Teaching Philosophy

Marissa Malloy

2011

Introduction
As an emerging adult, Ive begun to realize what it means to find yourself. To me, this
simply implies that you understand your own values, are aware of personal goals, and are content
with who you are and who others perceive you as. I believe that is known as the peace place; one
gets there by embracing who one is as an individual, and feeling happy as he or she does it. As
independent as this sounds, I believe it is achieved through means of dependency. From
watching, sharing with, and learning from others you can comprehend what is important to you,
thus creating your own web of traits, morals, and personal beliefs.
Throughout my life, my most influential teachers were not ones I found in the classroom,
but those who accompanied me at home, playing cards and eating dinner. Being the youngest of
four children, my sister and two brothers have shaped my persona more than anyone. I can still
remember constantly going to my sister Kylie for help with friends and boys, as I continue to do
so. She would always ask me, Well what do you want to do? She told me to do what I wanted,
and not worry about what others thought about it because thats what would ultimately make me
happy. Her advice shaped my own characteristics and individuality, and instilled a crucial
confidence in me that would be helpful later on in life. Though sometimes she doesnt agree with
my mismatching outfits, she knows Im expressing what I feel as an individual.
I was never the type to read an assigned book for school and understand it like the rest of
the class, nor was I the one to make great grades in science or math. Even though I didnt like
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these subjects, my brother Michael would always tell me that I needed to find a reason to tolerate
the material in order to learn from it. He always reminded me that just because a teacher doesnt
teach to my liking doesnt mean I cant learn. Even at home, if he tried to explain how an
electronic system works he would have to alter the words and content of the explanation to make
it matter to me, which provided a hands on aspect to his teaching. Through him, Ive learned that
there are ways to learn almost anything; it just depends on how you make it matter to you and
how you choose to engage in the material.
Ive always seen the world in a positive light, keeping the mindset that anything can
always be worse regardless of the circumstances. My brother Patricks views on the world have
been passed down to me through both good and bad experiences. I remember him changing the
way I felt at our Grandmothers funeral. The truth of it was that she was gone, but much happier
but we were sure she was happier reunited with her beloved. He told me that the goodness was
found in how many people were there to say goodbye to her, showing how many peoples lives
she touched. He reminded me that beauty could be found in the tranquil fall weather and the
sunshine was her way of showing us that she was happy. I was sensitized to the beauty of the
world, finding truth in matters, and determining what is good from what is not good. He showed
me that even the worst situations can have a silver lining if you remember what matters. Truth,
beauty, and goodness are frameworks for learning anything and everything.


