Reflections on My Personal Teaching Philosophy

My personal teaching philosophy has many different components. Teaching means a lot to me and, therefore, it creates a complex philosophy. My purpose for teaching as well as the long term and short-term goals are intricate because of their significance to my career. My philosophy also discusses my methods of instruction and how I evaluate and assess my student’s knowledge. My philosophy includes the role of myself, as an educator. Also, my philosophy cannot leave out the importance of the student's roles, and family’s and community’s roles.

Through my past two years of experience in the classroom and research of Ozmon’s (2012) ‘Philosophical Foundations of Education’, I can conclude that my personal beliefs about teaching are closely related with the philosophy of pragmatism and behaviorism. As stated by Ozmon’s (2012) ‘Philosophical Foundations of Education’, “pragmatism is a philosophy that encourages us to seek out the processes and do the things that work best to help us achieve desirable ends” (p.113). Also, as stated in the same text, that behaviorism “is most often classified as a psychological theory rather than a philosophy. Behaviorists think that the human traits of personality, character, integrity, and so forth are the results of behaving in certain ways” (p. 185). Because I see pragmatism as a philosophy and behaviorism as a theory, I have chosen both to develop my own personal philosophy from.

Pragmatist, John Dewey, believed that students should learn from experience, be aware of consequences for their actions, and be able to solve social problems intelligently. Since I have a strong belief in giving students the opportunity to ‘learn by doing’, I think this pragmatic theory strongly relates to my personal teaching philosophy. Also, students being aware of their consequences as it relates to their behavior and academics is also a significant component to my philosophy since I find a great deal of important on this subject.

Touching on the aspect of behavior, I made it a point to bring in behaviorism only to highlight my belief in how human personality, and character enable people to act in certain ways. Therefore, it is important for me to put this into my teaching philosophy because I want others to understand that I recognize the significance of personality characteristics and how if effects students’ behavior. I believe that if I can understand how to differentiate my rules and consequences to fit certain personalities within my classroom, I will gain more respect from my students, colleagues, as well as parents.

My purpose for teaching relates to the school and what I believe school to be. School is where children come and learn about different subjects and knowledge to become active members of society. It is where they come to be safe and feel safe, and I have made it a personal and professional goal to make sure I uphold this standard of schooling, education, and of teaching to the highest respect. A long-term goal of mine is to maintain the responsibility to uphold a high standard within my community.

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As I stated above, I believe it is important to give my students the opportunity to ‘learn by doing’. Therefore, this method of instruction is a primary indication of how I believe students learn best and I have every intention to make sure that I give my students this opportunity whenever possible. I believe the student's role in the classroom to be that of extreme importance. Students should be given responsibility for their own learning. Students should lead classroom discussions. They should collaborate with one another. Students should communicate with each other to solve problems. I attended a professional development where the speaker stated: “the one doing the speaking in the classroom is the one doing the learning”. I found this statement to be very powerful and true.

As for the role of the teacher, I believe we should be facilitators in the classroom. I do believe there is a time for direct instruction; however, I believe students need to be given plenty of opportunities to lead the learning. In addition, I believe a big part of being a ‘public servant’ is being a public figure. The public is watching everything I do. I think it is important for all educators to be good role models. If you don’t have the trust of your parents, colleagues, and students, it would be very difficult to be taken seriously. If your students don’t take you seriously, I believe it would be problematic to implement instruction and behavior management.

Furthermore, I believe it is the educator’s responsibility to create an orderly environment within the classroom. I believe in routines and rules. However, I want my students to feel comfortable in speaking out and expressing their ideas and opinions on different subject matter. I also believe that without order, routines, procedures, and teacher guidance, it would be hard to get through all of the standards and curriculum that I am required to teach them and that they are required to learn.

Families and the community have a role in education. I believe they should be actively involved in the school. Parents should be aware of what is taking place in the classroom. They should be open to a line of communication between them, the teacher and the student. Families and the community should be invited to events and considered partners to the school. They should be involved in community-based decision making.

When asked to create a metaphor for education, I had to consider all of the aspects included with education. Education is like a Rubik’s cube. It is everchanging and we as educators must be willing to adapt in order to achieve the desired end result. No more are the days of students simply learning by a lecturer. In order to prepare students for college and career, we must alter how we are teaching students. Students need to be given responsibility for their learning and provided opportunities to think critically, be creative, work collaboratively, and communicate with one another. I believe technology has made a phenomenal impact on the advancement of education. The use of technology in the classroom allows teachers the opportunity to provide students with experiences they may not otherwise be granted outside of the classroom.

My teaching philosophy is not necessarily simple. Teachers handle a lot of different aspects within their jobs and personal lives from being public figures, role models, educational leaders, creators, implementers, disciplinarians, and problem solvers, teachers have a lot of roles. I think if a teacher has a good philosophy about their jobs and can apply it to their goals, curriculum, and students’ successes, they can be proud they chose this occupation. I know I am truly changing children’s lives, and I fully intend to continue my education for the betterment of theirs.

References

1. Ozmon, H. (2012). Philosophical Foundations of Education. New Jersey: Upper Saddle River.
2. Sherrod, S., Dwyer, J., & Narayan, R. (2009). Developing Science and Math Integrated Activities for Middle School Students. International Journal of Mathematics Education in Science & Technology, (40)2, 247-257.