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The Importance of a Teaching Philosophy in Education

John J. Newton

Old Dominion University The Importance of a Teaching Philosophy in Education

A philosophy is a belief or a concept of ideas by an individual or a group of individuals. Philo-sophia is the Greek word that means, “love of Wisdom” (Wikipedia, 2006). In education, we are to rely on educators to have good principles when educating our children. Why are teaching philosophies important in education? We, as future educators, are expected to teach our students good principles and to convey our purpose as teachers though our philosophies. Because individual philosophies differ, it is hard to know if every school and their educators are teaching with the right philosophies in mind. That difference in beliefs can only be controlled if the school where a given student is learning has a firm set of philosophies and principles at the forefront of their goals for educating our youth. The most important aspect of educational philosophy is unity amongst educators.

We as educators can learn through professors, well documented studies, and trial and error. We can observe our peers, test our knowledge through examination, and begin to build our own philosophies before we step foot into a classroom as a teaching professional. I am told from a former City of Chesapeake teacher that in Virginia, the State and its respective local governments control the operation with regard to curriculum, school funding, and overall decision-making. (S. C. Newton, personal communication, September 22, 2006). Whether I am right or wrong, if a collection of officials has a certain philosophy that differs from what I believe to be right, I may have to adapt to their philosophies as an educator in the interest of consistency throughout the institution. As an example, I read a journal based on the teaching philosophies in the Amish community. Their teaching philosophy is based on God and the fact that no one in the classroom can ask questions with regard to His plan. If I were to move from Iowa [where this example is based] to seek out a teaching position in the public school system in Virginia, I could not hinge my philosophies of teaching on God (Ediger, 2005). Neither the City nor the State would allow it. This only supports that a unified philosophy is of the utmost importance.

Because my area of study is Music Education, I found an article by Estelle R. Jorgensen to be extremely relevant with regard to teaching philosophies. In this article she writes, “In the past, music education grew up within national borders and its work was often nationalistic in emphasis. Now, we face new challenges of thinking beyond these national commitments to a world of music education” (Jorgensen, 2006, p. 16). Clearly, the emphasis on diversifying music from a cultural standpoint is the purpose of her article. It seems to me that this idea of allowing students who represent many nationalities or cultures to learn the different influences of music from around the world would be widely excepted and seen as a necessary teaching tool in America’s music education programs. I believe that anything related to teaching philosophies by any person or group is likely to be accepted as long as the goal of those said philosophies is to reach children of all nationalities. We must think on a more global scale in this regard.

The aforementioned ideals with regard to a philosophy that reaches individuals that represent a specified group of people versus a philosophy that speaks to multiple nationalities are very different. Wouldn’t the government be more inclined to accept a concept for educating our youth on a global scale versus a much more narrow target area? This idea of reaching many students that can relate to the subject matter as a group would be a better strategy in trying to unify the classroom as opposed to having some of the children feeling left behind because they do not relate to the given curriculum. Again, reaching the masses, no matter where they come from or what they believe, is the most effective way to teach. I believe that basing a teaching philosophy around that principle is essential.

Finally, teaching philosophies differ among individuals who currently teach or plan to teach. Sometimes, in the interest of the student, one’s individual beliefs or theories have to be set a side to help unify the entire classroom. Why are teaching philosophies important? They are designed to help every student learn. As elementary as that sounds, without a more global way of thinking, our methods of teaching could fail. I’m not certain if everyone is aware of our governments “No Child Left Behind” program (U.S. Department of Education, 2006). Whether they are or are not, leaving a child left behind because of a narrow-minded based philosophy will only cause that child to stumble along the path of education. It is understandable for a student to trip and fall along the way, and I would hope that we have the necessary tools to help him/her get back up and keep going. As my father told me as a youth, “if you never get off the launch pad, you’re already behind.” I believe that a strong teaching philosophy is that launch pad, and with a unified philosophy more children will finish the race for a sound education than not.

References

Ediger, M. (2005). Old order Amish philosophy of education [Electronic   version]. Education, 125(3), 422-425.

Jorgensen, E. R. (2006). Reflections on futures for music education philosophy [Electronic version]. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 14(1), 15-22.

U.S. Department of Education (2006). No child left behind. Retrieved September 22, 2006, from http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml

Wikipedia (2006). Philosophy. Retrieved September 22, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy#Western_philosophy