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TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Teaching Philosophy:
Michael Westcamp
Teaching Philosophy Part 1: An introspective look into Cognitive and Social Constructivism
When being introduced to the theoretical lenses of teaching, I originally found myself gravitating
toward the theory of cognitive constructivism. This theory resonated with me because of its view that
the various reconstructions an individuals thinking undergoes in the development of logical reasoning
help in the learners manipulation of objects and the recognition of conflict between perceptions and
the data (Green, Gredler, 2002, p. 54-56). This is the idea that the learner has previous knowledge, but
when introduced to new knowledge they must manipulate and use their old knowledge to come to a
new understanding. I identified with cognitive constructionism in relationship with my personal learning
style because it was, for the most part, all that I knew. For example, I had learned early on in my college
career that lecturing wasnt exactly the best way to learn. I knew I wasnt an empty vessel, but I also
knew I did not have all the answers. Most of my collegial work had been done either individually, or in
very reluctant groups. To learn was to edit my previous ideas to fit new relevant information. That
information was coming from the professor. Rarely in our class did discussions create a group narrative
that enhanced the whole class' learning. Occasionally, one would hear a peer say something in a
discussion that would add to my collective knowledge, but it was only there to be confirmed by the
professor, and not an item on which the class could build upon. So, with all of this in mind, I felt heavily
drawn to cognitive constructivism. Though I still find parts of this theory relevant, my return to college,
Simply put, I had never been in a classroom that was designed around social constructivism.
Though there may have been a professor in a previous class that attempted this model, they were
unsuccessful in the execution. Fall semester of 2017 has already been extremely eye opening. All of my
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classes seem to be designed around a social constructivist philosophy. Simply put, these classes are
creating a level of peer to peer knowledge transfer that I have never experience. The idea that "all
cognitive functions originate in, and must therefore be explained as products of social interactions"
(Vygotsky, 1978, p. 57) is one that these professors seem confident in. The social aspect of my classes
this semester has been both challenging and rewarding. Though it is a strange thing to me, and has
definitely taken me out of my comfort zone, these types of classes clearly have an advantage when it
comes to thoroughly teaching ideas in a relatively short time frame. The social constructivist lens relies
How we relate to our peers, our value and self-worth are all very important in this model.
Students are motivated to help each other find the knowledge. Virtually any meaningful
longterm goal we might have for students requires us to attend to the climate of the school and,
specifically, the extent to which children feel related, as opposed to isolated. (p. 102)
Students are reinforced to participate in discussions by the encouragement of others. One of the most
intriguing aspects of social constructivism I found is that teachers are able to show that they arent all
knowing experts. When a teacher needs to check up on an answer they are providing models of
thinking in which pat answers are not always available, and speed of response is not at a premium
(Watson, 2001, p.141). This makes the instructor much more relatable, encourages the students when
they dont have the answers, and overall can foster a feeling of peer and student-teacher trust. A
personal observation Ive made, is that by having many group discussions and becoming more
comfortable with sharing thoughts and ideas, the act of sharing knowledge is easier.
Teaching Philosophy Part 2: Creating a Classroom Culture and Space Based on Social Constructivism
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Rules are important: they guide us, keep us from falling behind, and most importantly they help
to keep social situations running smoothly. When I first went to design the rules of my classroom, I
wasnt sure if I should be strict or lenient. Ive decided to combine the two in hopes that I can find a
balance with my personality. Marzano (2003) in analyzing a series of studies shows that the research
supports the notion that designing and implementing rules and procedures in class and even at home
has a profound impact on student behavior and on learning (p. 16). With this in mind, I made my flyer
with a decently strong worded set of rules, but I intentionally left a few of them open to some
interpretations to allow the class to build a socially shared trust. My goal is to have a discussion about
the flyer during the first day of class. By doing this, I will both be setting the tone for the class as a space
where open discourse is encouraged, and I will be letting the students validate and have influence on
the rules. Again, Marzano (2003) demonstrates that the intuitive notion that well-articulated rules and
procedures that are negotiated with students are a critical aspect of classroom management, affecting
not only behavior of students but also their academic achievement (p. 17). Thankfully, though my
personality is somewhat relaxed, my writing style can be quite clear and occasionally stern. I feel like
this system will be the perfect way for me to allow the class to foster a culture where students have
During this discussion, I will also go over the procedures that I have laid out for the class. My
point here is not to have as much influence by the students as with the rules, but instead to get them to
have a discussion about why procedures are needed. By doing this I hope to have a conversation about
motivation. The procedures are designed to keep the class running smoothly, and for many, the intrinsic
motivation to learn as much as possible and keep everything effortless will be enough. But for some, I
will use both the guilt and the hope of keeping a classroom organized as a form of external motivation.
