ACTIVITY #2

Philosophy of Teaching
-by: Realine B. Mañago
Filipino
The word philosophy comes from the Greek words philo meaning to love and
sophia meaning wisdom, which literally means love of wisdom. In general, it is the study
of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge,
values, reason, mind, and language. In relation to education, philosophy helps the
teacher to reflect on key issues and concepts in education, usually through such
questions as: What is being educated? What is the good life? What is knowledge? What is
the nature of learning? And what is teaching. Thus, philosophy became the guide for
teaching. Developing our own philosophy is the key part of our journey to become a
teacher. We benefit from having educational philosophies as we can refine our teaching
methods depending on our philosophies.
One of the three main branches of philosophy is epistemology that considers on
how people come to learn what they know. It answers the question “what is the nature
of knowledge? How do we come to know?” It refers to the nature and origin of
knowledge and truth. These influence on how teaching, learning, and understanding
come about in the classroom. As a teacher, I give different assessment to my students to
test their knowledge and to know how they think. Based on these assessments I could
find out what are the best teaching strategies, techniques and methods to use and
suitable for their learning style. Second, metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that
considers the physical universe and the nature of ultimate reality. Teaching the lesson
should be based on reality or actual happening and I should not give my students false
information. They should acquire the knowledge and skills that can be used in real-life
situation. Lastly, axiology is the branch of philosophy that considers the study of
principles and values. These values are divided into two main kinds: ethics and
aesthetics. Ethics is the questioning of morals and personal values, therefore, as an
educator, we should teach them what is good and evil or what is right and wrong. In
Japan they believe in manners before knowledge, hence, values should be taught in.
While aesthetics is the examination of what is beautiful, enjoyable, or tasteful. In
teaching the lesson we should consider our students interest and needs so that they
enjoy learning and appreciate every lesson we teach. The implication of axiology in
teaching is how they will see the beauty or significant of our topic or lesson. In axiology
education is more than just about knowledge but also quality of life.
We should consider the three main branches of philosophy because each branch
focuses on a different aspect and is central to our teaching. Our own philosophies in life
are directly reflected in both our teaching and learning processes.