All entries for Wednesday 25 November 2020

What is your teaching philosophy? – Richard

What is your teaching philosophy? How has this originated and can you evaluate how your educational touchstones will impact on the teacher you aspire to be?

My personal teaching philosophy directly applies to my touchstones. My touchstones are a reflection of the person I am. As educators we are rarely, if ever, asked to articulate our philosophy of education or core convictions and likewise, rarely if ever, take time critically to reflect and ask if our practice matches our philosophy, beliefs or core convictions. My philosophy is that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. This belief of mine comes from my experience of working as an International Baccalaureate (IB) grade five teacher. According to Sinek (2017) ‘Once you understand your WHY, you’ll be able to clearly articulate what makes you feel fulfilled and to better understand what drives your behavior when you’re at your natural best’.

I attained a First Class (A) TEFL certificate and moved to Thailand to begin a career in teaching. Following my first appointment with one of the private local teaching schools in the country, I progressed (through language institutes and international schools) to my current position as a Grade Five PYP Teacher for the Canadian International School of Beijing. Throughout my teaching career, I have worked tirelessly to improve my lesson planning and pedagogical practices. This has involved constantly reviewing and reformulating lesson plans, individual and group strategies, classroom management, and consulting with other teaching professionals.

I personally think teachers do not generally enter the profession for accolades or affluence but rather see it as a calling and a way to give back. According to the blog post Educational System (2013) ‘Education and philosophy are closely inter-related. If philosophy is love of knowledge then education is acquisition of knowledge’. As I get older and reflect upon my practice, I have a deeper understanding of what type of teacher I want to be, and I make the necessary adjustments along the way. I have great admiration for the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum and feel that my educational philosophy is similarly aligned as I try to foster the potential of my student’s so that they can pursue their ambitions and become global citizens. The International Baccalaureate ‘aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect’ (IB).

Effective, intentional teaching begins with a strong set of beliefs, but even the best teachers struggle to make sure that their classroom practice consistently reflects their core convictions. One thing I have come to realize is that I can always learn from others in order to become a better teacher. No matter what age we are, it is important to take things into consideration before arriving at a decision. Reflection and seeking opportunities to grow wiser by learning about different theories of philosophies, then applying these theories towards my outlook on life, will most certainly impact my teaching.

References List

Educational System (2013) ‘Importance of eclectic approach in education’, Educational System, 27 January. Available at: https://educational-sysetm.blogspot.com/2013/01/importance-of-electic-approach-in.html (Accessed: 5 July 2019)

IBO. (no date). Mission Available at: https://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/mission/ (Accessed: 10 August 2020)

Sinek, S. (2017) ‘The science of WHY’, LinkedIn, 16 November. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/science-why-simon-sinek/ (Accessed: 10 August 2020)

Abigail Ball : 25 Nov 2020 15:07 |  Tags: Philosophy Teaching |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem