PHILOSOPHICAL ORIENTATIONS OF TEACHERS IN THEIR PROFESSION PDF

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PHILOSOPHICAL ORIENTATIONS OF TEACHERS IN THEIR PROFESSION“The only thing we require to be good philosopher is the faculty of wonder” - Jostein GaarderPHILOSOPHY - “perspective” or “view” about something. - a set of ideas that answer question about the nature of reality and about the meaning of life...

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PHILOSOPHICAL ORIENTATIONS OF TEACHERS IN THEIR PROFESSION “The only thing we require to be good philosopher is the faculty of wonder” - Jostein Gaarder 5

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PHILOSOPHY - “perspe ctive” or “view” about somethin g. - a set of ideas that answe r question about the nature of reali ty and about the meaning of life. - the Greek word “philo” which means love and “ sophie ” which means wisdom. Philosophy the refore is the love of wisdom. - What is the aim of education? - How should the atmosphere of the school look like? - What should be the content of the curriculum? PHILOSOPHY of EDUCATION  perspective or orientation of teachers in their teaching profession  A pers pective is a frame of mind and it relies on where one’s eyes or thou ghts are focused on.  Our thoughts are dependent on our center of interest or we give our attention.  refers to the wide range of application of various philosophical ideas and methods in addre ssi ng educational issues, prob lems, and concerns  tries to understand the different philosop hies in their own l ight, so that e ducators can make their own informed opini on about how philosophi cally they have to approach educational issues.  All educators are committed to be familiar wi th all the major educational philosophies in order to adopt their own educational commitments to one or a combinati on of the educati onal philosophie s that infl uenced our education al system.  regarded as an applied philosophy as it promotes a spe cific type or vi si on of educati on, and examines the definition, goal s, and meaning of ed ucation.  Philosophy of education i s a rational reflection on the ideal of the “educated human” as it has a regulative role over techniq ue, methodology, and procedure in education.  It is philosophy of education that allows teachers to summarize the purpose of their teachi ng activities, the quality of their education al product, and the process involves in producing their product.  throu gh philosophy of education, teachers refle ct on their life experiences, synthesize their ed ucational bel iefs, practices, and produ cts, and locate themselves in the larger picture of life and society.

Relationship of Phil osophy of edu cation and the Elements of Education

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Importance of Philosophy of Education to pre-s er vice teachers, teacher practi tioners, and school administrators 10

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- Philosophy of education i s ve ry essential in the traini ng of future teachers and inservice teachers. Through it, future teachers are enlightened on the things they ought to do when they become educators. As future professi onals, they have to see the “ins and outs” of their profession. They have to determine the how ’s and why ’s of their profession inasmuch as they are held accountable to it. Locating the role of f uture teachers in their field is what philosophy of education could profou ndly offer. Philosophy of education i s essenti al to teacher-practitioners because they are expected to set the highest possible professional standards for the mselve s - Philosophy of education i s the guide for teachers to pl an their teachi ng.

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 - Teachers who bel ieve th at l earners are empty receptacles to be filled with information tend to u se lecture method and become more subject and teacher centered.  - Teachers who bel ieve th at chil dren are capable of generating their own knowledge through experience and social interaction, tend to use inquiry based te aching and become more learner-centere d emphasizing personal growth, freedom, and responsi bility.  -Philosophy of education hel ps teachers to develop their own ph ilosophical perspective on education.

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 Educators need to have one if they wan t to become more effective professional educators. In obtaining one, they will have a sound phi losophical perspe ctive that hel ps them see the interaction and syne rgy of the components of education, namely: the learners, cur ri culum, aims, and goals of e ducation.

TRADITIONAL PHILOSOPH IES USEFUL IN THE TEACHING PROFESSION

1. Content-centered ed ucational ph ilo sophy 5

- The val ue, interest, and experiences of the individuals become secondary to these social goals because they are expected to learn and master these goal s . - has a very academic and theoretical orientation.

