Teaching Philosphy

A reason to examine philosophies of learning

A philosophy of education is a statement (or set of statements) that identifies and clarifies the
beliefs, values and understandings of an individual or group with respect to education.
Defined in this sense, it may be thought of as a more-or-less organised body of knowledge
and opinion on education, both as it is conceptualised and as it is practiced. An instructor’s
teaching style is directly related to their philosophy of what it means to know and learn. The
rationale for making particular teaching choices becomes more apparent when new faculty
members reflect on what they believe about teaching and learning. Much of what faculty
believe comes from their own experiences as a student, the images of teaching they hold, and
their experiences as a teacher. There is, however, a body of research on teaching and
learning that may serve faculty well as they hone their teaching craft.

Philosophies of teaching and learning

Numerous philosophers have studied what it means to teach and learn, and have come up
with various explanations of the process of becoming educated. Faculty begin to refine their
own beliefs and understandings of what it means to know through examining numerous
theories of knowledge and making sense of the processes of teaching and learning in their
own minds. An few philosophies and examples of individuals who exemplify the concepts
are worth exploring: Existentialism (Maxine Greene, Jean-Paul Sartre, Soren Kierkegaard,
Simone de Beauvoir), Critical Theory (Karl Marx, Henry Geroux, Michael Apple, Paulo
Friere), Behaviorism (B.F. Skinner), Cognitivism / Developmentalism (Maria Montessori,
A.S. Neill, John Dewey, Knowles, Waldorf Schools, Reggio Emilia Schools), Social
Constructivism (John Dewey, Lev Vygotsky, Jerome Bruner, Montessori, Reggio Emilia and
Waldorf Schools), Multiple Intelligences (Howard Gardner), Brain based learning (Marian
Diamond, Renate and Geoffrey Caine, Thomas Armstrong, Candace Pert, and Eric Jensen).
This is a good starting place from which to explore other philosophies and the individuals
who articulate them.
Articulating your philosophy of teaching and learning
New faculty members come to better understand their own philosophy through thinking about
what they believe about teaching and learning. One means of thinking is writing. New
faculty members benefit from taking the time to craft a teaching philosophy statement. This
sort of statement or something like it is often part of an application process for faculty
positions, or it is part of graduate studies at many universities. The clarity that results from
crafting such a statement brings to the forefront the way teaching decisions are made, and this
self knowledge will be invaluable when undertaking course planning.

How is a philosophy implemented?

At Katihar Engineering College, we work long and hard to understand our students and to
honour and cherish their individual and corporate value. In doing this, we work from a clear
philosophical basis that recognises that boys:

 Have bodies, and we must attend to their physical nature, sexuality, gender and
activity or behavior in the natural world.
 Have minds, and we must consider their thinking and reasoning, both in structure and
content.
 Have feelings, and we must recognise and be sensitive to these feelings and the
attitudes that go with them in teaching and learning.
 Have wills, and we must recognise intentions, judgments and decisions of persons
upon which they act. These lead to inquiry into responsibility, accountability and
integrity.
 Are in community and networks of care and responsibility with concerns for
righteousness and justice in corporate life.
 Have intuition and aspects of character, personality, imagination and values, which
transcend our analytic categories. We are called to recognise the individuality and
uniqueness of persons.
 Conclusion
Teaching is a profession that encompasses the passion and desire to motivate and encourage
children to develop a lifelong love of learning. It has many challenges but also provides many
rewards. Children are inspirational in their desire to learn from those around them and should
be valued for the contribution they make to the world. Teachers are facilitators and guides
on a child's journey to developing essential skills and knowledge to become valued and
worthwhile members of the community.
Teachers need to have a philosophy of teaching that reflects their own personal beliefs about
how children learn, how to teach a diverse range of children, how to manage behaviour, how
to establish an effective and positive classroom and how they will integrate teaching and
learning strategies into the classroom (Edwards & Watts, p.28). A teacher has the opportunity
to make a difference in the lives of children, therefore needs to be committed to developing
essential knowledge, skills and attributes to foster this important role.