How Do Students Use Packback? – YouTube? ?The link above explains what and how it’s used PLEASE WATCH? These are things that DO NOT belong in Packback: ? Que

Prior to beginning work on this Packback Discussion,

· Read Chapter 7: Developing a Philosophy of Teaching and Learning in your Introduction to Teaching: Making a Difference in Student Learning textbook.

· Review theK-5 character education lesson: respecting differences (Links to an external site.) and the 6-12 character education lesson: digital citizenship (Links to an external site.) as well as the Six pillars of character (Links to an external site.) page.

· Review the background information for this week’s discussion topic in the Packback Discussion Forum Guidance section below.

· Follow the directions in the task section of the Packback Discussion Forum Guidance section below.

Background Information: The Six Pillars of Character

Educators are held to a higher standard when it comes to ethics and character, because they are always in the position of an example. Everything an educator does is geared toward building up an individual and helping them to become the greatest person they can be. The Six Pillars of Character as presented by Character Counts are a good guide for educators to be accountable to as they teach their students about character.

Watch the following video:

(111) Teacher integrates the Six Pillars of Character into discussion of George Washington – YouTube

This video of a schoolteacher explaining to a group of her peers how she integrates the Six Pillars of Character into her lessons should give you a better perspective on the six pillars of character in the teaching and learning process.

Watch the following video:

Character Counts on Vimeo

This video was filmed at a school near Los Angeles that uses the Six Pillars of Character as a school-wide positive behavior intervention support system (PBIS). In it you can see how character is a huge part of the social and academic culture of the school.

The Six pillars of character (Links to an external site.) is a framework for teaching good character and is composed of six values: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Each of the six character traits is used within our CHARACTER COUNTS! Program to help instill a positive learning environment for students and a culture of kindness, making schools a safe environment for students to learn. The Six Pillars of Character values are not political, religious, or culturally biased. In fact, every year since 1995 the program has been officially recognized and endorsed by the values (characteristics) everyone can agree upon.

· Trustworthiness: Think “true blue.” Be honest. Do not deceive, cheat, or steal. Be reliable—do what you say you will do. Have the courage to do the right thing. Build a good reputation. Be loyal—stand by your family, friends, and country.

· Respect: Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule. Be tolerant and accepting of differences. Use good manners, not bad language. Be considerate of the feelings of others. Do not threaten, hit, or hurt anyone. Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements.

· Responsibility: Do what you are supposed to do. Plan ahead. Be diligent. Persevere. Do your best. Use self-control. Be self-disciplined. Think before you act. Be accountable for your words, actions, and attitudes. Set a good example for others.

· Fairness: Play by the rules. Take turns and share. Be open-minded; listen to others. Do not take advantage of others. Do not blame others carelessly. Treat all people fairly.

· Caring: Be kind. Be compassionate and show you care. Express gratitude. Forgive others. Help people in need. Be charitable and altruistic.

· Citizenship: Do your share to make your school and community better. Cooperate. Get involved in community affairs. Stay informed; vote. Be a good neighbor. Obey laws and rules. Respect authority. Protect the environment. Volunteer.

As a future educator, you are encouraged to measure yourself against the Six Pillars of Character and apply them to the character traits you must display to be successful in maintaining good grades in your schoolwork.

An aspect of the Six Pillars of Character that directly applies to you as a student and one that you will hopefully teach your students is “due dates versus do dates.” There is a difference between a due date and a do date. You cannot wait until a thing is due to begin doing it; that could cause you a world of trouble. How can you apply good and healthy character to better plan your time and begin doing things before they are due?

Task

The whole point of this week is to get you to contemplate the level of ethics and character that you must exhibit as an educator.

Prior to participating in this discussion forum, reflect on the Six Pillars of Character (Links to an external site.) page, as well as the K-5 character education lesson: respecting differences (Links to an external site.) and the 6-12 character education lesson: digital citizenship (Links to an external site.) paying attention to the level of education in which you wish to serve (i.e., early childhood, elementary, middle school, high school, or adult).

Craft a thought-provoking question around the Six Pillars of Character, their importance to that level, and how you will incorporate them in the teaching and learning process. The idea is for you to further the critical thinking processes of your classmates by challenging them to broaden their awareness of the impact of the Six Pillars of Character in the field of education.

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CHAPTER  7

Developing a Philosophy of Teaching and Learning

Teacher Interview: Heather Cyra

Heather Cyra has been a teacher at Guild Gray Elementary School for four years. Approximately 600 students attend kindergarten through fifth grade at Guild Gray. The school is located between an older, well-established neighborhood and low-rent apartment complexes. Student enrollment fluctuates at the school, and teachers may be asked to change grade levels when populations at specific grade levels decrease or increase. Ms. Cyra began teaching first grade but after one year she was moved to fifth grade. For as long as she remembers, she wanted to be a teacher. She knew that there would be challenges and rewards in teaching, but teachers make a difference in the world. She wanted to be creative and use the natural skills she possesses for helping people learn.

