Philosophy of Teaching

My Philosophy Teaching
Jim Calderon
Critical Pedagogy II
Dr. Frank Abrahams
11/20/2015

Philosophy of Teaching

Growing up music was not necessarily a big part of my life, but it

was just there in the background of the sound that always followed me.
My parents and family members always taught me how to enjoy music
from an early age, but what they taught me to love was actually
sports. Even though sports, primarily baseball were my passion and
that thing that would wake me up every morning with excitement, it
slowly died off after an accident. I slid into home plate, but what was
waiting for me there was not the game winning run, but rather a
catchers shin guard. The aftermath was not pretty, but nothing that a
bunch of screws and physical therapy could not fix. Not knowing what
to do with myself I decided to devote my time to another hobby that I
started a small investment in, mostly because of my friends. Being
injured for quite sometime I spent that extra time devoting it to my
musical instrument the cello. At first I was a bit skeptical into actively
participating in my music program, but luckily I had a unique teacher
that was able to change my perspective. My music teacher started
showing me new genres of music that I thought were incredible and
showed me how music was actually a giant part of my life as well as
my culture.
In every students educational journey, there is more than one
memorable teacher that motivates and inspires the student to
pursuing his or her passion. During my educational journey from way
back when all the way to Westminster Choir College I also have had

Philosophy of Teaching

unique teachers that stood out. Being a music education major at

Westminster I enrolled into a class called Critical Pedagogy I and
Critical Pedagogy II. Both these classes demonstrated many obstacles
in which other music educators as well as other educators throughout
the entire world face.
Improving the Students
From the book I Learn from Children written by Caroline Pratt,
stated Children...need most of the same things adults need-consideration, respect for their work, the knowledge that they and the
things they do are taken seriously. (p. 164, 1948) Howard Gardner
suggests that "children are being impacted by what they learn when
they can apply learning in one context to learning in a new and
different context. By helping children nurture their creativity, ability to
respond with significance to musical stimuli, and capacity to share
their musical accomplishments through performance, music teachers
help students make these connections and transfer." (p. 11, 2015)
Abrahams and John (2015), posit that "As such, good teachers strive to
engage their students and help coalesce the interests and goals of
each students with the valuable knowledge bound up in the school
curriculum." (p. 11-12, 2015) My philosophy derives from parts of my
past experiences as well as the notions illustrated by influential
educators such as Abrahams, Gardner, and John. My philosophical
thesis is teachers are dedicated to help students engage in the

Philosophy of Teaching

material to make the learning meaningful, rather than forcing the

knowledge upon the student of a specific subject. Like Caroline stated,
students already have a solid foundation, but it is up for the teacher to
inspire creativity and have the student be able to connect to the
material so that they find intrinsic motivation within themselves. The
ultimate goal of my philosophy is creating a situation where students
are self-driven to learn. As an incoming teacher entering the field of
teaching, I must consider each activity to be learning one. Not just
throwing knowledge like wet wads of toilet paper to see whatever
sticks to the students. The students should also be able to grow as
individuals because they learned things differently that makes the
knowledge personal to the students.
Alberty once stated, "Self-initiated activity of the child rather
than learning imposed by the teacher must dominate the schools
program." (p. 164, 1929) I believe teachers must create a environment
where students will be able to grasp the content on a autonomous
level. In order to fulfill these requirements, the teacher must
understand the world in which he/or she teaches. The world in which
someone teaches in determines the level of where the students stand
at an academic level. Abrahams and John (2015), states that "
Considering the character of the individuals within an educational
environment is essential to good music teaching. Good music teachers
consider their own character, the character of their students, and the

Philosophy of Teaching

character of their administrators in their approach to teaching" (p. 8,

2015) Connecting the previous quote, teachers must understand the
background of the students and acknowledge the strengths and
weaknesses in order to create a environment where students can work
together while being motivated on their own to learn.
Most importantly, teachers must commit to the students needs in
learning as it is an important part of a student's life. One of the more
profound quotes in Abrahams and John's book Planning Instruction in
Music is "When the skills that students learn in school are meaningful
and transferrable, students are able to move beyond basic behavioral
task or recalling facts to explore more complex phenomena such as
creativity, citizenship, and innovation." (p. 11, 2015) I could not agree
anymore with this quote. Knowledge and content play an important
role in the classroom, but if a teacher simply presents the material with
no connectivity, students will not be able to connect it to their own
lives. I truly believe that teachers must help students achieve a higher
understanding by finding connections in school as well as the outside
world. Dialogue is talk that changes or our context. Dialogue is
profound, wise, insightful conversation. Dialogue is two-way,
interactive visiting (p. 65 Wink). In the classroom the students and
teachers must be able to connect not only with content, but also with
the conversations that are held in the classroom. Depending on how
good the conversation in the classroom is going the students can

Philosophy of Teaching

either increase their overall knowledge or become uninterested with

the subject at hand.
An incredible goal that any kind of educator can accomplish is
when the teacher can play a passive role where they do not participate
and classroom can function well. Referring back to our guest lecturer,
Dr. Silverman of Montclair State University presented a very powerful
lecture that I was able to closely relate to. When she assigned students
into groups and asked them to define what the lyrics meant to them
individually, struck me in awe. Dr. Silverman role modeled a prime
example of how a teacher should teach. Her method was to present
materials to the students on what they want to learn and then
continued by separating the students into group, which opens them, to
think individually and socialize amongst each other. This stimulates the
students mind and gives them an opportunity to empower their voice
and themselves as an individual. AccordingtoMcLarenempowermentrefersto,
theprocessthroughwhichstudentslearntocriticallyappropriateknowledgeexisting
outsidetheirimmediateexperienceinordertobroadentheirunderstandingofthemselves,
theworld,andthepossibilitiesfortransformingthetakenforgrantedassumptionsabout
thewaywelive(p.98). Not only does this teaching method allow the
students their own space in class, but also it allows the teacher to
empower her students, but also be able to sneak off into a role that is
not the head of the class and analyze what is going on in the
classroom.

