AR, Values, and Philosophy - 1

ACTION RESEARCH, PERSONAL VALUES, AND YOUR EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

This is an excerpt from my book: A Short Guide to Action Research (4th ed), (2012), published by
Pearson Education

Values and Philosophy

Action research projects can be designed to identify, elucidate, and then align your teaching practices
with a set of values and/or an educational philosophy.
Values.
A value is anything you find to be of importance or of worth (Johnson, 2009). For action research
projects, the focus will be on personal traits and educational experiences that you value. So, what traits (or
dispositions) do you value (see Figure 1)? How are these manifest throughout the day or week? Are your
actions and interactions with students and colleagues in alignment with these values?
An action research project here could involve creating a checklist with a set of identified traits on it
and then using tally marks to record when each trait is displayed throughout the day. This enables you to
bring into consciousness those personal traits you wish to grow or enhance. It also helps you to be in
alignment with your values as you interact with students and colleagues.
A daily journal could also be used. Here you would identify four to six personal traits that are of
value to you and record how each was manifest throughout the day. You would then use inductive analysis
to look for patterns over time as you examine your journal entries over time.

Figure 1. Personal traits or dispositions.

empathy truthfulness compassion positive thinking
respect self-control nurturing words forgiveness
kindness humility generosity reflection-contemplation
fairness non-judgment gratitude integrity
non-violence reverence courage creativity
honesty service to others optimism sincerity
fortitude courage truthfulness balance-moderation
harmony hard working courtesy self-discipline

Expanding your awareness like this is a way of transforming consciousness. Consciousness is

transformed by what we choose to give our attention to. The Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh (1998) says
we have both wholesome and unwholesome seeds (personal traits) within our store consciousness. The
wholesome seeds uplift and help us transform us. These are traits such as humility, self-respect, non-craving,
non-anger, concentration, diligence, equanimity, and non-violence. The unwholesome seeds are heavy and
imprison us. These are traits such as anger, greed, hatred, ignorance, pride, and doubt. We have a choice in
every situation as to which seeds receive our attention and thus, become watered. Seeds create emotional
states from which thoughts arise. Thought precedes action, thus, our actions (good), are dependent on our
attention. Focusing on internal states is an important part of helping us to be and become that teacher that we
want to be.
A value is also related to the things you find of importance in a teaching and learning situation. An

Andrew P. Johnson, Ph.D. www.OPDT-Johnson.com

 AR, Values, and Philosophy - 2

action research project here would involve first identifying the types of teaching and learning experiences
you value. Do you value creativity? Open-endedness? Self-actualization? Order? New knowledge? Social
interaction? Exploration? Intrapersonal connections? Real world connections? Then, examine your lessons
and learning episodes to see what values are manifest. And finally, look to see if and to what degree your
teaching practices are aligned with your teaching values. Similar to reflective elements above, checklists,
daily journal entries, or even audio and video recordings can all be used here to help you examine, record,
and then document your growth related to teaching values.
Philosophy.
A philosophy is a set of principles based on ones values and beliefs that are used to guide one's
behavior. Values have been defined above. Beliefs in this context are related to what you accept to be true
regarding teaching and learning. Even though your educational philosophy may not be clearly defined, it is
the basis for everything you do as a teacher (DeCarvalho, 1991; Walcott, 1966). It guides your decision
making, influences how you perceive and understand new information, and determines your goals and beliefs
(Gutek, 2004).
Educational philosophies address the following kinds of questions: Why do we educate people?
How should we educate people? How does education affect society? How does education affect humanity?
Who benefits from the various types of education? What ethical guidelines should be used? What traits
should be valued? What should be measured? How should we measure? Why type of thinking is of worth?
How should we come to know the world and make decisions? What is the educational ideal?
Educational philosophies come in a variety of forms with common but not universal elements
included. Figure 2 describes four common elements. To be of use your educational philosophy will need to
be designed by you so that it can be used to guide and direct your thinking and teaching practice. Therefore,
I recommend that you add additional elements if necessary or adopt only the ones below that suit your
purpose.

Figure 2. Elements of an educational philosophy.

The purpose of education. Why do schools exist in our society? What purpose do these
serve? Why do our societies invest so much time and resources on educating developing
humans? To what end? How does this benefit the society or group?

Goals. Based on your defined purpose, what are some short or long-term goals?

Principles. Based on your values, what are some guiding principles or things you believe to
be true regarding education, teaching, or learning? Here you should prepare a set of
propositions that will serve as a foundation for your beliefs.

Action statements. Based on your purpose statement, goals, and principles, what are some
action statements? What will you do or strive to do in your classroom? What might we see if
we come into your classroom? What do you aspire to do or accomplish? What are some
processes and practices you will adopt?

Figure 3 contains elements that I would include in my educational philosophy for my role as a
professor working with pre-service and practicing teachers. Keep in mind that this philosophy is right for me
and my teaching situation. This is used only as an example. You will need to develop your own.
Reflection here might be considered the ultimate form of professional development. Again,
regardless of whether we are conscious of them or not, our educational philosophies influence our
professional practice. Reflection at this level enables you to become conscious of your educational
philosophy. This, in turn, enhances your ability to align your practice with your educational philosophy.

