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SEMINARDEPT OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCE EDUCATION

FACULTY OF EDUCATION, NORTHWEST UNIVERSITY, KANO

27 -05-2015

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A PRESENTATION BY

DR JABAAR SAHEED OLANREWAJU

DEPT OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCE EDUCATION

FACULTY OF EDUCATIONNORTHWEST UNIVERSITY, KANO

DEVELOPING A TEACHING PHILOSOPHY: POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION

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This presentation aims at: exposing some of the philosophical ideas

that have shaped the various teaching methods and techniques.

highlighting the importance of linking theory to practice in the teaching – learning process.

offering suggestions on how to develop a workable teaching philosophy.

OBJECTIVES

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This presentation aims at addressing the following questions:

1. What is teaching?2. What is philosophy?3. What is the relationship between teaching and

philosophy?4. What are the philosophical orientations that

have shaped how teachers do their work5. How can these ideas help teachers to develop

their teaching philosophy

Introduction

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The presentation will use conceptual approach to analyse key concepts such teaching and philosophy

Conceptual approach will also be use to critically examine major philosophical orientations to teaching.

Prescriptive and speculative approaches will be used to make suggestions on how to develop a workable teaching philosophy.

Methodology

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Teaching can be conceived as an art, a process, and as a profession:

As an art, teaching is an attempt by an individual, who is presumably knowledgeable, to help other people to know and understand by performing actions like explaining, instructing, describing, motivating and the like.

As a process, teaching is an interaction between someone who understands the facts of body of knowledge and someone who is ready to learn or acquire that body of knowledge or skill.

Teaching

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As a profession, teaching refers to an occupation, a vocation or a career of helping other people especially the young to know, understand or acquire a body of knowledge or skill.

As submitted by Good (1973) and cited by Abdul Kareem (1992), a professional teacher is a person who because of his rich and unusual experience or education or both in a given field is able to contribute to the growth and development of other persons who come in contact with him or her.

Cont.

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Philosophy is an academic discipline which dwells on critical, logical, and systematic examination of issues that pertain to human nature, nature of knowledge, and the principles that guide social behaviour.

Branches of philosophy include:1. Metaphysics2. Epistemology3. Axiology4. Logic

What is philosophy?

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They are both logical activities. They are both systematic activities. They are both rational activities. While teaching is a practical activities,

philosophy is to a large extent a theoretical activity.

Theoretical nature of philosophy can be used to enrich the teaching learning process.

What is the relationship between teaching and philosophy?

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Idealism and its variant like perennialism

Realism and its variant like essentialism

Pragmatism and its variant like progressivism

Existentialism and its variant like post modernism, social reconstructionism, critical pedagogy

Major philosophical orientations

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Some notable idealist philosophers: Plato and Immanuel Kant

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Idealism gives prominence to the human mind.

It is based on the premise that reality is fundamentally mental and immaterial.

The focus of education should be the development of the human mind and intellectual development.

Plato in his Republic describes knowledge as recollection of the ideas which the soul had encountered in the perfect world of Forms.

Idealists Teaching Philosophy

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Teaching would not be a process of ‘stamping in’ but rather a process of ‘leading out’ the potentials that would have been dormant in human mind.

Teacher’s role is to direct learning by asking appropriate questions that will elicit the mind of learners to recollect the encounter it had in the world of Form.

The teacher is a role model, an authority who should have a deep knowledge of the subject matter that he teaches such that he presents the basic facts of the subject in a logical and coherent manner.

It favours a discipline centre education. They favour lecture and discussion methods of teaching.

contn

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Some modern theories of education like perennialism and essentialism have emanated from idealism.

Prominent among perennialists are Robert Hutchins and Mortner Adler.

It is based on the premise that truth is universal and timeless.

It gives little or no room for laxity or learners discretion in his class.

The teacher is an authority figure who is there to give the learners what they need in terms of humanity’s cultural legacy and what they need to live a good life.

Contemporary variants of Idealism

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Father of Realism: Aristotle

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They hold that humans can have an objective knowledge of the world and objects in it.

We learn when our minds responds to impressions that are made in it by external sources.

The role of the teacher is to create a stimulating learning environment for learning

Education should impress on the learners the knowledge of the nature and workings of the universe, so that they can adjust themselves to what is real.

