Philosophy of Teaching Essay

Assignment 1: Part 1: Philosophy of Teaching 1200 word essay

Students will be required to develop a personal philosophy of teaching, dialoguing between academic literatures, ethics and where appropriate, contemporary teaching standards.

Demonstrated understanding that teaching is a moral endeavor

A coherent perspective on philosophy to use as a guide to future teaching practice

Evidence of critical awareness of Australian Federal or State education policies (eg. The ‘education revolution’) and some broader socio-philosophical or ethical implications

Some coherent, informed discussion of the interplay between multiple dimensions (‘web’) of teaching; including as applicable, the ethical, philosophical, epistemic, legal, personal, professional and political in the Australian context and their impact on teacher practices or experiences.

Evidence of academic abilities with the coherent use of at least three scholarly theoretical or philosophical references, and references to educational policy and professional documents as relevant to discussion

Reasonable, evidence-based and believable claims made to support a clear line of argument

Clear formal speech, minimal spelling or grammatical errors

Correct use of APA referencing

Submitted in hardcopy and to Turnitin on time
The moral endeavor of education is something that every teacher needs to consider throughout their career of pedagogy. This is because teaching is not simply the diversion of knowledge through curriculum but also concerns itself with personal development of students. In consideration of my own philosophy of teaching, Confucian teaching philosophy correlates and guides my own philosophical teaching beliefs, and this is driven further through many of the educational perspectives held by John Dewey. This is because I believe in an educational philosophy drawn from multiple perspectives that considers dialogue drawn from ethical pragmatism (Burgh, 2006, 94).

However my philosophy is also affected by current media dialogue on education, as well as bureaucracy in the form of educational departments. From a NSW contextual perspective we have the Department of Education and Training as well as a Board of Studies, along with papers that speak of standards, educational declarations, goals and codes of conduct all of which ensure that as a teacher I cannot simply have a morally focused teaching philosophy on my own principles, but one that considers the need to be pragmatic and diplomatic within the confines and formalities of an organised curriculum (Burgh, 2006, 78). I believe that continually reflecting, refining and researching philosophical underpinnings of a moral education and taking into account, the contextual nature of the school environment that I teach in, all assists in developing my own personal philosophy of teaching.

Within the Confucian philosophy of teaching, there is a focus on the development of character and self, as well as the mind, to ensure an interest and devotion for learning. In particular, Confucius regards teaching as a method of self-cultivation; that is education stimulates growth of character (Shim, 2008, 515). Confucian principles also indicate that for teachers to help students grow, they need to improve them selves so they can develop quality of character (Palmer et al, 2001, 2). John Dewey, the educational reformer and philosopher stated through his declarations on The Nature of Method and The School and Social Progress that:

“I believe that moral education centres about this conception of the school as a mode of social life, that the best and deepest moral training is precisely that which one gets through having to enter into proper relations with others in a unity of work and thought. The present educational systems, so far as they destroy or neglect this unity, render it difficult or impossible to get any genuine, regular moral training” (Dewey, 1897).

This means that schooling is not simply a system or means for an education through curriculum, but also a system that needs to ensure students are good citizens. Although the notions expressed by Dewey and Confucius were expressed many decades and centuries respectively; in the context of the modern day society, there is a certain universal quality to be gained from their respective philosophies on the effectiveness of educational quality that centres on the student as a person first. The construct of formal westernised education derivates itself with testing and measurable performance and as a Visual Arts teacher there are many implications for this in my teaching. In particular as we do teach the conceptual and abstract; with no clear-cut correct answers, aside from the quality of the artistic endeavor produced by students. Consequently in tailoring the curriculum for the diverse learning styles of my students and assessing measurable performance, I find myself also drawn to focus on the hidden curriculum as well (Burgh et al, 79). This is because students are in the end, children and human beings and to be functioning members of society need their minds, souls and hearts nurtured and tended to.