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- education i s concer ned with trans mi tting knowledge and fitting into learners’ and societal condi tions. - its focus i s on the rol e of teachers in performi ng classroom activity and in implementing rigid mental di scipline as well as hi ghly str uctured and regime nted school atmosphere.

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2. Learner-centered philosophy - Places high emphasis on the nature of learners to be taught. - lifelong l earni ng. - its curriculum i s fluid and open-minde d based on the learners’ interest, motivations, abilities, and choices.

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- believe and recognize the value of the individual learner wi th teachers, curriculum, and cl assroom activity promoting the ideals of personal growth, freedom, and re sponsibility as well as sel f-actualization. - The val ue of the individual learner is emphasized

THE TRADITIONAL PHILOSOPHIES 25

ID EA LIS M Philosophical Treatises  The root word of idealism is i dea. 30

 Idealism claims that reality is not physical rather i t is essentially me ntal or mentall y constructed.  Reality i s not the materi al object itself, but the i dea behind it for the idealists, truth lies in the real m of ideas.  Ideas are the only rel iable form of reality because the physical wor ld is always changing.

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 Ideas are products of the reasoning mi nd and they constitute the re ali ties that one believes .

Aim of Education  idealists assert that the primary aim of ever y teachi ng is the absorption of ideas as well as person al discipline that guarantees the development of one’s character . 5

 What must be tau ght in schools are the wisd om of the ages and the unchan ging principles of life.  The ultimate end of educati on is to produce persons who must be lite rate, with sound reasonin g mind, and of good moral character . Educational Methods

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 Idealists support a kind of e ducation that is holistic, focusin g on the thematic arrangement of subject matter .  The use of deductive logic in organi zing instruction is a much-preferred educational method.

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 Idealist teachers pres ent their lessons from general to particular in which concepts are expl ained and then learners try to comp lete the tasks.  They consi der rote memory, Socratic method and lecture discussion to useful and effective than any other methods.

be more

Curriculum Feat ures 20

 Idealists’ curriculum is cente red on the sti mul ati on of cognitive processes whi ch can nourished when learne rs immerse themselves in dialogue with others.  The focus of the curriculum is to use “textb ook knowledge” i n preferabl y the wisdom of the a ges.

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devel opi ng ideas,

 Field trips, and sens ory exp eri ences have littl e use in the learnin g of idealist perspective.

the learners i n the

 A good curriculum for idealism is one that is loaded with formal lite ratu re, arts, phi losophy, history religi on, and humanities.

subjects such as

Significant Role of Teachers  Teachers act as “sa ge on the stage ” serving as dis pensers of kn owl edge . 30

 Idealist teachers defi ne learners’ l earning from what they shoul d learn, how they are learned, and when shoul d they learn it.  Their primary duty is to pass on the knowledge as they stand closer to being who is a pos sessor of wisdom and good cha racte r.

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the ideal

 Idealist teachers take a significant role in the display and transmission of knowledge especially the “great ideas” obtained from classical materials . In effect, they present themselves to be au thoritarian and mental disci pl inarians . Role of Learners  The learner ’s primary role is to perceive ideas .

 They act as passi ve receivers of knowle dge because teache rs perceive the m like empty receptacles waiting to be filled up with i nformation.  Good learners under idealism are those who are able to memorize the cl assic works or the so-called Gre at books as they are eter nal and universal. 5

 Idealist learners are likewi se ex pected to foll ow the art of questioning, reflection, and creativity of thei r teachers because they are perceived as models of knowledge . Being good and brilliant learners is to th ink and act like their teachers who we re honed by their exper ience and traini ng. Learning assessment

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 Evaluation of learning is usually pe rformed in a subjecti ve way and in qualitative method. Essays, c ritic papers, reflection papers , and the like are examp les of evaluative measure preferred by idealism.  Being a teacher and subject-focused phil osophy, learning assessment is done through rigid te sti ng by the teache rs.