Andrew P. Johnson, Ph.D. www.OPDT-Johnson.com

 AR, Values, and Philosophy - 3

Figure 3. Example of an educational philosophy.

Purpose
When functioning at its highest, it is my belief that education should help to help each person
reach his or her full potential. I believe that a schools fundamental purpose is the development
of better human beings, which occurs through self-actualization and self-transcendence.

Goals
A short-term educational goal is to bring people, societies, and the global community to a
higher place. A higher place defined here as a state where individuals have the knowledge,
skills, and dispositions necessary for them to nurture themselves, others, and the environment
and an inclination for them to act upon their worlds in productive yet responsible ways. A long-
term goal is the continued evolution of human consciousness and the global society.

Principles
I believe the following:
We are preparing human beings who will be teachers.
Teaching is an art, a science, and a craft learned over time with continued professional
development and reflection.
Preservice and practicing teachers need to discover who they are as teachers and people in
order to teach at their highest
Teachers need to identify and develop the teaching skills that work best for them.
Learning to teach is not a standardized process.
Students at any level are not standardized products.
It is necessary to have a coherent body of knowledge related to teaching, learning,
pedagogical, and content areas in order to teach effectively.
Teachers should be empowered to make the choices that are best for their students and that
are aligned with their teaching values.

Action Statements based on my philosophy

Based on the above, I will strive to do the following:
present the knowledge and skills necessary for professional and personal growth.
help students discover and develop their passions and special talents.
inspire and motivate students to learn vs. control and manipulate.
model the dispositions I believe to be of value: hard work, planning, creativity, honesty,
integrity, and compassion.
recognize and address the human element whenever possible.
use course content and elevate students on personal and professional levels.
be reflective practitioner.
honor my students as learners and humans.
provide students the knowledge and skills they will need to be successful teachers and
humans.
provide the lessons students need to move them forward.

To teach with integrity then is a matter of integrating all parts of our teaching selves. In this case,
your values and philosophy are integrated with your teaching practice. When this occurs, your teaching is
much more powerful and effective (Dewey, 1989). If you are teaching from somebody elses philosophy,
you are little more than a dancing monkey (Johnson, 2006). In the field of education, we need far more
integrated teachers and far fewer dancing monkeys.
There are four things to note about educational philosophies:
1. Educational philosophies evolve and change over time as a result of experience, interaction with
others, reflection, and new knowledge. This is good. If you believe the same things in the same sorts of
ways that you did five or ten years ago, you have not grown. Even with the most strongly held beliefs, you
may still believe them, but if you continue to evolve, they are believed at different levels or in different ways.
If you are learning and evolving, your educational philosophy will continue to grow and evolve throughout
your career.

Andrew P. Johnson, Ph.D. www.OPDT-Johnson.com

 AR, Values, and Philosophy - 4

2. You must develop your own philosophy. To be of any use, your educational philosophy must be
aligned with your values and beliefs. (This is why it is important to identify what you value and believe.)
There is no such thing as the correct philosophy. Effective teachers and people of good character often
have differing educational philosophies. This also is a good thing as it leads to continued reflection,
dialogue, and refinement. And whether it be a political philosophy, religious philosophy, or educational
philosophy; forcing ones philosophy on another is the ultimate form of domination and control. These are
not traits to which we aspire in a democratic society.
3. Differing educational philosophies within an educational setting is not a sign of dysfunction.
These differences can strengthen a school as long as colleagues listen and respect these differences.
Differences can provide a variety of perspectives on curriculum, school issues, and other learning
experiences. Varying perspectives can also be used help to create new or innovative programs, policies, and
procedures.
4. Educational philosophies should be like a lesson plan objective: Everything that follows should
support that objective. In the same way, everything that follows your educational philosophy should support
or be in alignment with it. To the greatest extent possible, your teaching practices should align with your
educational philosophy. This enables you to teach from your authentic self.
At this point, you should be ready to begin to elucidate your educational philosophy. It is helpful to
share your ideas with other teachers during this process. The conversation that takes place here leads to the
type of valuable professional dialogue that is often lacking in most schools. As well, the views of others are
helpful in refining your educational philosophy. An important starting point here is to never try to convince
others of the superiority of your educational philosophy or the deficits in anothers. Even though you may
disagree in the most fundamental ways, unless they are harmful, all educational philosophies should be
valued.
An action research project resulting here might be to examine your teaching practice to see if, to
what degree, where, and how often one or more of the elements of your educational philosophy is reflected
or conflicted. Conversely, you could begin with an examination of your educational philosophy and then
look to see if and how your practice might be in alignment each element. The first type of action research
project looks at your practice to find alignment with your philosophy. The second looks at your philosophy
to find support in your practice. As well, most schools or school districts have some form of a mission
statement and goals. Similar action research projects could be done with your schools mission statement
and goals and various school-wide policies, procedures, and programs.

Andrew P. Johnson, Ph.D. www.OPDT-Johnson.com