Express Yourself
Individuality has a dual meaning in regards to education. Dewey (1916) states, One is
mentally an individual only as he has his own purpose and problem, and does his own thinking
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(chapter 22 par. 21). Dewey (1916) also wrote, there are variations of point of view, of appeal
of objects, and of mode of attack, from person to person (chapter 22 par. 21). I believe a
teacher should embrace his or her students individualism because their own distinguishing
upbringings, morals, beliefs, values, and opinions are what makes the world of learning go
round. When said traits are suppressed, Dewey believes originality is gradually destroyed,
confidence in ones own quality of mental operation is undermined, and a docile subjection to
the opinion of others is inculcated (chapter 22 par. 21). During the banking model of education
the teacher deposits information into students brains and they make withdraws from the source
for exams. However, they soon forget it after testing, hence creating a structure for learning
where the students input is not at all present. A teacher should never rely on the banking model
of education as a primary form of teaching because it allows no room for freedom of expression
from the students. Dewey (1916) writes, Pupils are deliberately held to rehearsing material in
the exact form in which the older person conceives it. The result is that what is instinctively
original in individuality, that which marks off one from another, goes unused and undirected.
Teaching then ceases to be an educative process for the teacher. At most he learns simply to
improve his existing technique; he does not get new points of view; he fails to experience any
intellectual companionship. Hence both teaching and learning tend to become conventional and
mechanical with all the nervous strain on both sides therein implied (chapter 22 par. 21).
Consequently, a teacher should take from what students already have, and give them additional
knowledge to build upon it. Abrahams argues, The purpose of music education is to empower
students to become musicians and in the process transform the student as well as the teacher
(par. 1). Abrahams (2005) states that a teacher must be aware that without a transformation from
both themselves and the student no actual learning will take place. In Critical Pedagogy,
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education is seen as a conversation that deals with teachers and students both posing and solving
problems together through acting and reacting.
Different Methods
Meeker (as cited in McCarthy, 2000) states, All children have intelligence. We have
asked the wrong question. We ask, How much? We must ask, What kind? (p. 40). It doesnt
make sense to make the assumption that students are a blank slate when entering a classroom yet
teachers do it all the time. In order to enhance learning the teacher must know what theyre
working with. While learning what their students already know is important they must also learn
how their students got there. Following McCarthys 4MAT learning styles throughout teaching
will engage every type of learner. Teachers should always value each learning style in order to
captivate the minds of all students. Tucker, President of the National Center on Education and
the Economy, (as cited in McCarthy, 2000) believes, the tragedy of low expectations is the fact
that schools insist only some students can learn the tough stuff and the rest of them just dwell
in basic courses (p. 12). By honoring all learning methods and teaching techniques for both
sides of the brain, a teacher can convey knowledge to any student, nevertheless it should first
matter to them. Dewey (as cited in McCarthy, 2000) indicates, From the standpoint of the child,
the great waste in the school comes from his inability to utilize the experiences he gets outside
the school in any complete and free way within the school itself; he is unable to apply in daily
life what he is learning at school. That is the isolation of the school-- the isolation from life (p.
111). It starts with a students own experience outside of school, which leads to the teachers
responsibility to branch off of it. All students are capable of learning a certain level of material
but there just may be different paths for getting there. It is the teachers job to answer the favorite
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questions of all four learning styles, Why? What? How does this work? What if? in order to
relate to everyone.
Truth, Goodness and Beauty
Gardner (as cited in Kogan, 2000) suggests, The meat and potatoes of education, should
be learning to think. But what kids are being served instead is a plateful of facts that don't add up
to knowledge. What they need is a deep understanding of truth, beauty and goodness, a training
that will help them better understand why the world is as it is and how life can and should be
lived (par. 3).
Without truth, beauty, and goodness learning has no framework. A teachers
responsibility is to provide a foundation for their teachings through all three aspects. In speaking
of truth, Gardner (as cited in Kogan, 2000) states, Unless you have some understanding of the
key notions of species, variation and natural selection, as well as an appreciation of the struggle
among people for survival, you can't understand the world around you (par. 12). In speaking of
beauty, Gardner (as cited in Kogan, 2000) chooses Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro because it
represents the pinnacle of beauty, and it portrays characters with deeply held human emotion. A
grasp of Mozart's achievement, he explains, can also help you appreciate other works of art--and
even inspire new creations (par. 13). In speaking of goodness, Gardner (as cited in Kogan,
2000) believes that, Understanding a sequence of events like the Holocaust is critical because
everyone needs to realize what human beings are capable of doing. Although the Holocaust is
mostly an account of unprecedented human evil, there were also many incidents of goodness in
that time period. Studying a historical period is important, he adds, because people can make
better decisions when they've learned how others have dealt with pressures and dilemmas (par.
14). A teachers curriculum in the school should be connected to the world outside of school
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creating a reason to understand subjects taught, therefore students can better understand the
world around them. Shakespeare (1623) wrote a pastoral comedy titled As You Like It. In the
first scene of the second act the character Duke Senior announces, And this, our life, exempt
from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and
good in everything (15-17). These lines are representative of learning honest and simple, yet
valuable lessons of the country by letting go of the corruptions of life. Shakespeare highlights the
inspiring and educative ways of getting back to nature and finding what is true, good, and
beautiful for answers dealing with the classroom, the library, and the church. In leaving behind
the frivolous aspects of education a teacher has room to focus on what is actually valuable for the
teaching and learning process to take place. A teacher should never marginalize, or make
generalizations about students, nor should they silence voices in a classroom. Wink (2011)
believes the students input is what should drive active learning, not necessarily the teachers
own perceptions of value and importance (81-83). Gardner (as cited in Sweeney, 2011) posits,
We have to revisit things like truth, beauty, and goodness all the time. What would a world be
like where no one had any agreement about truth, where there were no longer any experiences
that people called beautiful, and where good and bad were indistinguishable? (par. 16).




Conclusion
Growing up blessed with three natural teachers as my siblings, I have developed into my
own person with individual values, an openness to learn different ways, and a sense of seeing the
world through a positive light. My parents have passed on their behaviors to my brothers and
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sister as they have done similarly to me. They continue to share knowledge by embracing new
thoughts and ideas through both good and bad experiences. I have learned independently what it
means to find yourself through the unique relationships I maintain with my family members.
My individuality has never been silenced at home thus creating many experiences that I can
branch off of in a classroom setting. My personal education has flourished through the
experiential knowledge that I already have. In the future, I intend to encourage the individuality
of my students and support them as they independently find themselves. I aim to back my lesson
planning through McCarthys 4MAT learning system, making sure that I reach students of all
four learning types, and cater to both sides of the brain. By familiarizing my students with
experiences dealing with truth, I plan on encouraging them to see what is good and beautiful in
the world around them. I believe that through a valuable education and a stable structure for
development, one can be conscious of their place in the world, which in turn will influence
todays youth to aspire to make it a better place.












Works Cited

Abrahams, F. (2005). The application of critical pedagogy to music teaching and learning.
Visions of Research in Music Education, Retrieved
fromhttp://users.rider.edu/~vrme/v6n1/vision/abrahams_2005.htm

Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education. The Macmillan Company , Retrieved from
http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org/dewey_education.html
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Kogan, M. (2000). Teaching truth, beauty, and goodness. Monitor on Pychology ,Vol. 31(No.
11). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec00/truth.aspx

McCarthy, B. (2000). About teaching 4mat in the classroom. About Learning, Inc.,

Shakespeare, W. The literature network. Retrieved from http://www.online-
literature.com/shakespeare/youlike/4/

Sweeney, S. (2011). Truth, beauty, goodness. Hardvard Gazette , Arts and CRetrieved from
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/05/truth-beauty-goodness/

Wink, J. (2011). Critical pedagogy: notes from the real world. Pearson Education, Inc. , Fourth
Edition