Manchester University



CredoDan NaveIntro to Teaching 111Professor EastmanAbstractA credo is a person’s main beliefs about how they teach and why they teach. It is the foundation of a person’s educational career. A credo is simply a person’s personal philosophy about their own discipline or career. This credo will discuss my personal beliefs about all aspects of teaching, as well as philosophical orientations and psychological orientations.CredoI have various philosophies about teaching. I believe that a teacher must have more than one philosophy to get the best effort out of their learners. I don’t trust that having only one philosophy is the most effective way to teach. If a teacher uses a number of philosophies in the classroom then it would be a better learning environment for the students. The reason it would be a better learning environment is because not all students are the same. Some students learn faster than others. Some students are auditory learners and others are visual learners. So if only one philosophy was used in the classroom then it might not benefit every student. In this credo I will discuss my psychological orientation as well as my three philosophical orientations of progressivism, perennialism, and social reconstructionism. These orientations will inform my beliefs about teaching, teachers, learning, learners, and knowledge. The philosophy that my teaching style would be most compatible with is progressivism. Progressivism focuses more on the student’s interests and needs rather than the subject being taught. I believe students should have a little more freedom in their school experiences because if they have good experiences then that might motivate them to want to learn. According to influential progressivists John Dewey and Francis Parker, “The school should help students develop personal and social values because society is always changing, new ideas are important to make the future better than the past” (Parkay & Stanford 2007). Helping students develop personal and social values is very important because society is always changing. Society is always trying to move in a positive direction. I believe that working in groups is a vital part of learning. The students should be given the opportunity to solve problems that the group feels is important. I am not suggesting that with all this freedom for the students that important subjects won’t be taught. My next philosophical orientation of perennialism “ensures that students should acquire knowledge of unchanging principles or great ideas” (Parkay & Stanford 2007).As in perennialism, I believe students should encounter the best, most significant works that humans have created. As perennialist advocates, I also believe that the students should be taught the history of our culture. Though society is changing, and developing a student’s social values are important, students should still be introduced to the works of William Shakespeare or the three laws of motion because they are vital parts of the history of our culture. Advocates Robert Maynard Hutchins and Mortimer Adler believed, “The major goals of perennialism are to teach students to become independent and critical thinkers. The curriculum should focus on the enduring disciplines of knowledge rather than on current events” (Parkay & Stanford 2007). I realize that these first two philosophies seem to contradict each other, but I believe that both philosophical orientations are very important. Student’s should have freedom and learn in their own way, but they still need to learn important works of our culture.My third philosophy about teaching is social recontructionism. It is similar to progressivism in that schools take the lead in changing or reconstructing society. We should teach the history of our culture and important works to the students, but I believe we should also teach students not only society in the present, but how to reconstruct society for the future. This philosophy of teaching encourages field trips, community projects, and opportunities to interact with people beyond the wall of the classroom. According to social recontructionist George Counts, “The teaching process should provide students with methods for dealing with the significant crises that confront our society” (Parkay & Stanford 2007). I believe with the reconstructionist philosophy that schools should teach students about our society and how to better it.My main psychological orientation is constructivism. This orientation ensures that the student is the key to learning. It suggests that a teacher must understand how each student learns or comprehends something. Constructivism also states that, “Students learning is influenced by prior knowledge, experiences, attitudes, and social interactions” (Parkay & Stanford 2007). I as a teacher must know that each student is different, and that not every student learns at the same rate. I also must know how to interact with every student so that they will understand everything I am trying to teach them in the classroom.I believe a teacher should use a combination of philosophies when they are teaching so they can help each student to learn. My main philosophical orientations are progressivism, perennialism, and social reconstructionism. I believe students should be free thinkers in the classroom, but important historical works should also be taught. I also believe that we should incorporate in our schools ways to teach students to make a positive impact in our society. My psychological orientation is contructivism in which the student is the key to learning. Every student is a different type of learner, and as a teacher I have to understand that. All of these philosophies of teaching will help me do to my best as a teacher, and they will help me connect with my students so ultimately they will understand what I am trying to teach. Works CitedParkay, F. & Stanford, B. (2007). Becoming a teacher, 8th edition Boston: Allyn and Bacon. ................
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