Teaching Philosophy Statement :: Philosophy Education Essays

Teaching Philosophy Statement My philosophy of education draws on a number of theoretical frameworks. However, the key component is the individual, more specifically, the child. Each of us - each child - is different and unique, even though we reflect a socially constructed view of the world. The tension between difference and shared construction can be conceived of as a result of each individual’s experiences. Such experiences are a result of living in a social world and are different from those experienced by others. In addition, the way in which each individual incorporates these experiences into his or her overall understandings, through making relationships or making meaningful connections, results in uniqueness. In general, I see teaching and learning occurring in a classroom community based on providing opportunities for students to develop the skills and understandings necessary (a) to function effectively in a democracy, (b) to conduct inquiry, (c) to individually and socially negotiate and construct meaningful understandings, (d) to critically examine the relevance of particular modes of inquiry and particular knowledge claims for the specific context in which they are working, and (e) to develop complex understandings both within and across disciplinary boundaries. Point â€Å"d† refers to finding the middle ground between the unrestricted relativism of some postmodernist critiques and the positivism that has marked our previous approaches to learning and teaching. My entire philosophy and approach to teaching and learning science is elaborated upon in my book from Irwin Publishing: Creating a Classroom Community of Young Scientists: A Desktop Companion. With this scenario as the basis, I see education as a process of constructing complex, meaningful understandings. The essential ingredient in this process is providing opportunities for children to understand relationships. All too often in schooling, we teach children what some "thing" is without seeing how that "thing" is related to other things. The patterns of how "things" are connected needs to be the primary focus. For instance, in science we may teach children that a sparrow is a bird and that birds have certain characteristics. However, this view is essentially devoid of context and meaning. Alternatively, we can look at how birds are related to other organisms in their structure, actions, and so forth (i.e., homology, analogy, evolution, etc.). We can help children connect their ideas about and personal experiences with birds to math, poetry, art, music, and other disciplines. The potential richness of meaning needs to be the focus.