YOUR

PHILOSOPHICAL
HERITAGE

The Existential Question

What is life?
Who am ?
Why am I here?
What am I living for?
What is reality?
Is the universe real?
What is good to do?
How should I live life meaningfully?

School context
Why do I teach?
What should I teach?
How should I teach?
What is the nature of the learner?
How do we learn?

FIVE
PHILOSOPHIES
OF EDUCATION

Essentialism
Why teach
To acquire basic knowledge, skills and values
To transmit traditional moral values and intellectual knowledge that
students need to become model citizen
What to teach
Emphasis is on academic content for students to learn basic skills or the
fundamental rs
riting, reading, rithmetic, right conduct
Traditional disciplines, such as math, natural science, history, foreign
language, literature

 How to teach
Emphasize mastery of the subject
Use prescribed textbooks
Heavy stress on memorization
Teachers are expected to be
Intellectual and moral models
Fountain of information
Paragon of virtue
Teachers have to observe
Longer school day
Longer academic year

Progressivism
Why teach
To develop learners into becoming enlightened and intelligent
citizens
To teach learners to live fully now and not to prepare them for
adult life
What to teach
Need-based and relevant curriculum
Responds to students needs and that relates to students
personal lives and experiences
Skills to cope with change
Natural and social sciences
New scientific, technological, and social developments

 Progressivists accept the impermanence of life and the inevitability of change.

Change is the only thing that does not change.

How to teach
Experiential method
Hands-on, minds-on
One learns by doing.

Perennialism
Why teach
To develop students rational and moral powers
What to teach
Heavy on humanities and general education
Great books of ancient and medieval as well as modern times
How to teach
Centered around teachers
Socratic dialogues

Existentialism
Why teach
To help students understand and appreciate themselves as
unique individuals
To help students define their own essence

Existence precedes essence.

What to teach
Wide variety of options from which to choose
Focus upon the actions of historical individuals

 How to teach
Focus on the individual
Learning is self-paced, self-directed

Behaviorism
Why teach
To modify and shape students behavior
What to teach
Teach students to respond favorably to various stimuli in the
environment
How to teach
Ought to arrange environmental conditions

FORMULATING
YOUR
PHILOSOPHY OF
EDUCATION

Philosophy of Education
Window to the world
Compass in life
It is your own thought and formulation
Reflected in your dealings with students, colleagues, parents and
administrators

What does a philosophy of

education contain or include?
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

My Philosophy of Education 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 his/her environment
is unique and so comparing a child to other children has no basis
I believe there are unchanging values in changing times and these must
be passed on to every child by my modeling, value inculcation and value
integration in my lessons.

 I believe that my task as a teacher is to facilitate the development of every

child to the optimum and to the maximum by:
Reaching out to all children without bias and prejudice towards the
least of the children
Making every child feel good and confident about him/her self through
his/her experiences of success in the classroom
helping every child master the basic skills of reading, communicating in
oral and written form, arithmetic and computer skills
Teaching my subject matter with mastery so that every child will use
his/her basic skills to continue acquiring knowledge, skills and values for
hi/her to go beyond basic literacy and basic numeracy
Inculcating or integrating the unchanging values of respect, honesty,
love and care for others regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality,
appearance and economic status in my lessons
Consistently practicing these values to serve as model for every child
Strengthening the value formation of every child through hand-onminds-on experiences inside and outside the classroom
providing every child activities meant to develop the body, the mind,the
spirit

SOCIETY AND
YOU

Community Perception on the Role of Teachers

in the Community Teachers are perceived to be:

very important in a community.

respected in a community.
help in the community to same extent

Community Perception on
Benefits and Attitudes about
Teachers
and
Teaching
The community respondents strongly agreed that teachers:
1. help develop the moral character of children.
2. are second parents.
3. are assets to the community.

The community respondents agreed

with 12 beliefs and attitudes, as follows:
1. The most intelligent child should be encouraged to enter the teaching profession.
2. Teacher sets moral standard of the community.
3. Teachers make good parents.
4. Men should be encouraged to enter the teaching profession.
5. T he teaching profession is one of the lowest paid.
6. Teachers should be paragons of virtue.
7. Children obey and respect their teachers.
8. Teachers play an active role in disciplining children.
9. Praising boosts a childs self-confidence.
10. A teacher is a childs model.
11. Childs interest in studies depends upon his/her teachers.
12. Parents entrust childrens welfare to teachers.

THE
FOUNDATIONAL
PRINCIPLES OF
MORALITY AND
YOU

What is morality?
The quality of human acts by which we call them right or wrong, good or evil.
(Panizo, 1964)
Human action is right when it conforms with norm, rule or law of morality.
Mans action, habit or character is good when it is not lacking of what is
natural to man. Man has intellect and free will. Intellect makes a man capable
of thinking, judging and reasoning . Free will gives him the ability to choose.

What is foundational moral

principle?
Principle from latin word princeps which means beginning, a source.
something is based, founded, originate, initiated.
A foundational moral principle is the universal norm upon which all
other principles on the rightness or wrongness of an action are based. It is
the source of morality.

What is natural law?

It is the law written in the hearts of men. (Roman 2:15)
It is the mans share in the Eternal law of God. (Panizo, 1964)
The light of natural reason, whereby we discern what is good and what is evil.
(St. Thomas)
An imprint on us of the divine light. (Panizo, 1964)

Do good and avoid evil.

Do not do to others what you do not like to do to you. (Confucius)
Do to others what you like others do to you. (Christianity)
Act in such a way that your maxim can be the maxim for all. (Immanuel
Kant)
This Golden rule is made more explicit by Christians through:
Ten Commandments and Eight Beatitudes
love God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your
strength and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

 Buddhists Eightfold path

strive to know the truth

resolve to resist evil
say nothing to hurt others
respect life, morality, and property
engage in a job that does not injure others
strive to free their mind from evil
control their feelings and thoughts
practice proper forms of concentration - hatred does not cease by
hatred; hatred ceases only by love

 The Islamic Koran

Forbids lying, stealing, adultery, and murder
Teaches honor for parents, kindness to slaves, protection for the
orphaned and the widowed, and charity to the poor
Teaches the virtues of faith in God, patience, kindness, honesty, industry,
honor, courage, and generosity
Condemns mistrust, impatience and cruelty
The Five Pillars of Islam
1. prayer
2. self-purification by fasting
3. fasting
4. almsgiving
5. pilgrimage to Mecca for those who can afford

Teacher as a person of good

moral character
Teachers are duly licensed professionals who possess dignity and reputation
with high moral values as well as technical and professional competence.
Four ways of describing good moral character:
1.) being fully human - realized potential as a human person
2.) being a loving person - caring, unselfish
3.) being a virtuous person - good habits and attitude
4.) being a morally mature person emotional, social, intellectual and
spiritual
development is appropriate to your developmental stage

VALUES
FORMATION AND
YOU