My teaching philosophy has been developed by watching other teachers and the demonstration of their philosophies in the classroom. Over the past two years II have seen what works and what does not work with students. I have combined what I see as the best of three philosophies to make what I call Progressentialbehaviorism. It comes from Progressivism, Essentialism and Behaviorism.
In Progressivism the teacher is seen more as a guide than an authority figure. The students interact with each other during lessons and activities that hold some interest for them. By doing this, the students become self-motivated to learn. Cooperation and the acceptance of differing points of view should be the result of this philosophy. By placing importance on the social aspect of learning the students are prepared for adult life by solving “real” life social problems in the safe environment of the classroom. Although I like the social interaction of Progressivism, I feel that the classroom needs an authority figure of some type to maintain order.
Behaviorism depends on positive reinforcement of socially accepted behavior. The teacher maintains control of the classroom through positive reinforcement. The end result should be well behaved students who show respect to the teacher and one another. This should optimize the learning environment by having fewer distractions. I feel that positive reinforcement itself is not enough to keep a classroom a good learning environment. I believe that the students should be held responsible for their own actions. Behaviorism and the idea of positive reinforcement start the student on the right path. But in today’s society, people need to act properly, by social standards, without constant positive reinforcement.
Essentialism is a traditional approach to teaching. Respect for authority, being considerate of others, and honoring one’s duty is part of the conservative mindset. The teacher is the role model for this classroom. The standard courses of math, history, literature, and science are taught. The interest of the student is not taken into consideration when writing lesson plans and there isn’t much student collaboration in the classroom. Essentialism hopes to create practical, driven thinkers who have the background of knowledge to make it in today’s society.
Each one of these three philosophies has a part that I feel will be important in making the best learning environment. I will modify my teaching philosophy each year to optimize the learning capability in my classroom. I feel that being rigid in a teaching philosophy is a mistake. Each year a different group of students move into the class. Each year the atmosphere of the classroom is different. By modifying the teaching philosophy to this atmosphere, the teacher ensures that each student can give their best. And having students succeed, in school and out, is the responsibility of every teacher.
