TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Teaching Philosophy



Teaching Philosophy

Teaching and learning are guided by a variety of beliefs and principles that direct the practice of administrators and faculty responsible for these educational activities. These beliefs and principles make up a philosophy of education that can be used to guide decision making and practice. These philosophies are widely discussed and debated, subsequently giving rise to several schools of thought regarding how institutions of learning should be structured and organized and what teaching and learning look like within these institutions.

Six commonly debated philosophies include essentialism, behaviorism, perennialism, humanism, existentialism, progressivism, and social reconstructions. This list is neither exhaustive nor agreed upon that all schools of thought should, in fact, be included. Each school of thought does provide a unique perspective on educational practices and will, therefore, be treated as distinctive and legitimate. Depending on the philosophy to which one subscribes the structure and organization of the instructional environment and the activities that take place within that structure will range from one end of the educational spectrum to the other. An awareness and understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of each are essential to understanding and identifying the structures, organization, and activities that characterize learning environments based on each of the six philosophies. The order in which each is discussed ranges from conservative to liberal perspectives on education.

In the ongoing debate over nature versus nurture, nurture prevails from the perspective of a behaviorist. According to behaviorist philosophy, knowledge and understanding of reality are learned, and therefore the only true reality is that which can be observed and experienced. In addition, learning is the result of our actions and reactions to internal and/or external stimuli. Humans are simply the product of their environment.

The source of behavior results from external factors and variables rather than internal ones. Thus, learning results from stimulation by and observation of external phenomena. Through repetition and experimentation, students learn about the physical world and human nature. A school based on the behaviorist philosophy would typically structure the curriculum in such a way that students would have multiple opportunities to experience and interact with the content to be learned. Teachers and administrators must be aware of the external stimuli and variables inherent in a school that might impact or factor into how and what students are learning in that environment.

Perennialists believe that certain ideas and truths are as relevant today as they were hundreds of years ago when these ideas were first discussed and debated. They believe that these “perennial” or everlasting ideas and truths should be the focus of classroom instruction. Based on the philosophy and teachings of Plato, Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, and later, Robert Hutchins and Mortimer Adler, perennialism addresses these ideas and truths through the study of the humanities and the ongoing development of students' capacity to reason.

Similar to essentialism, perennialism addresses the need for students to develop intellectual powers and moral qualities. Student interests and experiences have little place in the curriculum, since the primary focus of this philosophy is to ...