My Teaching Philosophy by Anna Zavala

Essentialism

anotherzavala — 2023-11-14 20:46:51 UTC

Followers of essentialism understand school as a place of learning. Students are in school to learn and the best person to educate them is their teacher. These teachers want their students to learn about not only common-core subjects but cultures and how to be a productive member of society and a good person overall. Assessments in this teaching style will include tests that often require memorization from lessons consisting of lectures and assigned readings.

Behaviorism

anotherzavala — 2023-11-14 20:47:01 UTC

Inspired by B.F. Skinner, behaviorism is the theory that every behavior is a response to some stimuli. Teachers who subscribe to behaviorism believe schools should be set up in the best way possible to learn and emphasize the scientific method. A key aspect of this approach is clear, consistent expectations and the consequences or rewards per actions.

Positivism

anotherzavala — 2023-11-14 20:47:12 UTC

Positivism is based on the belief that, essentially, if you can't see, hear, smell, touch, taste, or otherwise measure something, it cannot be labeled a truth. An integral focus of this philosophy is that instruction absolutely needs to be clear and direct. Similarly to behaviorism, clear, consistent expectations are important and, therefore, utilized. This philosophy also states that students are intrinsically motivated to learn, children are naturally curious, which is why learning often takes place through observations and empirical data.

Progressivism

anotherzavala — 2023-11-14 20:47:22 UTC

Progressivism is similar to positivism, however, divergent thinking is highly encouraged in this model of teaching. Progressivists believe the best way for a student to learn about new ideas is to develop their own inquiries regarding the new idea. Their understanding of the ideas, and the ideas themselves, should be investigated through experimentation. The goal of this philosophy is for students to understand and accept the role in society and how it can, and should, be improved.

Humanism

anotherzavala — 2023-11-14 20:47:33 UTC

The humanism teaching philosophy, just as the humanism approach in psychology, emphasizes the idea that humans are innately good and that good should be encouraged and allowed to thrive. This philosophy not only allows but endorses the intermixing of education and emotions. Humanist teachers will have classrooms that are adapted to their students regularly and their students will have the ability to choose what and how they learn.

Constructivism

anotherzavala — 2023-11-14 20:47:41 UTC

Constructivism is comprised of involved activity-based instruction and learning. This philosophy urges students to make personal, worthwhile connections to the content they're learning and emphasizes unique learning styles and the accommodation of them. Like humanists, these teachers will also allow students to have a significant voice in what and how they learn. A primary focus of this model is encouraging students to come to their own conclusions and understand and recall the path they took to arrive there.

The Focuses of Philosophies

anotherzavala — 2023-11-14 20:55:59 UTC

The main difference between teacher- versus student-centered lies in the delivery and evaluation of new information. You are more likely to find direct instruction with an emphasis on focusing on the new concept, a fixed arrangement of the classroom, and more external control within a teacher-centered philosophy. Student-centered philosophies place more emphasis on flexibility, discovery-based learning, and student-voices.

The 6 Teaching Philosophies

anotherzavala — 2023-11-14 20:58:05 UTC

There are 6 main teaching philosophies, 3 are teacher-centered, and 3 are student-centered. The teacher-centered philosophies are essentialism, behaviorism, and positivism and the student-centered philosophies are progressivism, humanism, and constructivism.

Behaviorism and Humanism

anotherzavala — 2023-11-15 01:00:51 UTC

I plan to teach with a combination of the behaviorism and humanism ideas. My long-term goal is to become a Behavior Analyst, so it's not shocking that I identify with the behaviorist beliefs. I also really like the humanist approach to teaching because, at its core, it is the most appreciative and understanding of students, which is something I have always placed very high in my values. While I do plan to let students have a voice in my classroom often, I believe a more structured routine is more beneficial to the learning process, especially when teaching elementary students.