This will hopefully develop a culture where, social contextual conditions that support ones feelings of
competence, autonomy, and relatedness are the basis for one maintaining intrinsic motivation and
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becoming more self-determined with respect to extrinsic motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2000, p.65). By
fulfilling the conditions that allow satisfaction of these three basic human needsthat is that support
the innate needs to feel connected, effective, and agentic as one is exposed to new ideas and exercises
new skills (Ryan & Deci, 2000, p.65) my classroom will increasingly become a place where learning is
When planning my classroom, I wanted the students to feel warmly welcomed and comfortable.
To do this, I relied heavily on Emmer et al. (2006) and their work on the Five Keys to Good Room
Arrangement (p. 2-3). My instructional philosophy is rife with social and group conversations and
assignments. In order to facilitate this best, I have organized my room into groups of four students, with
the capability of combining to groups of eight students if need be for larger projects. They are facing
each other, so that no student is facing away from me or the Smartboard. The group desk arrangement
is compact enough to let both the students and I the ability to walk around, and most importantly my
room will have shelves filled with not just the text book, but other books relating to history and the
people of the world so that my students can find information for projects more easily. I want my walls
covered in maps both old and new. Not just to help combat Americas lack of geographic knowledge, but
also to provide warm, familiar views that help open discussion, or at least dont subtract from it.
I am confident that these plans I have laid down are going to help foster a community of
A real or authentic community doesnt feel empty. It is constructed over time by people with a
common purpose who come to know and trust each other. Of course, it is precisely the
commitment to make a community that helps these things happen. But a bunch of strangers
cannot be tossed into a room and expect to emerge in a matter of hours as anything more than
effective way to learn. My classroom and my plans will help my students and I achieve this community,
and I know it is essential for my students to gain the deeper understandings of history that I want them
to embrace. I think the hardest part about creating these communities will be when I have to let them
go at the end of the year. Thankfully, there will always be another year, another class to build this
Teaching Philosophy Part 3: Teaching in a Classroom Culture and Space Based on Social Constructivism
When teaching world history, I want to get away from the stigma that is often associated with
the learning of history. To keep things lively, and to engage my students, I want to integrate teaching
practices like Socratic seminars and Cooperative Learning. That being said, it will be impractical to do
this every day with history, but I will take any and every opportunity I can not to lecture. Both of these
I particularly like Socratic seminars for its use of the whole class. It is a formula which can help
get the class engaged in a discussion that often poses critical, deep thinking questions.
"Discussions support student growth toward sophisticated cognitive, social, and emotional
objectives. Socratic seminars boost students' content learning, develop students' cooperative
social skills, and help students discover their competence as members of a productive learning
community. In addition, the Socratic seminar provides a safe place for the discussion of values
want to use this as a means to encourage students that don't often speak up in class to voice their
opinion. Though not used as often in the past, this type of lesson would be perfect for analyzing
historical texts like The Diary of Anne Frank. It is a perfect way to teach the higher-tier learning that is so
often missing from history, and can be used to make the class more involved in an overall discussion of
history. If successful, I could easily use this space of learning to unite the class further, and help build the
Though Socratic seminars are a great social learning tool, they can't be used too frequently.