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 The means of eval uatin g learning are tests on processes and modes of thought with great emphasis on logical rigor. Classroom Atm osphere  The classroom atmosphere under idealism is basically au thoritari an.

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 The classroom discipline and control are oftentimes punitive and restrictive of the freedom of learners to choose and explore.  The te achers craft the rules and they take responsib ility for all the paperwork and instructional planning.  Learners do not participate in choosing the topics for d iscussion , includi ng the means and the schedule to learn them. Advantages

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 Idealism cre ates an orderly classroom since learners are not allowed to man age thei r own learning , time, and activities.  Idealist teachers have full control of the behavi or of learners because they have absolute command of the instructional activities. 30

 They accomplish their subject content within desired time frame since they direct the classroom i nstructi on. 

Essential topi cs are less likely to be mi ssed because discussions are appropri ately paced to ensure that le arners adequatel y acquire past es sential k nowledge . Disadvantages

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 Idealism is criticized to be an old-fashioned philosophy because of its emphasis on preser ving endurin g and classical ideas that reflect past t raditions.  Due to its stress on past knowledge , the curriculum is difficul t to change or undertake innovation.

 Idealism is also criti cized for pl acing the devel opment of the body as secondar y to mi nd . This makes the mental development of le arners to be supreme value in teaching an d the highest pri ority in testin g. 5

 Idealist teachers us “one size fits al l” strategies which doe s not res pond to the diverse learning abi lities, needs, styles, and orientations of learners.

REA LIS M Philosophical Treatises 10

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 Realism is a science and mathematics friendly philosophy which believes that the real word exists independentl y from any human experiences  The feature of the word exists even when no h uman being is there to perceive them  Tr uth is dete rmi ned scientifically or empirically and i deas are verifie d through scie ntifi c inquiry and experimentation  Physical world makes up reali ty in which human being live, therefore knowledge can be gained through the sense s and from empi rical reasoning .  The things are real are those that can be touche d and measure an d not those human beings think about them as espoused by idealism  The role of human being is to investigate and discover these unchanging realities of natu re, if they de si re to live meaningfully and harmoniously in the world, they are li vi ng in.  Aim of Education The ultimate purpose of education is making the learners understand the worl d throu gh inquiry, verif ying ideas in the physi cal world , and teaching things that are esse ntial and practical. Like idealism it teaches that the world is unchanging and human being nee d to discover this world that is fixed. Educational Methods

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 The preferred method of realist is inductive process (concrete to abstract) and those that involve teaching for the maste ry of facts.  These teaching methods ensure learners to have a good gras p of the natural law  Experimentation, drills and exercise are the best examples of these methods  Though repeated practice and feedback, learners are able to master the concepts and eve ntuall y apply them in thei r ri ght context  Curriculum Feat ures  Science and mathematics are the he art of re ali st curri culum  These provi des insights and predictions about nature by making the calculation and measureme nt as well as the shapes and motions of physical objects  Vocational subjects are the second hi ghest priori ty  It emphasis on vocation al subjects is grounded on its curr icular aim to provi de practical knowledge and skills for work Significant Role of Teachers

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 Teachers have the obligation to teach the regulari ties and rhythm of nature as this is the only way by which le arners can comprehend the unive rsal law and the natural order  They transmit k nowled ge free from personal bi ases and subjected views because they use objective crite ri a in teaching  For realist teache rs, detachi ng themselves from the ir person al biases and subjected views is the best way to un derstand the unchanging natural l aw an d order. Roles of Learners  The role of learners unde r reali sm is to train their sen ses in analyzing the physical wor lds  The senses are the entry points of obtai ni ng knowledge because learning occurs though the operation of the senses  Realist learners are trained in dete rmi ning truth usi ng the scientific way and they argue by scientific reasoni ng.  They also have good mastery of scientific skills such as gatheri ng organizing and systematizing information to gain knowledge of the physi cal worl d  They understand the pres ent practical life and determine how they can best fit with the physical world. Learning Assessment  The preferred assessment tools are standardized testing where teache rs obtai n test resul t that can prove that lear ners are learning the material  Competency testing is done through exp erimentation, investigator y projects, demonstration, and closed-test or having one answer li ke multiple choice test, labelling diagrams and solving mathematical problems  Realism evaluates le ar ne rs’ learning usi ng quantitative means Classroom Atm osphere  A subject-centered philosophy, the interest needs and emotions of learners are secondary to the subject matter in the classroom  The classroom provides less freedom for learners to make choices on what to learn and how to learn  A realist cl as sroom is al so filled with pi ctures , maps, projects, experiments and other outputs and l earni ng activities provide d and performe d.

