Education Studies Assignment: Academic Essay Dr Pauline

Logue

Module: Education Studies

CA1 ASSIGNMENT: ACADEMIC ESSAY

An Exploration of My Personal Philosophy of Education and its Application to

the Technical Classroom

Student Name & ID

Niall Phelan

G00396329

Lecturer: Dr Pauline Logue

Plagiarism Disclaimer

Student Name & ID: Niall Phelan, G00396329

Programme: Education Studies

Assignment Title: Philosophy Statement Essay

Due Date: 30/10/2022

Additional Information:

I understand that plagiarism is a serious academic offence, and that GMIT deals

with it in accordance with the GMIT Policy on Plagiarism.

I have read and understood the GMIT Policy on Plagiarism and I agree to the

requirements set out therein in relation to plagiarism and referencing. I confirm

that I have referenced and acknowledged properly all sources used in

preparation of this assignment. I understand that if I plagiarise, or if I assist

others in doing so, that I will be subject to investigation as outlined in the GMIT

Policy on Plagiarism.

I understand and agree that plagiarism detection software may be used on my

assignment. I declare that, except where appropriately referenced, this

assignment is entirely my own work based on my personal study and/or

research. I further declare that I have not engaged the services of another to

either assist in, or complete this assignment.

CA1A (Draft) YES/ NO (Please highlight)

CA1b (Final) YES/NO (Please highlight)

Signed:

Date: 27/11/2022
Education Studies Assignment: Academic Essay Dr Pauline
Logue

1. INTRODUCTION

My name is Niall Phelan, and I am a preservice teacher in the Atlantic Technological

University. I am currently an undergraduate student studying a level 8 Bachelor of Science

(Education), in Design, Graphics and Construction. The aim of this essay is to explore my

personal philosophy of education and its application to the technical classroom. First, we

must learn what a teaching philosophy statement is, one source claims, “Teaching philosophy

statements clarify why we do what we do in the classroom” (Beatty, 2009). The role of a

personal philosophy statement is to reflect philosophical work that prepares students for the

teaching profession (Bakker,2020). The core of a teaching philosophy lies in the values and

beliefs that we cherish and that we teach in our classroom. “If you engage a group of learners,

then your behaviour in designing their learning environment must follow your philosophical

orientation” (Coppola, 2002) I intend to explore my own values and beliefs that affect me in

my teaching and discuss how I use these in a technical classroom through my philosophy

statement.

2. VALUES AND BELIEFS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING

The Teaching Council Code of Professional Conduct highlights 4 key values in teaching,

these are respect, care, integrity, and trust. Respect and care are the values that I believe are

the most significant in the modern climate of education. Respect is a value which is received

on the basis that it is provided. Teachers must respect students and build relationships upon

that respect to maximise student potential. “We simply can’t undervalue the importance of

intentionally building relationships in schools to increase student success” (Sackstein, 2021) .

Respect in the classroom over the last number of years has proven to be essential as part of a
Education Studies Assignment: Academic Essay Dr Pauline
Logue

teacher’s career. With gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, ethnicity all becoming more

inclusive and diverse a teacher must learn to embrace all as part of their teaching training and

all educators must welcome respect as a right to each individual.

The second value that I would like to discuss is care. Care is a fundamental part of

interacting with humans. From my experience in secondary school and higher education the

most effective learners are the ones that exhibit caring tendencies. I believe that care is a

value that can enhance a student’s relationship with a teacher and the school. In a world

where young people can be emotionally neglected and abused at home and on phones, the

care of one individual that being a teacher in this case can be the difference in a child’s life.

Care can increase student engagement and add to the school environment as well as maybe

one day saving a young life.

From reading My Pedagogic Creed by John Dewey (1897) one of his beliefs that I found

spoke to me was “I believe that education must be conceived as a continuing reconstruction

of experience; that the process and the goal of education are one and the same thing”. I

believe that students learn greatest from experience, I think that another key role in learning

is making mistakes and reflecting on past experiences to affect future outcomes. From my

reading one source claims that reflection “empowers students in their personal learning”

(Bassachs, Cañabate, & Nogué, 2020).

3. EDUCATIONAL THEORY & APPLICATION

In this section I will discuss the education theory’s that have affected my teaching and

planning the most in relation to my values and beliefs as an educator. The first theorist that

has had an impact on my educational studies is Abraham Maslow. I will discuss and explain
Education Studies Assignment: Academic Essay Dr Pauline
Logue

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and see how it can be adapted to a technical classroom. The

second theorist that I will discuss is Paulo Freire. Freire was a Brazilian educator and is

responsible for the modern co learning experience and believed education would liberate the

oppressed (Logue 2022). Both theorists have a humanist approach to learning, “Humanist

educators have an unwavering trust in the individual’s growth capacity and view self-directed

learning as most facilitative of growth” (Purswell, 2019). A humanist approach to teaching

can be extremely beneficial to the quality of learning and the environment in a classroom. I

believe that the values and beliefs I hold can be seen in a humanist class.

3.1 HOW TO APPLY ABRAHAM MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS TO AS TECHNICAL

CLASSROOM .

Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist who created the theory of the hierarchy

of needs. “In this theory, Maslow indicated that people have two types of needs: basic needs

and growth needs” (Zhang, 2022). The basic needs are the needs each individual needs to

survive like sleep, food, love, water, shelter etc. These needs must be met for students and a

teacher must be alert to students who don’t receive these needs.

Graph 1

Once these basic needs are met then students can begin to grow and learn. According to

Tulsa teachers registered with the Teaching Council are mandated persons who can report

instances for the safeguarding of children, therefore teachers not only in a technical

classroom are responsible for safety of the students which is one of the 5 needs highlighted in

Maslow’s theory. Another way this theory can be applied is through the growth of confidence

in students. Young students are extremely impressionable and a negative outlook on work

and teaching can greatly affect the development of students. A teacher’s use of praise where

warranted, can have an exponential effect on a student which can increase productivity and

enthusiasm in class. From my teaching practice in the wood technology room, students who

lack the motor skills to excel in the project manufacturing aspect of the course tend to

become disheartened and disengage when it comes time to create artefacts. I have noticed the

improvement some students like this have made when encourage and when a teacher believes
Education Studies Assignment: Academic Essay Dr Pauline
Logue

in their ability to improve through observation, praise and when clear steps for improvement

are given.

3.2 FREIRE’S HUMANIST THEORY AND ITS APPLICATION.

In education, the old traditional methods of teaching involved children sitting down and

listening to the teacher provide the information, taking in as much information as they

possibly could, a term which Freire calls the banking system. With the banking system,

children are the passive recipients of knowledge while the teacher is the sole

conversationalist. In education today, it is very important for children to take more of an

active role in their learning styles and techniques in the classroom. “Dewey was instrumental

in the formulation and development of experiential learning and education, which many

would argue forms the basis of what we now call active learning in its various forms”

(LISZKA, 2013). Both Dewey and Freire were catalysts in the teaching methodologies we

use today and the ones we find most effective. Freire’s theory can be applied via active

learning strategies and discussion as a form of learning. Class debates, peer teaching, public

speaking, circle of learning are some strategies that can be use in a technical classroom and

can be found in each of our lesson plans to enhance active learning, discussion, and

engagement. I find that reflection activities can benefit greatly when using Freire’s theory as

students are actively engaging in previous learning. For example, when completing the topic

of conic sections in graphics, the topics is very detailed and requires a lot of memory to pull

information that must be applied to the topic. I believe that a student led discussion to recap

aspects like the division of a circle would greatly improve engagement and enhance students’

ability to retain information in a fun, active learning strategy.

4 CONCLUSION
Education Studies Assignment: Academic Essay Dr Pauline
Logue

In conclusion from explore my personal philosophy of education and its application to the

technical classroom I have learned how to incorporate different learning theories in my

classroom, and I have explored the values and beliefs that I think represent me as a person

and as an educator. Developing teaching skills through philosophy is a valuable technique

used in many classrooms across the world in today’s society allowing students to have a

voice and be

active learners in their education but also giving the teacher the chance to develop such skills

with the children for the future.

5 LIST OF REFERENCES

 Bakker, C., Dubensky, K., Harvey, L., & McDonough, G. P. (2020). The

inadequacies of assigning “my philosophy of education” statements in Teacher

Education Courses. Research Articles, 26(1), 1–19.https://doi.org/10.7202/1071417ar

 Bassachs, M., Cañabate, D., Nogué, L., Serra, T., Bubnys, R., & Colomer, J. (2020).

Fostering critical reflection in primary education through steam approaches.

Education Sciences, 10(12), 384. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10120384

 Beatty, J. E., Leigh, J. S., & Lund Dean, K. (2008). Finding our roots. Journal of

Management Education, 33(1), 115–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562907310642

 Dewey, J. (1897) My Pedagogic Creed. School Journal vol. 54.

http://dewey.pragmatism.org/creed.htm

 Graph 1, Needs before wants in user experiences – maslow and the hierarchy of

needs. The Interaction Design Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2022, from
Education Studies Assignment: Academic Essay Dr Pauline
Logue

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/needs-before-wants-in-user-

experiences-maslow-and-the-hierarchy-of-needs

 Liszka, J. (2013). Charles Peirce’s rhetoric and the pedagogy of active learning.

Educational Philosophy and Theory, 45(7), 781–788. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-

5812.2011.00763.x

 Logue, Introduction to Theoretical Perspectives in Teaching & Learning (2022) Class

Notes.

 Publications. Publications - Teaching Council. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2022,

from https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/publications/

 Purswell, K. E. (2019). Humanistic learning theory in counselor education. The

Professional Counselor, 9(4), 358–368. https://doi.org/10.15241/kep.9.4.358

 Sackstein, S. (2021). Assessing with respect: Everyday practices that meet students'

social and emotional needs. ASCD.

 Zhang, T., Liu, Y., Wang, Y., Li, C., Yang, X., Tian, L., Wu, Y., Lin, L., & Li, H.

(2022). Quality indicators for the care of older adults with disabilities in long-term

care facilities based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. International Journal of

Nursing Sciences, 9(4), 453–459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2022.09.012