Chapter 7: Thinking about Teaching and Learning

In the beginning of the semester, I was assigned to write a philosophy paper on methods I would practice within my classroom. The paper turned out to be a page and a half, due to the fact that I had little knowledge pertaining to the philosophy and methods of teaching. I had a small idea of how I would educate my students, but I did not hold enough knowledge to create a solid philosophy of my own. After reading chapter seven, I was able to expand my ideas and philosophy of teaching.

My focus within secondary education is social sciences... particularly history. Therefore, I would love to use the Socratic method of teaching within my classroom. The Socratic method is a method of teaching or discussion in which the teacher asks a series of questions that lead the answerer (in this case, my students) to a logical conclusion. History is an extensive and always-changing topic in society today. Asking my students questions that force them to think outside of the box and create their own answers will enable them to understand fully the importance of history. Also, to practice idealism and perennialism within my classroom, would not pertain to the subject of history, in my opinion. I would practice realism and the tabula rasa methods because these methods do not focus on everlasting ideas. Ideas within history are always changing because poilicies, governments, government officials, events, political groups, etc... are always changing. There cannot be everlasting ideas when it comes to a changing history and world. There can be common-held beliefs, but everything always changes. This is why I would practice the Socratic method, the tabula rasa method, and realism. The students can create their own ideas, while also taking away the bigger picture of history and its significance.

I would also love to have a constructivist approach to teaching. Using this teaching strategy within my classroom will allow the student to actively create, interpret, and reorganize information in ways that are unique to them. This strategy also allows the student to experience the ideas, phenomena, and artifacts of history, instead of just having it explained to them. I would love to design and sequence lessons that encourage the learners to use their own experiences to actively construct meaning and acquire understanding that makes sense to them.

Although I've come away from this chapter with a larger idea of the philosophies that I would practice within my classroom, I also know that it would be nearly impossible to use only one teaching strategy strategy in a single lesson. I know that selecting the best teaching strategy to match the students is a teaching skill that is not easy to master, but it can be accomplished when a teacher keeps in mind the needs and abilities of the learners, the content of goals to be achieved, and the time and resources allowed by the context. This is what I hope to encorporate in my philosophy of teaching: a variety of teaching methods and skills. Besides, all methods and skills work for certain students. I need to be able to practice all of them so I can meet the variety of my students' learning abilities.