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Advantages  Realism proposes an education that is scientific, technical and vocational  The focus of realism i s great advantage beca use learners out to maste r competencies that are useful, practi cal and beneficial in their lives.  When educati on is made technical and scientific, more inventi ons and discoverie s are made for the be nefit of humanity. In this case, education acts as the economic motor of the state in addressin g the needs of society.  It pre pares learners in their career equipping to become competi tive in the work environment

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Disadvantages  Always cri ticize for its failure to take into account the whol e person in the learning process  Cont rary to idealism, it ne glects the importance of ideals and values which can best learned from history, arts, language, philosophy and literature  It de-emphasizes fee lings, socialization and other person al factors i n learning since every thing is viewed rationally and empi ri call y  The reali sts ’ emphasis on a very objective, precise and measurable approach to teaching is seen as a dement because knowledge is not always object rather it i s also subjective depending on who perceives it.

PR AG M ATIS M 15

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Philosophical Treatises Popularly k nown as a philosophy of action because it sprin gs from the Greek word “Pragma” whi ch means action, practice, to do or to accomplish Its basic assumption is that ideas and actions must go hand in hand as this is the ideal process of knowledge Pragmatism rejects the idea of k nowledge and truth as unchanging and abs olute as espoused by idealism and realism. It asserts that there is now fix absolute and permanently truth. Human beings do not live in a finished world, but they live in an ongoing , a moving and growi ng world. The task of human bein g i s prospe cti ve, that is, to continue the unfinish process of the wor ld.  The knowledge and truth are those that work in the advancement of human life.

Aim of Education  Learners a re expected to learn best though thei r own experiences, particularly when they apply the ideas in ad apting to change s and in resolving the problems the encounter in life  The aim of pra gmatic education is the reconstruction of learners’ experiences  Ordin ary and natural l ife experience s have to be reflected, enriched and reconstructed to sol ve one’s concer n in life and to create knowledge as well  Learners have to reconstr uct their expe ri ences to show active manipulation of the environment through testing hyp othesis and answering issues to re-ad apt to thei r environment.  They have to reconstruct their situations in order to solve the ir issues and problems in life Educational Methods  Pragmatic te achers used varied methods s ui table to developmental nee ds and interest of the learners.  In their view, learners learn from best experience. This Pragmatic vi ew echoes the adage , “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.”  Pragmatic te achers prefer using individu ali zed instructions and structured activities than lecture type  Pragmatic strategies th at are useful in class inclu de experime ntal methods, creative and constructi ve project, field tri ps, laborator y wor k and other learner-cente red activi ties.

 Other examples: role- playing , OJT, group projects and fiel d studi es

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Curriculum Feat ures The pragmatic curriculum is tailored from the exper ience of the learners by con sidering their needs and i nterests It is pers onal ized kind of curriculum in which the i nstructi onal objectives and content including the method and pace, vary from one learner to another Focused more on the process of l earni ng rather that the content or subject matter Learners a re taught the rudiments of learning instead of what they discover and l earn about the subject matter itself Advocates for change in the curricul um as it opposes the traditional and textbook based knowledge Criticizes traditional and textbook knowledge which is a “fol low the reci pe” approach where le arners have to master the concep ts that have been pre-determined by the teache rs P...