Every teacher will experience bureaucratic propositions that affect their teaching philosophy. These implications are often a combination of curriculum and pedagogical reforms as well as government legislation. As a student member of the Visual Arts and Design Educators Association (VADEA), I regularly concern myself with the latest developments in the National Curriculum and in particular the latest campaign against reducing Visual Arts teaching hours. An example of this that will likely affect my future profession is the cutting of class time hours given to Visual Arts in the drafted National Curriculum. Instead of Visual Arts being treated as a single subject, it becomes grouped with four other areas under one consolidated branch called The Arts (Ferrari, 2010). In many states this means that The Arts becomes more prominent in the curriculum but in NSW, less teaching hours for a subject so well regarded on an international level (Ferrari, 2010).

As a student member of the NSW Teacher’s Federation, I regularly informed of their position toward the National Curriculum and NAPLAN and I am frequently aware of the debates. I understand that whilst there is inherent bias produced by the Federation, the awareness and publication of the current educational debates is invaluable. The introduction of a national literacy and numeracy testing examination known as NAPLAN remains a politically and bureaucratic motion by the current Labor Government’s Education Revolution plan; NAPLAN publishes he results of its testing online through a website (ACARA, 2010). The value of NAPLAN lies in the measure of student performance, so that teachers have a good indicator of how well or poorly a student is doing. NAPLAN specifically goes against my own teaching philosophy as I follow the rather Confucian philosophy of broadening of the mind against what could be construed as rote-learned achievement.

I believe that the national curriculum, at least from the drafted directives will have an impact on the way the Visual Arts are taught in schools, particularly because the NSW curriculum is considered to be world class (Ferrari, 2010). As much as I’d prefer to teach to a curriculum that provides me with a strong program for Visual Arts, I believe that the didactic changes with the future National Curriculum will impact on my capacity to teach the subject of Visual Arts. However I believe my philosophy towards a moral based education will change to reflect the contextual nature of wherever I end up teaching; be it as a casual in the outback of the Northern Territory, or as a temporary teacher in the United Kingdom. Regardless, my focus is always going to be on ensuring that my students have their academic as well as personal concerns addressed. As Professor Glyn Davis, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne and stated in his 2007 Australia Day Speech:
“The value of education is more than skills learned and employability. Great teaching changes lives. It sees the potential in students, respects their ability, inspires a passion for learning, provides the young with a trustworthy setting in which to set aside personal fears.” (Davis, 2007, p 10).

Wherever I choose to teach, no matter how difficult the circumstances, the potential to alter lives, inspire a passion for questioning and knowledge for the young students in my care will be absolutely paramount in my future teaching practice. This is my moral obligation as a teacher (Campbell, 2008, 13), to ensure that students are able to harness all of their potential as not only scholars but citizens of Australia and the world.

References

ACARA, 2010, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, National Assessment Program, Available: http://www.naplan.edu.au/ (Accessed 8h March, 2011).

Burgh, G., Field, T. & Freakley, M., 2006, Ethics and the Community of Inquiry: Education for Deliberative Democracy, Cengage Learning Australia.

Campbell, E. 2008, The Ethical Teacher, Professional Learning, Open University Press, New York.

Davis, G., 2007, A Different Kind of Hero, Australia Day Speech, 26 January 2007 , Parliament House, Melbourne.

Dewey, J. My Pedagogic Creed, School Journal vol. 54, No. 3 (January 1897), pp. 77-80.

Ferrari, J., 2010, World Class HSC A Model for Reforms, The Australian, December 14th 2010. Available: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/world-class-hsc-a-model-for-reforms/story-fn59niix-1225970527139 (Accessed 3rd April, 2011).

Ferrari, J., 2010, Visual Arts Curriculum for Schools Omits Drawing, The Australian, 8th October 2010. Available: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/visual-arts-curriculum-for-schools-omits-drawing/story-fn59nlz9-1225935659537 (Accessed 3rd April, 2011).

Palmer, J., Bresler, L. & Cooper, D.E. (2001) Fifty major thinkers on education: from Confucius to Dewey, Routledge, London.

Shim , S.H. 2008, A philosophical investigation of the role of teachers: A synthesis of Plato, Confucius, Buber and Freire, Teaching and Teacher Education, No. 24, pp. 515-535.