The Teaching Profession

By
Purita P. Bilbao, et. al.
You, the Teacher, as a Person in Society
Teachers live in a society and are part of society. Our society
influences us to the extent that we allow ourselves to be
influenced by it. Our thoughts, values, and actions are somehow
shaped by events and by people with whom we come in contact.
Teacher’s influence with the students and on other people
with whom he/she work and live depends a great deal on his/her
philosophy as a person and as a teacher. His philosophy in life and
his philosophy of education serve as his window to the world and
compass in the sea of life. Embedded in the personal philosophy
are the principles and values that will govern and direct teacher’s
lifestyle, thoughts, decisions, actions and his relationships with
people and things.
An Exercise to Determine Your Educational
Philosophy:

Find out to which philosophy you adhere. To

what extent does each statement apply to you? Rate
yourself 4 if you agree with the statement always, 3 if
you agree but not always, 2 if you agree sometimes,
and 1 if you don’t agree at all.
Interpreting your scores: If you have 2 answers of 4 in
numbers. . . . .
1, 3, 5, 7, ------------------- you are more of progressivist
2, 4, 6, 8, ------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - a perennialist
9, 15, 20, 25 ------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - an existentialist
10, 12 ------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - a behaviorist
11, 13, 17, 18 ------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - an essentialist
14, 16, 21, 22 ------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - a constructivist
19, 23, 24 ------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - a linguistic
philosopher
1 - Your Philosophical Heritage:
Seven philosophies of education:
• ESSENTIALISM
Why Teach? Teachers teach for learners to acquire basic
knowledge, skills and values; to transmit the traditional moral values
and intellectual knowledge that students need to become model
citizens.
What to Teach? The emphasis is on academic content for
students to learn the basic skills or the fundamental r’s – reading,
‘riting, ‘rithmetic, right conduct – as these are essential to the
acquisition of higher or more complex skills needed in preparation for
adult life. The curriculum includes traditional disciplines but frowns
with vocational courses and place little emphasis on students’ interest.
 How to Teach? Essentialist teachers emphasize mastery of
subject matter. Lecture method is being utilized and they rely
heavily on the use of prescribed textbooks, drill method and other
methods to cover as much academic content as possible. There is a
heavy stress on memorization and discipline.
• PROGRESSIVISM
Why Teach? To develop learners into becoming enlightened and
intelligent citizens of a democratic society so that they may live life fully NOW
not to prepare them for adult life.
What to Teach? Progressivists are identified with need-based and
relevant curriculum that responds to the students’ needs and that relates to
students’ personal lives and experiences. They are more concerned with
teaching students to cope with change and focus their teaching on the skills
or processes in gathering and evaluating information and in problem solving.
 The subjects given emphasis are the “natural and social
sciences” reflecting the notion that progress and change are
fundamental and that students solve problems in the
classroom similar to those they will encounter outside of the
schoolhouse.
How to Teach? Teachers employ experiential methods
because they believe that one learns by doing. They rely
heavily on problem-solving method because it makes use of
the scientific method. They also use field trips which is a
“hands-on-minds-on-hearts-on” method, and they stimulate
students through thought-provoking games, and puzzles.
Perennialism
Why Teach? Schools should develop the student’s rational
and moral powers. According to Aristotle, if we neglect the
students’ reasoning skills, we deprive them of the ability to use
their higher faculties to control their passions and appetites.
What to Teach? The perennialist curriculum is a universal one
on the view that all human beings possess the same essential
nature and therefore focuses on general education. There is less
emphasis on vocational and technical education. The teachers
teach things lifted from the Great Books of ancient and medieval
as well as modern times which are s repository of knowledge and
wisdom, a tradition of culture which must initiate each generation,
according to Philosopher Mortimer Adler.
 How to Teach? The perennialist classrooms are “centered
around Teachers.” The teacher do not allow students’ interests or
experiences to substantially dictate what they teach. They apply
whatever creative techniques and other tried and true methods
which are believed to be most conducive to disciplining the students’
minds. Students engaged in Socratic dialogues, or mutual inquiry
sessions to develop an understanding of history’s most timeless
concepts.
Existentialism
Why Teach? The main concern of the existentialists is “to help
students understand and appreciate themselves as unique individuals
who accept complete responsibility for their thoughts, feeling and
actions.
