, with which traditional philosophy does this teacher most closely identify? Question 1 Hint: How do the goals, activities, and assessments in this video reflect a specific teaching philosophy? Question 1 Feedback: The teacher’s comments during the video reflect a progressive educational philosophy, as he believes students should practice real-world skills and be involved in their own learning. Question 2 Text: Do the teacher’s choices and actions in the lesson reflect a consistency between his philosophy (identified in Question 1) and his instructional choices? If so, how? Question 2 Hint: Does there appear to be consistency between the teacher’s goals and the activities he chooses to incorporate? Question 2 Feedback: The activities selected for this lesson reflect a progressive educational philosophy, as students actively engage in the content material. Students solve a “real-world” mathematical problem in this lesson. Question 3 Text: Are the goals, learning activities, and assessments consistent with one another in this lesson? Explain your answer. Question 3 Hint: Think about how a concise, clear teaching philosophy guides teaching practice. Is there consistency in this lesson? Does the activity reflect a concise teaching philosophy? Question 3 Feedback: The goal of this lesson (defining and predicting probability) is consistent with the learning activities (flipping a coin and recording results) and assessment (sharing responses in an informal environment and offering feedback).

Question 4 Text: Using the information you have gathered from these three classrooms, explain how formulating a concise educational philosophy will impact your teaching. Question 4 Hint: Why is your teaching philosophy important? How will it impact your teaching and your students’ learning? Question 4 Feedback: A concise, well-formulated teaching philosophy will help you to determine which instructional strategies will be most consistent with your beliefs, and which will help you to reach your goals. It will serve as a foundation for your choices and actions as you plan for instruction and interact with your students.

Mapping Standards to Building Teaching Skills and Dispositions:

INTASC Standard 1: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the subjects being taught and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students. INTASC Standard 4: The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving and performance skills. INTASC Standard 7: The teacher plans instruction based on knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals. INTASC Standard 9: The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.