What do you see when you see excellence in teaching?

I see someone who is organized and has created an enjoyable, engaging environment—teachers who keep the students engaged in learning and also help everyone learn. I see excellence in teaching when I see teachers who have “fun” with their students; teachers who listen to their students and keep the students from being bored. Excellence in teaching is also surprising the students with unexpected activities, rewards, or information.

How do you know when your students are learning?

There are many ways to know that students are learning. You can often tell just by the looks on their faces that show whether they are confused or enlightened. You can tell by verbal cues from how the students respond to the questions you ask or how they contribute to class discussions. You can tell from a written assessment or merely a show of hands. If they are not responding the way I expect them to then I realize I have to reteach a concept or go back over something that may not have been explained in a way that they can understand. If you are tuned in to your students it is quite easy to tell when students have checked out by the way they look at you or don’t and by the responses they give you.

What brings you joy in teaching?

When I see how far the students I started out with grow in a year. By keeping track of their stages of development, I can see how much they have learned and how their attitudes and behavior have developed. When my students tell me at the end of the year that they don’t want to leave, I know that I have created a warm, nurturing environment. I feel like I am doing something right. It’s not entirely about what the tests say. As long as they’re learning, showing growth, and enjoying themselves in school and have enjoyed their fifth-grade experience I am happy and feel like I have done my job.

How did you develop a personal philosophy of teaching?

I constructed my philosophy one course at a time through integration of the most prominent and influential pieces of knowledge from each professor and textbook. During the course in special education my attitudes about special education students were formalized when I thought about what kind of an educator I would be if I did not accept the challenge of working with special needs students to the fullest extent of my abilities to positively influence people.

My philosophy was also formulated by my personal experiences as an elementary school student. I have always been passionate about learning, so I look back at what I loved about being at school, what I admired about my teachers, and what lessons and activities provided me with the best experiences to prepare me for the future.

How do students learn?

Students learn in many different ways. I pay attention to the individual differences among my students and use differentiated instruction to focus on individual needs. I balance instruction with mini lessons, group activities, and individual practice. When students are engaged, they are learning, and I vary my instruction in an attempt to keep them involved.

Questions to Consider

1. Ms. Cyra said she constructed her philosophy of teaching throughout her teacher education course work. Would such an approach to developing a philosophy of teaching work for you? Why? Why not?

2. Is the enjoyment one gets from learning as important as scores on standardized tests? Explain.

3. What other ways, besides the ones Ms. Cyra mentioned, can teachers use to know if their students are learning?

4. How do you anticipate finding joy in teaching?

INTRODUCTION

Learning Outcomes

After reading this chapter, you should be able to

 

1. Identify specific events that may help you develop an educational philosophy.

2. Draft a personal philosophy of teaching.

3. Understand how an educational philosophy influences instructional practices.

4. Summarize the relationship between philosophical perspectives, educational psychology, and approaches to teaching.

A beginning step in becoming a teacher is to examine the attitudes and assumptions you have about teaching and learning through developing an educational philosophy.

Knowledge about teaching and learning is most useful to teachers when past knowledge is constantly rearranged and integrated with new ideas and new experiences. The knowledge, skills, attitudes, and opinions we all bring to any situation have a powerful influence on our behavior and expectations. What we have learned and practiced, and what we have gained from experiences both favorable and not so favorable, has caused us to create a personal perspective toward life (isms if you will) that influence everything we think and do. Naturally what teachers know and are able to do have changed over time, but like all of us, teachers are motivated by their assumptions (i.e., Do you think technology diminishes personal interaction?, Do you believe there is some knowledge that all students should learn?, Do you believe competition is a great motivator?).

Learning to teach and how to apply this knowledge in the classroom is truly a developmental process. In this chapter you will begin to understand why it is important for teachers to confront the assumptions that guide their behavior and practice in classrooms.

 

HOW DO TEACHERS DEVELOP PERSONAL PHILOSOPHIES TOWARD TEACHING AND LEARNING?

Heather Cyra, the teacher interviewed at the beginning of this chapter, was required to write multiple statements of her philosophical perspective toward teaching and learning during her education course work.

Formulating a philosophical perspective on teaching and learning gives you a chance to reflect on what you want to become. And then when you become a teacher you can look back on what you wrote and make sure that you are not being a hypocrite. I find myself reflecting on my experiences as a learner and who were the teachers who had the greatest influence on me, and who were the teachers I most admired and wanted to learn from and try to be like.

Everyone operates from a personal philosophy. We know what makes sense to us, what is important, and what is good. When you become a teacher you take your personal vision of the world into the classroom with you. This personal vision affects everything you do in your classroom and with your students. It is necessary to understand your philosophical perspectives so that you can understand and reflect on what you are doing and why you are doing it. Teachers who do not know or understand themselves can be of little service to the students in their classrooms. Or as Confucius put it, “What has one who is not able to govern himself to do with governing others?”