Since ‘existence precedes essence’, the existentialist teacher’s role is to help
students define their own essence by exposing them to various paths they take
in life and by creating an environment in which they freely choose their own
preferred way. Since feeling is not divorced from reason in decision making, the
existentialist demands the education of the whole person, not just the mind.
What to teach? “In an existentialist curriculum, students are given a wide
variety of options from which to choose.” The humanities, however, are given
tremendous emphasis to “provide students with vicarious experiences that will
help unleash their own creativity and self-expression. Vocational education is
regarded more as a means of teaching students about themselves and their
potential than of earning a livelihood. It also encourages individual’s creativity
and imagination more than copying and imitating established models.
How to Teach? Methods focused on individual. Learning is self-paced,
self-directed. It includes a great deal of individual contact with the teacher, who
relates to each student openly and honestly. Teachers employ values
clarification strategy in which teachers remain non-judgmental and take care
not to impose their values on their students since values are personal.
Behaviorism
Why Teach? Behaviorist schools are concerned with the
modification and shaping of students’ behavior by providing for a
favorable environment, since they believe that they are a product of
their environment. They are after students who exhibit desirable
behavior in the society.
What to Teach? Behaviorist teachers teach students to respond
favorably to various stimuli in the environment.
How to Teach? Behaviorist teachers “ought to arrange
environment conditions so that students can make the responses to
stimuli. They have to make the stimuli clear and interesting to capture
and hold the learners’ attention. Provide appropriate incentives to
reinforce positive responses and weaken or eliminate negative ones.
Linguistic Philosophy
Why Teach? To develop the communication skills of the learner
because the ability to articulate, to voice out the meaning and values
of things that one obtains from his/her experience of life and the
world is the very essence of man. Teachers teach to develop in the
learner the skill to send messages clearly and receive messages
correctly.
What to Teach? Learners should be taught to communicate
clearly - how to send clear, concise messages and how to receive and
correctly understand messages sent. Communication takes place in 3
ways: verbal, nonverbal and paraverbal.
How to Teach? The most effective way to teach language and
communication is the experiential way. Teacher should make the
classroom a place for the interplay of minds and hearts.
Constructivism
Why Teach? Constructivist sees to develop intrinsically motivated and
independent learners adequately equipped with learning skills for them to be
able to construct knowledge and make meaning of them.
What to Teach? The learners are taught how to learn. They are taught
learning processes and skills such as searching critiquing and evaluating
information, relating these pieces of information, reflecting the same, making
meaning out of them, drawing insights, posing questions, researching and
constructing new knowledge out of these bits of information learned.
How to Teach? The teacher provides students w/ data or experiences
that allow them to hypothesize, predict, manipulate objects, pose questions,
research, investigate, imagine and invent. Classroom is interactive and
promotes dialogical exchange of ideas among learners and between teacher
and learners.
II - FORMULATING YOUR PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
Your philosophy of education is your “window” to the world
and “compass” in life. You surely have one just as everybody has
only that sometimes it not well articulated. Your philosophy of
education is reflected in your dealings with students, colleagues,
parents and administrators. Your attitude towards problems and life
as a whole has an underlying philosophy.
Philosophy of education contains or includes:
• the human person, the learner in particular and the educated
person
• what is true and good and therefore must be taught
• how a learner must be taught in order to come close to the truth
Here is an example: My Philosophy as a Grade School Teacher
I believe that every child
• has a natural interest in learning and is capable of learning.
• is an embodied spirit.
• can be influenced but not totally by hi/her environment.
• is unique, so comparing a child to other children has basis.
• does not have empty mind, rather is full of ideas and it is my
task to draw out these ideas.

I believe that there are unchanging values in changing times and

these be passed on to every child by my modelling, value
inculcation and value integration in my lessons.
III – The Foundational Principles of Morality and You
When you carry out acts of kindness, you get a
wonderful feeling inside. It is as though something
inside your body responds and says, yes, this is
how I ought to feel
What is Morality?
It refers to “the quality of human acts by which we call them right or
wrong, good or evil.” Your human action is right when it conforms with the
norm, rule, or law of morality; otherwise it is said to be wrong.