Dr Dennis Francis Commonwealth Education Trust Being a Teacher

Course 2: Being a Teacher Week 1: What is a Teacher? Lecture 1.4: Developing a Philosophy of Education Foundations of Teaching for Learning

When we ask ourselves questions about important basic issues in education, such as:  What does it mean to be a teacher?  What are the most important things that we should teach?  How do we learn? …we are asking ourselves Philosophical questions. Asking Important Questions

… a study of general and fundamental problems of education, with questions such as:  What is knowledge?  What is the value of education?  What is reality? So a Philosophy of Education is?

The philosophical study of knowledge is called Epistemology. Epistemology in education asks questions about knowledge such as…  What is knowledge?  How do we know what we know?  How did we acquire that knowledge? The Study of Knowledge

The philosophical study of values is called axiology. Axiology in education asks questions about values such as…  What is the purpose of education?  What do we value about education?  Should some elements of the curriculum be valued more than others? The Study of Values

The philosophical study of reality is called metaphysics Metaphysics in education asks questions about reality such as…  What does it mean to be a teacher?  Is reality only the things we can sense (see or touch)?  Is the physical world a figment of our imagination?  Is it both? The Study of Reality

Some questions you might consider in doing this are:  What do you believe are the purposes of Education?  Should everyone have access to education?  Should students or teachers direct learning?  What content/skills should be taught at school?  How should schools teach content and skills?  How should learning be measured? Forming your own Philosophy of Education

 Who is the best teacher that you have seen?  What skills, qualities or values made this person a great teacher?  Do any of this teacher’s skills, qualities or values appear in your own teaching?  What specifically? Some Things to Think About

 Identifies your thinking at a particular time.  Gives you a starting point to examine your own teaching practices.  Allows you to monitor your development as a teacher.  Is a personal document that should reflect and represent you as an individual. Your Teaching Philosophy

 What do I believe about teaching?  What do I believe about learning?  What motivates me to learn something new?  Would that work for my students?  What do I expect to be the outcomes of my teaching?  What is the student-teacher relationship that I would like to achieve?  How do I know when I have taught successfully?  What elements are part of my most successful teaching achievements?  What values do I want to impart to my students? Questions to Consider when Developing your Teaching Philosophy

 Short.  Clear.  Personal.  Contain the words you really care about.  Show your strengths.  Represent your current level of experience and practice.  Help you to improve in the future. A Statement of Teaching Philosophy should be…

 Ask your colleagues at school what their philosophy of education is?  Write your own one or two page statement of your philosophy of education and teaching.  As you go through the rest of this programme, think about the big questions that help you to understand how you see teaching, learning, relationships, assessment and so on. How has your philosophy influenced what you believe about these things? Some Things To Do Next

Slides© Commonwealth Education Trust. All Rights Reserved. 1, 2, 14, 15 Images: © schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org Copyright Notice Week 1, Lecture 4 Foundations of Teaching for Learning