My Pedagogical Stance
As I enter the field of education it is important to take time to examine my values and determine what philosophies I relate to and to reflect on how I have reached these decisions. My philosophies are a culmination of my lived experiences and education. I was raised on a farm in a loving Christian home and was schooled in multiple situations including Alberta and British Columbia public schools, online distance education, and at the University of Northern British Columbia. Along with my early life working in the environmental consulting field, studying in the UNBC Education program, and experiences in my personal life have all continued to shape my idea of what effective education should look like. I believe that as a future teacher it is my job to prepare students for a fulfilling life that includes the knowledge and skills required to support themselves financially, be physically healthy, be a positively contributing member of society, and to find meaning in life either intrinsically or extrinsically (Woyciechowski 2007). This is a monumental task and one that I am certain can not be managed by one teacher, but rather requires a community and life experience to achieve. My philosophical thoughts on teaching stem from these goals, and I believe examining different philosophies and methods will help me continue to work towards them.
In my career as an environmental consultant I found the most satisfying part of the job to be educating contractors I was working with about the science and logic behind the environmental regulations I was helping them uphold. In this capacity I was able to increase the awareness of environmental issues of the limited number of people I directly worked with. One of the main motivators to apply to the UNBC Education program was the realization that I could have a much greater impact on societal awareness of environmental and conservation issues as a teacher and could encourage interest in these and other social issues in a classroom setting. Because of this motivation I identify to a certain degree with social reconstructionism in that I believe that the classroom setting is an important place to raise awareness of modern social issues and how to help enforce social change (“What is Social Reconstructionism?” 2018). I also believe it is important to foster a sense of empathy in students to help them recognize oppression and disenfranchisement in the future.
To produce students who are able to support themselves I would argue that certain core skills and knowledge must be imparted which is one of the basic tenants of essentialism (Anctil, 2006). While I can agree on this philosophy’s focus on preparing students to be productive members of society I feel that an increasing portion of the workforce will be required to not only have these basic skills, but to also have a high level of problem solving, critical thinking, and reflexivity that is better taught by the principles of progressivism. I believe that for most students approaching learning from a place of interest and intrinsic motivation will produce more impactful learning and will more effectively teach problem solving and critical thinking. From my own university experiences I struggled to learn in the first two years of my program that focused more on memorization of the core knowledge, but then thrived in later years that focused on topics of interest to me, included more independent study, more creative learning, and were more readily applicable to society.
The educational philosophy that has resonated with me most given my own experiences in education and my observations in classrooms is constructivism. This philosophy is described by Arends (1998) “constructivism believes in personal construction of meaning by the learner through experience, and that meaning is influenced by the interaction of prior knowledge and new events.” Learning in constructivism is viewed as being built upon and contextualized on the foundations of previous learning and is contextualized by the environment and relationships surrounding the learner. Another idea of constructivism is that information can be passively received but understanding requires making meaningful connections between the information and previously held knowledge (McLeod, 2019). In my previous career this was evident in the contractors I worked with, if they were only told what the regulations were for a given task they were far more likely to disregard or forget my instructions. However, if I was able to explain the reasons for the regulations in a way that allowed them to draw connections, contextualize, personalize, or even physically demonstrate principals involved, understanding resulted and compliance greatly increased.
To produce students that are lifelong learners I believe that a humanistic approach to education is very valuable. Humanism in education uses self-directed learning, self-evaluation, emotions, and a safe environment to encourage learning. This student-centered philosophy allows students to take responsibility for their own learning and pushes them towards self-actualization (What Is Humanistic Learning Theory in Education? 2020). As a secondary math/science teacher candidate this may be difficult to fully bring into practice, but after observing a project-based learning classroom and the intrinsic motivation that students had to learn I believe it is worth the effort. My most effective learning experiences at UNBC have been projects where I was able to choose an area of interest and I felt secure in my class and supported by my professor.
My current philosophy draws ideas from many different philosophies including social reconstructionism, essentialism, progressivism, constructivism, and humanism that all have some grounding in my past experiences and education. As I continue in the UNBC Education program and begin my career as a teacher I plan to continue to add to, update, and critically examine my educational philosophy and will do my best to improve my practice with new ideas and methods. I will do my best to model the values of equality and inclusivity in my interactions with my students. I plan to measure my success as a teacher by my student’s preparedness upon entering the world on the criteria of their ability to provide themselves physical health, financial independence, meaning in life, and positive contributions to society.
References
Anctil, E. J., Hass, G., & Parkay, F. W. (2006). Curriculum planning: A contemporary approach. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Arends, R. I. (1998). Resource handbook. Learning to teach (4th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
McLeod, S. (2019). Constructivism as a theory for teaching and learning. Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/constructivism.html
What Is Humanistic Learning Theory in Education? (2020, July 21). Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-humanistic-learning-theory-education2007.html
What is Social Reconstructionism? (2018, June 13). Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://www.theedadvocate.org/edupedia/content/what-is-social-reconstructionism/
Woyciechowski, D. (2007). The relationship between intrinsic extrinsic religiosity and meaning in life. Glassboro, NJ: Rowan Digital Works.