philosophy of education statement

EDES 6103 Curriculum and Instructional Leadership

Spring 2014

Philosophy Statement

Philosophy of Education Statement

What are my core beliefs about teaching and learning?

What is it?

A philosophy is a set of beliefs that regulates actions. Because our brains are programmed to make decisions quickly, over time our experiences create an “automatic pilot” which influences the things we do. A philosophy statement of education is a concise summary of your personal beliefs about teaching and learning. What should the aim of education be? Should teachers focus on students or subject matter? Should students have a say in what they learn? Which subjects should be emphasized? What role do parents play in a student’s education?

Why write one?

To be an effective teacher/counselor, your beliefs about teaching and learning and assisting must be based on an explicit set of values. It is the first-step in becoming a Reflective Professional.

In his book The Skillful Teacher (1990), Stephen Brookfield explains two reasons to do so:

Personal purpose: ” . . . a distinctive organizing vision — a clear picture of why you are doing what you are doing that you can call up at points of crisis — is crucial to your personal sanity and morale.” (p. 16)

Pedagogical purpose: “Teaching is about making some kind of dent in the world so that the world is different than it was before you practiced your craft. Knowing clearly what kind of dent you want to make in the world means that you must continually ask yourself the most fundamental evaluative questions of all — What effect am I having on students and on their learning?” (pp. 18-19)

Gail Goodyear and Douglas Allchin (Goodyear and Allchin, 1998), present another purpose for writing a teaching philosophy:

“In preparing a statement of teaching philosophy, professors assess and examine themselves to articulate the goals they wish to achieve in teaching. . . . A clear vision of a teaching philosophy provides stability, continuity, and long-term guidance . . . . A well–defined philosophy can help them remain focused on their teaching goals and to appreciate the personal and professional rewards of teaching.” (pp. 106–7)

What do I write?

Address questions such as: What are my core beliefs on teaching and learning? What fundamental ideas drive my decision-making, my actions? What is the goal of education? On what should the curriculum focus? What is my role as the teacher/counselor/educator? What instructional methods are most appropriate? What should the classroom learning environment look like? How should assessment be handled?

Connect your ideas to a philosophical perspective. Reference at least 3 theorists we’ve studied from our text. In other words, use your own voice AND refer to the information in the readings (e.g., Dewey, McLaughlin, Noddings) to support your ideas about which school of philosophy best matches your personal perspectives.

Ideas

· Connect it to your experiences as a student

· Connect your experiences as a parent, teacher, or working with children in some capacity

· Tell a story based on a skill, hobby, or activity with which you are familiar

· Use a metaphor, an aphorism, or a saying. For example, “To educate is not to fill a vase but to light a fire” (Montaigne)

How do organize and format it?

Not required – but a recommended approach - an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. You may include headings throughout to organize your statement. Aim for 2 pages. No more than 3 pages. Use APA (6th Edition) format for the title page, references, and page numbers.

What are some helpful tips I should remember?

· Write about what you know

· Be specific

· Be personal

· Be brief

· Name your belief

· Be positive

Guidance on Writing a Philosophy of Teaching Statement

Chism’s five components of a teaching statement

In her article (Chism, 1998), “Developing a Philosophy of Teaching Statement,” Nancy Chism, former Director of Faculty & TA Development at The Ohio State University, suggests five major components.

1. Conceptualization of learning
Ask yourself such questions as “What do we mean by learning?” and “What happens in a learning situation?” Think of your answers to these questions based on your personal experience. Chism points out that some teachers have tried to express and explain their understanding of learning through the use of metaphor, because drawing comparisons with known entities can stimulate thinking, whether or not the metaphor is actually used in the statement. On the other hand, most instructors tend to take a more direct approach in conceptualizing learning, i.e., to describe what they think occurs during a learning episode, based on their observation and experience or based on current literature on teaching and learning.

2. Conceptualization of teaching
Ask yourself questions such as “What do we mean by teaching?” and “How do I facilitate this process as a teacher?” Chism suggests that personal teaching beliefs on how the instructor facilitates the learning process would be appropriate for this section. Again, the metaphor format can be used, but a common practice is a more direct description of the nature of a teacher with respect to motivating and facilitating learning. Along with the questions above, you may also address such issues as how to challenge students intellectually and support them academically and how the teacher can respond to different learning styles, help students who are frustrated, and accommodate different abilities. Furthermore, you may talk about how you as a teacher have come to these conclusions (e.g., through past experience as a student or teacher, or as a result of literature reading or taking classes).

3. Goals for students
This section should entail the description of what skills the teacher expects her/his students to obtain as the result of learning. You may address such issues as what goals you set for your classes, what the rationale behind them is, what kind of activities you try to implement in class in order to reach these goals, and how the goals have changed over time as you learn more about teaching and learning. For instance, you can describe how you have expected students to learn not only the content, but also skills such as critical thinking, writing, and problem solving, followed by elaboration on how you have designed/planned individual sessions towards accomplishing the goals.

4. Implementation of the philosophy
An important component of the statement of a teaching philosophy should be the illustration of how one’s concepts about teaching and learning and goals for students are transformed into classroom activities. Ask yourself, “How do I operationalize my philosophy of teaching in the classroom?” and “What personal characteristics in myself or my students influence the way in which I approach teaching?” To answer these questions, you may reflect on how you present yourself and course materials, what activities, assignments, and projects you implement in the teaching-learning process, how you interact with students in and outside class, and the consequences.

5. Professional growth plan
It is important for teachers to continue professional growth, and to do so, teachers need to set clear goals and means to accomplish these goals. Think about questions such as “What goals have I set for myself as a teacher?” and “How do I accomplish these goals?” You can elaborate this plan in your statement of teaching philosophy. For instance, you can illustrate how you have professionally grown over the years, what challenges exist at the present, what long-term development goals you have projected, and what you will do to reach these goals. Chism suggests that writing this section can help you think about how your perspectives and actions have changed over time.

In summary, these are the main questions Chism suggests to answer in a statement:

· How do people learn?

· How do I facilitate that learning?

· What goals do I have for my students?

· Why do I teach the way that I do?

· What do I do to implement these ideas about teaching and learning in the classroom?

· Are these things working? Do my student meet the goals?

· How do I know they are working?

· What are my future goals for growth as a teacher?

Goodyear and Allchin’s suggestions about necessary components

Gail Goodyear and Douglas Allchin (1998) have made suggestions for structuring the statement of teaching philosophy in a somewhat different way than Chism.

1. Integration of responsibilities. Teaching, research, and public service are the main missions of university faculty. Each teacher therefore should explicitly describe what they do in carrying out these three missions in their statements of teaching philosophy.

2. Expertise. It is important for faculty to link their special knowledge or expertise in the field to ways of helping their students learn that knowledge and communicate with students effectively during this teaching-learning process.

3. Relationships. A healthy relationship between the teacher and students is “essential to successful teaching.” Ways in which a teacher establishes such a relationship, such as getting to know students, specific ways of building rapport with students, and special teaching techniques used, should be explicitly described in his or her statement of teaching philosophy.

4. Learning environment. In conjunction with the previous issue, the authors suggest that teachers can illustrate what they have done to create a supportive learning environment in their classes socially, psychologically, and physically to help students learn.

5. Methods, strategies, and innovation. Faculty should use teaching philosophy statements to reflect on their teaching practice, both past and present, as well as to illustrate how special teaching techniques they use are in compliance with their teaching philosophy.

6. Outcomes. Teachers can demonstrate in their statements of teaching philosophy how the previous efforts have produced anticipated outcomes. For example, students have learned the subject matter and they are able to use the knowledge learned in class to solve real-world problems.