Gabrielle Humlicek

EDU 1010
Miller
Chapter Five
Teaching Philosophy
Educational philosophies vary amongst people, and these teachers utilize these beliefs in
daily teaching. The philosophies can help determine what you study, and how you teach. There
are four educational philosophies that are prominent: Perennialism, Essentialism, Progressivism,
and Social Reconstructionism. For me, the quiz I did to determine where I stand in my
philosophies, I tied for both with 18 out of 20 on a rating scale for Progressivism and Social
Reconstructionism. After reading and analyzing all of these philosophies, I strongly agree with
these philosophies best fitting my teaching beliefs.
Progressivism is where the goal is to develop problem solving skills, decision making,
and life skills. The curriculum is focused on practicing problem solving and other life skills like
in Science courses or even in any course that has a problem that can be addressed. The teaching
methods emphasize application in problem based learning, cooperative learning, and guided
discovery (Kauchak & Eggen, pg 161). The learning environment is democratic, collaborative,
and emphasizing students responsibility and there are ongoing informal assessments (Kauchak
& Eggen,pg 158). An example of progressive kind of teaching is splitting the classroom into
groups, and presenting a problem that the group can discuss. After this problem is discussed, the
teacher begins the lesson but using the discussions as a leading force in the lecture, and in the
classroom that I observed, the teacher utilized a lot of discussions. Her questions were based off

of what the discussions the students had, and this really encouraged the students to stay focused
and engaged. The teacher I observed, focused on engaging the students, and guiding the
discussions and linking them to the lecture, so this is a definite way of incorporating
progressivism kind of teaching in the teachers classroom.
The second philosophy I agree with is Social Reconstruction which the primary goal is to
contribute to a creation of a just society (Kauchak & Eggen 161). The curriculum heavily focuses
on social issues by discussion, collaboration and student projects. The learning environment is
based off of equity and justice, and the assessment procedures are basically examinations of
writings and observations. The lessons consist mostly of debates after a teacher introduces a
controversial or societal issue and having the students come up with possible solutions and
reasons to these issues. (Kauchak & Eggen 159). In my field experience, the teacher included a
lot of debates regarding the current presidential election, and using this mechanism, there were
papers and presentations done on the presidential election. She also did a lot of deaf children
rights kind of projects, and tied that into English courses. Since my mentor believed in writing
about rights and what not, she implemented a Social Reconstruction method of teaching in her
classroom.
Both of these philosophies can be categorized as a constructivism kind of learning
influence because both are social kind of learning. The meanings of discussions and group work
can create a social meaning and understanding to the student themselves. The rationale and
conclusions are affected from prior experience as well as cultural and social experience that the
student may have had, but each philosophy differs in teaching approaches. A lot of the learning
comes from socialization and engagement in the classroom (Kauchak &Eggen pg 160). As a
future educator, it is my goal to allow a lot of discussions and engagement with other students to

further problem solving and thinking skills, and while doing this, I will include social issues to
make the information be retained better. Reading about these variances in philosophies has
allowed me to alter my philosophy of education into a more concrete aspect. I have included a
my current teaching philosophy based off what I have learned about teaching approaches and
philosophies.
MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:
As a teacher, my fundamental goal in the classroom and as an educator is to promote
learning but in an independent aspect for the students since they vary. My goal is to promote
justice and equality by incorporating problem solving and life skills in the classroom, and
additionally, to include debates to foster self-identity as an individual to contribute positively to
society. As an instructor, I will need to consistently find passion for teaching and learning and
actively be engaged in the classroom, so my students stay motivated. It is my responsibility to
foster positive behavior that students will emulate to encourage learning as well as prevent
discouragement and negative behavior. I will have a positive and interactive environment to
captivate my students, and consistently have enthralling activities and discussions in the
classroom so they continue to learn as cognizant students for the future. I will demonstrate
respect to the students and the classroom to encourage interest in the materials being learned as
well as to urge students to be respectful to one another. As an ambitious educator, the biggest
desire for me is to have my classroom and instruction to inspire students to continue to learn and
aim to make applications to promote success for themselves and one another. Last but not least, I
promise to strive to improve my teaching ability and instruction by testing teaching methods to
ensure my students are consistently learning and involved.

Works Cited
Kauchak, Donald P., and Paul D. Eggen. Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional. 5th
ed. New York: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2011. Print.