Personal Philosophy of Teaching, Part I

I believe that a truly devoted teacher must have a clear understanding of the ways people learn, perceive and process information, and apply their knowledge in everyday life. My personal philosophy of teaching is based on the conviction that this process is directly related to the learners’ intellectual, social, and cultural context, as well as their physical abilities. Also, the primary goal of an excellent educator is to promote the ideas of equality, self-determination, and respect among learners. Thinking about various educational theories and practices that appear to be in line with my philosophy, I realize that the concept of democratic education is the most suitable one. This framework is grounded in the cognitive theory of learning. Therefore, I feel the need to study these topics in order to transform my beliefs, goals, and strategies into a coherent approach to teaching.

Democratic education is the approach that promotes respect for the fundamental social values and human rights, rather than the need for extensive control and strict rules. According to the Institute for Democratic Education in America, all the learners should be considered as “active co-creators” of knowledge instead of being viewed as “passive recipients” of information (Bennis, 2018). Personally, I am going to implement this idea in all possible teaching practices, making my students engaged and intrinsically motivated. With that said, it is necessary to define intrinsic motivation. Throughout the history, students of all ages were either terrified by the possibility to be punished or inspired by the opportunity of being rewarded. This is how extrinsic motivation works. On the contrary, people’s natural desires, feelings, and beliefs are primary drivers of intrinsic motivation. When experiencing mutual respect and overall importance, the students should be able to develop their moral and intellectual potential. This issue is of primary importance for me since it forms the foundation for the further development of one’s personality. One of the strongest features of democratic educations is the premise that everyone is unique, having some individual processes related to learning. As stated by Bennis (2018), the democratic teacher who supports the learning of each person individually, helps these people to understand themselves, engage with the surrounding world, “and become positive and contributing members of society.” I have experienced the benefits of this approach myself, being the child of the patient and devoted parents. All the members of my family respect individuality and free will, paying much attention to young children’s personalities and the ways of expression. As a result, I have developed the sense of people’s value and uniqueness since early childhood. Professional educators tend to build their own instruments and strategies based on the students’ age and cultural background. Still, only those teachers who have a clear understanding of specific theoretical approaches can be genuinely successful.

Most educators have their own favorite theories and ideas, and I have chosen the cognitive theory of learning to be my North Star. To my mind, the process of learning is directly linked with specific behavioral patterns which, in turn, stimulate the development of specific cognitive, social, and even language skills. According to Ertmer and Newby (2013), the cognitive theory of education aims to establish a direct correlation between the students’ learning skills and their personal experience and history. These scholars believe that people usually build their own reality based on the information acquired from the external environment (Ertmer and Newby, 2013, p. 55). I agree that personal and environmental issues must be taken into account when it comes to sharing of knowledge with students. People’s behavior is situational, which means that teachers are supposed to create the environment that would be beneficial for students’ motivation and engagement. The cognitive theory of learning attracts teachers’ attention to such complicated processes as thinking, communication, problem-solving, or working with a wide range of information. At the same time, this theoretical approach insists on the need to consider the peculiarities of the students’ mental work as one of the most significant aspects of teaching and learning. I believe that this idea can have practical implications. For example, I am going to focus on the ways to establish an equitable dialogue with my students. The power of communication is the phenomenon that should not be underestimated either in people’s everyday life or the process of learning. Teacher’s primary task, therefore, is to make sure that their students can interpret information and use it for their own purposes.

I realize that it would be impossible to teach someone against their will. Consequently, it is necessary to develop specific methods that are going to facilitate student learning. I believe that I will be able to employ the instruments of play-based learning. Being based on cognitive theory, this strategy is related to motivation and engagement. People’s behavior is determined by thinking. If my students enjoy their classes, they will work productively and will be more successful in general. It would be wrong to claim that only young children are fond of games and playing. I often deal with new information through play myself, as long as this method appears to be effective and useful. For example, there are several applications in my tablet that help me learn foreign languages and to develop logical reasoning and visual memory. There is no doubt that such an approach is much more engaging than cramming. The significant aspect of playing is that this activity promotes learning without infringing upon students’ cultural and social environment, which makes it universally applicable.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I think that my philosophy of teaching benefits from its flexibility and inclusiveness. Democratic education contributes to students’ motivation, engagement, activeness, creativity, and cognitive skills. I consider myself to be a dedicated supporter of this approach. I believe that even if my personal teaching philosophy changes over the time, the elements of democratic education and the cognitive theory of learning will remain as a strong foundation to build on.

References

Bennis, Dana. (2018). What is democratic education? Institute for Democratic Education in   America.

Ertmer, P.A., & Newby, T.J. (2013). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism:

Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance   Improvement Quarterly, 26 (2), pp. 43-71.