The teacher is a custodian of the culture of society, a repository of knowledge and he is meant to transmit the truth to learners.

Realist Teaching Philosophy

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William Bagley: a notable essentialist

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Essentialism is a conservative theory of education which can be described as an offshoot of realism.

A major proponent of essentialism is William Bagley who holds that schools should transmit the core common knowledge of society to the learners in a systematic and disciplined manner.

Realists would favour teaching methods like drilling, field trips, use of films, television and other gadget that would impress the learners’ mind.

Contemporary variant of Realism

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Notable among pragmatists is John Dewey of USA

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Pragmatism conceives of man in terms of his experience.

knowledge is the experience gathered from social living which is processed by intelligence and applied to solving problems.

For an idea to count as truth, it has to be tested, verified and found to be effective in solving human problems.

Education, to them, should be a fluid, dynamic, open ended and lifelong process.

Pragmatist Teaching Philosophy

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They favour teaching methods like experimental learning, problem solving, activity method, field trips, small group projects, simulation activities, role playing and internet search.

The teacher in their view should not be an authority figure, but rather a facilitator of learning.

Contn

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Progressivism is a theory of education which gives learner a prominent position in the process of teaching.

Teaching should be learner centred and education should prepare learners for an unknown future.

Learners needs and interests are of utmost importance to the pragmatist teacher.

Teachers’ role is to bring textbook knowledge to practical life experiences through teaching methods like experimental learning, activity based learning, field trips, project method and the like.

Contemporary variants of Pragmatism

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Jean Paul Sartre: a notable existentialist

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Existentialism is unique in that it focuses on the individual – his thoughts, his experiences and his values.

Knowledge is a personal encounter of an individual with reality. To claim to know something to them is to have lived and experienced it.

Man is a free and self determining being who is always in a position to make choices.

A good teaching method is the one which gives learners the opportunity to express their uniqueness and individuality.

Existentialist Teaching Philosophy

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A good teaching should enable learners use the knowledge they acquire through education to answer questions that are relevant and imperative in their personal lives.

They, therefore, favour teaching methods like questioning method, experimental learning, problem solving and project method.

Other contemporary variant of existentialism are postmodernism, social reconstructionism, critical pedagogy and the like.

Contn

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A teaching philosophy is basically the what, how and why of ones teaching.( Allison Boye 2012)

Evaluation: a teacher s

What then is a teaching philosophy?

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The rationale for this is to enable teachers to form their beliefs about who they are, their responsibility, what is the nature of the learners they teach and style of teaching that will yield the best result.

A good and professional teacher does not teach on only one educational philosophy.

A successful teacher develops an eclectic educational philosophy.

What follows from all these:

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An eclectic educational philosophy does not fit neatly into any specific school of thought but it borrows what is best and useful from any of the schools of thought.

A good teacher uses philosophy to enliven his or her teaching considering the nature of learners, the nature of the subject matter, the available educational resources.

A teaching philosophy is not once and for all thing, it changes as we grow professionally.

Eclecticism

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What are your beliefs about how students learn?

What are your objective of teaching? i.e when you teach what do you intend to achieve?

What are the kinds of actions you perform when you go to class to teach?

What are the reasoned evidence to support your beliefs

Questions that may guide in developing a teaching philosophy

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Abdul Kareem, A.Y (1992) Issues on the Relevance of Philosophical Foundation of Education to Teacher Effectiveness. NIJEF Vol. 3 No.2

Akinpelu, J.A (1981) An Introduction to Philosophy of Education. London: Macmillan Publishers.

Ayodele Bamisaiye, O (2009) What is man that we should educate him? Ibadan: University Press.

Boye A (2012) Writing your Teaching Philosophy. Texas Tech University. Teaching, Learning and Professional Development Centre

Cook, C (2008) Foundations of Teaching. Retrieved from www.myeducationlab.com

Dada , A (1999) The Teacher and the Curriculum. Ibadan: Tajama General Enterprises.

Dewey, J (1916) Democracy and Education. free Press: Paperback Kant , I (1781) Critique of Pure Reason.London: Perguin Books Ltd. Lindsay , A.D and Renford,B Trans.(1976) The Republic of Plato. Great

Britain: J.M Dent and Sons Ltd

References

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Thank you for your attention