Philosophy of Teaching

One of the problems in modern school teaching is the amount of

stress that students have due to necessity of high-test scores. Because
teachers are assessed on the class test grades, he/or she is placed in a
tight position in teaching the subject in a respectable manner. This
goes down the chain of authority to the students who are learning the
materials for the score and not for themselves. A student should be
self-driven to learn and be able to incorporate the knowledge to their
lives. Abrahams and John comply by stating, "Until students are able to
find value in the information they encounter in school and explore
ways to use that information in their lives, learning is transient. (p. 12,
2015) Abrahams and John quote is significantly important because this
is seen often especially in modern day education. This is heavily
influenced because good grades are the sole meaning of obtaining a
higher education. When the student has secured him/or herself a
higher tier of education, past relevant knowledge is deleted,
furthermore. Nevertheless, this is just another obstacle that many
educators face and eventually I will too, but to overcome such a trial,
the teacher must grasp and understand the students until a notion of
flow is executed. Once this is achieved, the students will actively
participate in classroom activities more frequently as well as begin to
be self-motivated.
Influential Teaching

Philosophy of Teaching

A students learning reaches its peak when the student develops

his/or her own version of the knowledge. The knowledge is still
important but achieving this process is difficult. Alberty states, "To one
who has seen the accomplishments in painting and drawing, sculpture,
literature, music and crafts, there can be no doubt that system of
education which gives the child an opportunity to grow in a healthy
normal manner, is much to be preferred to the stereotyped procedure
in which the teacher holds at all times the center of the stage." (p. 166,
1929) This quote is essential to my philosophy because it creates a
connection between the teacher and the students. This connection
allows the student to think individually prior to discussions or activities.
This enables the students to think more independently and recollect
amongst their classmates. Using this method will not only negate the
gender bias in the room, but also the backgrounds of many students
who derive off of a diverse community or society. It important to
motivate the students in the classroom, but it is also important to give
them space so they have room to think on their feet.
As a teacher, you MUST understand the students and be
reasonable with the standards that students give back. A student will
learn better not by the amount of content that is rapidly flung, but
rather how the student. Unfortunately the dominant ideology in most
classrooms follows the idea that students will learn based on the
amount of content shown to them. This involves how well the teacher

Philosophy of Teaching

teaches the lesson prior to the work. If the lesson was efficient, the
student will trigger a state of flow, reverting back to other past lectures
and relating it to one another. The state of flow optimizes the students
ability to think more efficiently during a state of work. I personally
believe a lesson taught well can lead a student down various roads to
the same or different destination. When the student can connect to a
specific event, he/or she can take different routes to find the answer
rather than just one straight path.
In conclusion, if I did not get into that painful accident I would
have never started going on to the path of education. I am extremely
thankful for having my middle school teacher open up my eyes to a
whole other world that I would have not thought anything other than
personal enjoyment. Through these past experiences I have learned a
lot for the future and good teaching consists of. In Critical Pedagogy I I
learned to form my own critical lens and be able to understand the
basic foundation of what Critical Pedagogy is. In Critical Pedagogy II,
I've expanded my critical lens through classroom hegemony and
different dominant ideologies that exist through the schools around the
world. Not to mention, practicing developing my own lesson plan was
also incorporated in both classes. The students were also asked to read
Frank Abrahams and Ryan John's Planning Instruction In Music. A
handful of the lessons revolved around the book and because Dr.
Abrahams was the instructor for Critical Pedagogy II, grasping both

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Ryan John and Dr. Abrahams ideologies was less difficult. For each
chapter we finish reading, we would write reflections and papers on
how it pertains to the field of teaching. Under the guidance of Dr.
Abrahams, I began to think in more of a pedagogical view and seeing
situations in a different light. Through the teachings of Abrahams, John
and the other great educators in this essay I can go out into the world
to implement the actions that must be taken to nurture the minds of
tomorrow.
Reference
Abrahams, F., & John, R. (2015). Planning instruction in music: Writing objectives
assessment, and lesson plans to engage artistic processes. Chicago: GIA Publications.
Abrahams, F.. (2005). Transforming Classroom Music Instruction with Ideas from
Critical Pedagogy. Music Educators Journal, 92(1), 6267. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3400229
Alberty, H. B.. (1929). The Progressive Education Movement. Educational Research
Bulletin, 8(8), 163169. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1472266
McLaren, Peter. "Critical Pedagogy: A Look at the Major Concepts." Critical
Pedagogy: A Look at the Major Concept: n. pag. Print.
Silverman, Marissa. (2015). Social Justice and Cultural Context in Music Education.
Westminster Choir College of Rider University.
Wink Joan Chapter 2 Pg 65

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