Video Link Watch a video about taking stock in your students.

Meet 2010 National Teacher Of The Year Sarah Wessling (teachingchannel.com)

Developing a Personal Philosophy of Teaching

An educational philosophy consists of the beliefs and principles that guide teaching and learning practices. Teacher education candidates are usually asked to draft a statement that organizes their thinking about how students learn and how teachers should teach. Revisiting this original philosophy statement over time throughout your program is one way you can keep track of your growth as a professional. As you acquire more wisdom and encounter new ideas you will develop new attitudes and opinions that will cause changes to your personal philosophy. Understanding can be achieved only through an examination of what you have learned about teaching and learning and how well you are able to articulate your perspectives. Figure 7.1 provides an example of one teacher’s effort to identify a philosophical perspective on teaching.

I know an English composition teacher who requires students to attach all previous drafts of a composition to the final copy that is being submitted. This allows the teacher to evaluate students’ growth in writing ability and also to see whether students have incorporated or learned from the teacher’s editorial comments. The final packets can be rather substantial, but they do represent effort and the process of coming to a final, publishable paper. Keeping copies of your original and subsequent philosophy statements will provide you with a graphic representation of the changes in your thinking as you become more knowledgeable about teaching.

Whether it’s fair or not, you will be expected to do the same job on your first day of work as a veteran of five or 10 years. Logically, this doesn’t seem possible, but who can argue with the fact that the children in your classroom deserve no less than the children in Mrs. Z’s room who has been teaching for 20 years. Beginning teachers may react to this dilemma by performing certain actions that make them appear capable of keeping up with the more experienced teachers, even when those actions don’t exactly mesh with their own personal philosophy of teaching. Nothing can be more exhausting than maintaining a false front or upholding the assumptions of others. Ideas need time to percolate in the reality of full-time teaching.

Dr. Mark Bailey of Pacific University School of Education (2003) offers eight critical dimensions of an educational philosophy. In order to build an educational philosophy, Bailey poses the following questions for teacher education candidates to consider.

 

1. What is knowledge and understanding?

2. What is worth knowing?

3. What does it mean to learn?

4. How do you know that learning has taken place?

5. What should be the role of a teacher?

6. What should be the role of the student?

7. What is the ultimate purpose of education?

8. What are your core educational values?

Respond to these questions when creating your personal philosophy of teaching statement. During your teacher education course work, reread your personal philosophy and revise it according to any changes in your philosophical perspective. If you are in a practice teaching situation, examine how your philosophy of teaching is enacting through your teaching behaviors.

There are always more questions than answers in life, but as your answers to the above questions begin to take shape, your idea of who you will be as a teacher will fall into place. You will also begin to understand the many ways your opinions can shape your teaching behavior and practice. Having a firm belief regarding your place in the teaching profession will provide you a solid foundation from which to try out new ideas—something teachers are always challenged to do. Advice from experts to anyone attempting to cross a rushing stream on rocks is to make sure your footing is secure before taking the next step. Believe it or not, sometimes classrooms can resemble rushing streams.

The Influence of Stories in Building a Personal Philosophy of Teaching

There are defining moments in everyone’s life. We tell stories about them. Stories are powerful. We all remember a good story whether true or not. Stories can alter our perception of things. That’s one reason the news media and television are so powerful. The stories we hear and tell can frighten us or evoke courage. Sooner or later the stories we tell about our lives become our lives. We can make the stories we tell about our lives healthy or destructive. The choice is ours. Stories provide us with ideas, actions, and tools for working toward goals. Stories are what Robert Coles refers to as “reservoirs of wisdom” (Coles, 1989, p. xii).

Many of the professors where you are preparing to be a teacher have been classroom teachers or still are. They may work in classrooms, serve as mentors for new teachers, or work with teachers in professional development seminars. They have had the benefit of experience to help them mold their philosophies of teaching. They have no doubt kept track of their professorial careers through portfolios and tenure and promotion files. Talk to them about the defining teaching moments in their lives that helped them construct a specific approach to teaching. Teaching is a people profession. People like to talk and tell stories about their lives.

Researchers and writers have looked at teachers and listened to their stories of teaching to unravel the mysteries of the profession (Lieberman & Miller, 1984; Lortie, 1977). Clark and Peterson (1986) listened to teachers talk about planning. They then mapped their stories into flowcharts for new generations of teachers to follow and learn from. Ester Wright (1999) says, “There is a moment when the struggle to master an activity or subject ceases and the action becomes familiar and regimented. Teaching is hundreds of such moments, strung together to create a career” (p. 11). As you try out your ideas, you will become more familiar and therefore comfortable with what works in a variety of 

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