Abigail Weeks

PE 382
Dr. DiGiacinto
Philosophy of Teaching
Philosophy means that teaching is a central principle that helps guide teachers basic
choices about their students, what they teach, and how they teach it (Pugach 38). Each teachers
philosophy is different. The five types of philosophy are essentialism, progressivism,
perennialism, social reconstructionaism, and an ethic of care. My philosophy of teaching is An
Ethic of Care. This is the type that helps guide me, the way I make choices, and they way I
teach.
An Ethic of Care is a philosophy based on working together and caring about the students
and how they learn. A caring classroom is an affirming one, an environment of inclusivity
inquiry, where teachers and pupils work together to make learning relevant and meaningful
(Pugach 120.) When I begin teaching I know that I will care for each one of my students. I will
not leave anyone out because I know how it feels to be left out. Ive also had teachers who have
not cared about the students and are rude. Those teachers act like they only show up to work for
a paycheck. I will be a teacher that comes to work with a smile on her face everyday. I will put
aside all of the things that are negative in my life while I am at work. I will go to work for the
students, not only for a paycheck. Caring about students goes past liking them. When you care
for a student, you care about the way they learn. Being respectful to everyone is a goal that I will
have. I will respect that everyone does not learn the same. During this, I will assess the way
each student learns. Knowledge is not handed to us or constructed in isolation of one another;
rather we build on what others have learned and experienced, learn to read and analyze and
think, and proceed to construct knowledge in order to better understand ourselves and the world
(Pugach 120). This is the understanding I will construct my teaching off of.
I will make choices on how to teach by knowing that every student is not the same.
Being a physical education teacher I understand that those learners that are visual need for me to
demonstrate the task that they need to do. Visual learners just need to be told what to do, and
kinesthetic learners like to do the task themselves. Most students are visual or auditory learners
because they either need to see how its done, or are good at following instructions. An Ethic of
Care is one that sees these differences and acts on it. Working together is a must when you are a
teacher. You have to be able to work with all of the different types of students.
The way I teach students is togetherness. If one person does not understand the concept
of what I am teaching, I will work with them until they get it. This philosophy is based on the
commitment of caring. A philosophy of education helps us understand questions, issues,
concerns about our daily life as a teacher, often without even thinking about them (Pugach 115).
As a teacher I have questions about issues within my classroom. With this philosophy, it is so
much easier to answer my own questions. If there is a problem with one of the students learning
as quickly as the other students, I will have a meeting with the parents and try to solve this issue,
with tutoring, etc.
A Philosophy is the key to a teachers way of teaching. There are five different
philosophies. My philosophy is An Ethic of Care and that is all about caring about the students.
The philosophy of An Ethic of Care helps guide me to teach with care and respect. It helps me
make choices about moving on with a concept or go over it again. This philosophy also
determines the way I teach. It helps me make decisions when I am having trouble with my
lessons. This is my philosophy of teaching.

Abigail Weeks
PE 382
Dr. DiGiacinto
Philosophy of Teaching

Bibliography
Pugach, Marleen Carol. Because Teaching Matters. 2nd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley,
2006. Print.