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Is a teacher a role model and a mentor? Yes. Does a teacher impart knowledge otherwise unknown to learners? Yes. Is that knowledge fixed? No. Is a teacher’s only responsibility to prepare students for standardized testing? No. These are some of the questions one must ask when determining an educational philosophy that fits one’s own ideas of appropriate and effective teaching.
My own teaching philosophy cannot be wholly summed up in one category. I believe this to be so because it is a direct reflection of my own experiences and personality, which is anything but uniform. I do not believe that the philosophies in and of themselves are fixed either. An individual’s views, interpretations and instructional strategies used affect the application of an educational philosophy. For example, I have read of a teacher that has taken the philosophy of Social Reconstructionism quite literally. Instead of helping his students become independent thinkers-and finding answers to questions they have in order to prepare them for activism later in life if they choose that route, his classroom seems as if it should read “How to become an activist” on the door.
There is the other end of the spectrum as well. In my educational experience, it seems as if some teachers seem so preoccupied with the essential elements that they forget how boring it can be to sit through lectures day after day after day….. I do understand and appreciate the necessity for the fundamentals and vocational training, but when all emphasis is placed here I become somewhat upset. After all, what good are these skills if you cannot think critically about them and apply them in a real world setting? And what’s more, who will design the cover art for upcoming years’ textbooks if the art program is cut?
Thinking critically and the ability to find a solution to a problem are skills that we all use throughout our lives and yes, I do believe they are skills that can be honed. With a teacher’s guidance, practice and personal interest students can learn to think critically and from there propose options as to how to solve the problem at hand. After all, the world around us is not constant. If a learner is only exposed to biased information or given outdated possibly less effective tools for learning, how is that learner expected to solve a problem that he/she cannot relate to a previous lesson?
As stated above, the world is constantly changing, and I believe teachers should change with it. This is why a large portion of my own philosophy is Progressive in nature. I do not think that students should be treated as a mass, giving instruction that does not meet individual students’ needs.
Knowledge should be given and received on both ends. The idea that the teacher is some sort of reverent entity that is never to be questioned is foreign to me. Teachers are people, the same as students and should be treated as such with respect and compassion. This is not to say that the students should choose their own curriculum. There are some Essentialist and Perennialist elements in my personal philosophy as well. In art there are certain works that a student should know if he/she plans to study art in any detail, or simply know why said work is famous and revered. There are also tried and true methods of creating particular types of art. Although these methods are not written in stone, I do feel they are necessary to know before attempting to alter them.
I feel that these ideas can be incorporated with the notion that the students should have some input as to what they learn and how. Should we, as teachers, help stimulate intrinsic motivation by offering choices to students? I think so. I believe we must do everything we can to stimulate interest, enhance critical thinking skills and creativity, and help prepare students for what lies ahead.