Unfortunately, they don't provide much if any ground knowledge, and with history that can be very
problematic. Fortunately, there is a way to solve this issue on a more daily basis that still falls into a
social constructivist lens. Cooperative learning techniques are a series of activities and lessons that
involve social earning that can be used for more basic, foundation level learning. Activities like jig-saw
and think-pair-share are particularly useful in speeding up the process as well. Jig-sawing is perfect for
helping students digest large amounts of material quickly. By splitting up the analysis of material and
then allowing the students to teach each other what they learned, large lessons can be boiled down
more rapidly, and students get to practice their social learning skills at the same time. Indeed, this can
help to target students with particular learning styles or disabilities if the material is split up in such a
way to take advantage of these strengths and weaknesses. With history in mind, this is particularly good
for analyzing battles in a setting of war. Splitting up the detailed coverage of the battles for different
groups and then having them converge to fill out an overview of them all would be an excellent way to
disseminate the knowledge while still keeping it fun. Other techniques like think-pair-share are perfect
for filling in the gaps between the base level knowledge and the more critical knowledge. By allowing
students a short time to think and discuss a topic with their partner, they are able to take base
involves all of the students' learning styles, helps to build everyone's trust with one another, and will
successfully teach the knowledge that they need to know. By doing this, I can avoid lecture as much as
possible, and truly get into the spirit of cooperative, social learning with my young people. I hope to use
We can see by now that a classroom designed around social learning has very unique
advantages when it comes to many aspects of learning. As Kohn (1996) would tell us it takes time to
create this classroom community. It is not something which develops right away, and to effectively
teach in a social setting we must put in an effort to build a comfortable environment in which the whole
class can learn and interact. Marzano (2003) has also made it abundantly clear that rules are important
for young people to feel a sense of structure in their lives. Thus, and effect social constructivist
classroom will be seen as a space in which rules are enforced fairly and socially. These rules, much like
societal norms, are there to keep the class on the same page, and to keep everyone as respectful as
possible while we exchange ideas. This idea of a socially constructed learning isnt new, though we
rarely practice it in modern schools. I hope to use this practice as effectively as possible to help create a
history class that is not viewed as boring like so many others are.
This paper, as well as many of my classes this semester, have been very eye opening. I have
learned so much on how to build a classroom, learn with others, and Ive conquered many fears that I
carried while coming back to school. I have learned through personal experience on how not to be a
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teacher, and my experience with this situation is helping me develop my own grading policy and
philosophy.
In one of my classes this semester, the first assignment was to write an essay on our own
families culture. This essay was worth 15% of our grade, though our professor was very unclear about
what she wanted the papers to be like. When asked in class, she would simply say that the rubric was on
the syllabus and left it at that. This kind of blowing off of our questions has been a common theme the
entire semester, and it is clear to me now that this professor has no grasp of what the class is about.
When writing this essay, I was under pressure from many other classes, as well as my job. I ended up
turning in the essay 2 days late. This essay was very well written, and I put as much thought as I could
into it despite the lack of clear instruction. To my dismay, the essay was not graded, and I could now at
most get an 85% in the class. After seeing this, I talked with many of my classmates, and I wondered
about everyone elses scores. Many classmates reflected on the fact that they put little to no effort in
the essay, and yet they all got 100%. This infuriated me, because as teachers we are not supposed to be
creating busy work, but instead creating curriculum that stimulates learning and actually teaches us
something other than turn it in on time. Had my paper been accepted, and even been given a 50% due
to it being late, I could have still maintained an A and learned from the experience.
If nothing else, this professor has confirmed my personal grading philosophy. I will always take
late work for no less than 50% if the assignment is well done. The point of learning is not to punish, but
to explore new ideas and develop our own interpretations. When my future students come to me in
times of stress, I do not want to further that stress and take away from their experience with my class,
and other classes. Though grading is not a subject that we have touched on much this semester, I whole
heartedly believe that this kind of grading would support a social constructivist classroom. At the very
least, it would prevent the buildup of animosity in a classroom. To be completely clear, I do not want to
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be an easy grader. I will grade my students with high expectations, however, the students will be clear
After one semester, I now have a fairly clear idea of the kind of teacher I want to be. From
fostering a space in which everyone feels free to learn together and transfer knowledge, and how my
policies regarding rules and grading can support this. I have learning teaching methods which use the
entire classroom, groups and individuals to build a collect understanding of any subject. Most
importantly, I have gained the confidence that I can be a successful teacher. I know that the journey will
be rough, but with a positive outlook and these foundations of what it means to learn solidly set in my
mind, I know I can create a class in which my students learn to the best of their abilities.
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References
Estes, T., Mintz, S., & Gunter, M., (2016). Instruction: A Models Approach. London U.K.: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Green, S. & Gredler, M. (2002). A Review and Analysis of Constructivism for School-Based Practice.
Kohn, A. (1996). Beyond discipline: From compliance to community. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 102
Marzano, R.J. (2003). Classroom Management That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Every Teacher
Ryan, R. & Deci, E. (2000) Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1980). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard
university press, 57
Watson, J. (2001). Social constructivism in the classroom. Support for Learning, 16(3), 140-147