Teaching Philosophy

My philosophy of education has been strongly built by my personal experience in the BC education system, the wisdom presented to me in the TRU STEM program, and by the Public Standards for BC Educators. I hope that by identifying and analyzing the philosophical frameworks that influence my philosophy on education, I will be able to grow as a teacher candidate and understand the impact of my perspective on the educational system. Doing so will also allow me to develop a more coherent pedagogy and curriculum for my students.

Going through the education system, I have encounter educators who have both positively and negatively altered my opinion of the subject they were teaching. A positive example of my experiences is in my grade 11 social studies teacher. Even though I had not enjoyed social studies and history in previous classes, he made the course more enjoyable and relatable to me as a student. In his teaching, he used a very progressive approach to education emphasizing the idea of learning by doing. (Riley & Welchman, 2005) He went about his hands-on method by assigning many problem-solving and interest-based assignments. He also integrated a lot of social constructivism into his lectures by addressing social questions like inequality among races, genders, socioeconomic statuses, and more. (2018) On the other hand, I had a negative experience in an upper-level calculus course because of the educational philosophy of the professor. I have always been good at math and admired its complexity, but when presented with calculus in an extremely dry and convoluted way. I began dreading attending the class I used to thrive in. Like many of my peers, multivariable calculus suddenly seemed inaccessible. His teaching was uninspiring and focused primarily on acquiring knowledge over the inquiry. It felt as if his values for teaching were very much based on teaching a body of students most efficiently and uniformly, similar to a one-size-fits-all curriculum. Looking back on it, I feel as though his teaching philosophy was very similar to existentialism and neoliberalist philosophies; two educational philosophies I in many ways oppose (Kretz, 2014) Overall, these experiences lead to the development of my main objective as a teacher: to give students a positive relationship with science. In doing so I hope to support students who want to pursue a career in education while still keeping information interesting and relevant for those who don’t.

The most powerful idea that I came across from my experience in the TRU STEM program is that I am an example of someone who succeeded in the education system. Even though I worked hard for my degree and experiences, I honestly have had and continue to have a privileged life. Meaning I have traveled a more direct and overall easier path than many students who work as hard or harder than I have. If I were to focus only on teaching methods that worked for me, I would end up leaving students behind. This idea shifted my philosophy to adopt a critical pedagogy to some extent. In my opinion, the ultimate aim of education is still to help students develop their individual potential, an idea opposing critical pedagogy, which I believe would enable them to acquire the knowledge and skills to constructively participate in a Canadian/Global economy and society. I do, however, think that developing a sense of social awareness will help students reach their individual potential making my philosophy more similar to non-authoritarian individualism (Foley, et al., 2015). An example of how I could apply this philosophy in my teaching practices is by teaching students about indigenous science. Doing so not only provides all learners the opportunity to develop their scientific knowledge and skills but also provides students with a broader worldview and social awareness.

One interesting part of being an educator over other careers is that you have lots of autonomy, but must still adhere to the Public Standards for BC Educators and the curriculum. As a STEM educator, I believe it is not only my job to help students develop their worldview and social awareness, but also give students an excellent base of scientific knowledge and skill to be able to pursue further education or careers in science. When I think about my motivations behind these beliefs it is because I feel that I have a moral duty to do so, relating to care ethics from a feminist philosophy (Mayo & Stengel, 2010). One of the major criticism of feminist philosophy is that the cared for and carer (student-teacher) relationship can become counterproductive if the carer is overextending themselves in comparison to the cared for’s effort. To avoid this pitfall I plan to help students who are uninterested in pursuing science to broaden their perspectives and relate valuable scientific concepts to their personal, academic, and professional lives. That being said, I will also be sure to remind students that although they are autonomous beings they must still adhere to certain rules and regulations put forward by the school.

A school’s code of conduct is an excellent example of holding students accountable for their actions. In the code of conduct parents, teachers and other faculty members agree on a set of rules and procedures to follow; ensuring a successful learning environment. In sd73 the code of conduct that applies to students is called the student code of conduct (2019). Which behaviors are appropriate, what language is appropriate, and even which clothing items are appropriate are all laid out in this document. This approach to education is very traditional as it holds students accountable for their actions and may not address all potential gray areas. My brother for example refused to follow the ‘hat rule’ that many schools enforce in their dress code. On one occasion he even got sent to the principal’s office. I think it is important to note that he is a white atheist-agnostic and does not have a cultural or religious reason for wearing a hat; he simply felt

his freedom to express himself was being attacked. Although I agree that the hat rule is dumb, I think there is also a grey area, in this case, because there was no proper channel for him to pursue an amendment. As a teacher with primarily critical pedagogy and a feminist approach to education, I would not see this as oppression or a social issue and would likely tell him to follow the dress code. At the same time, I would help him seek out channels and provide him with the information to formally challenge this rule. Additionally, I would allow students to break the code of conduct if there were more immediate and compelling circumstances. For example, a student on the autism spectrum might unknowingly present rude or disrespectful behaviors. If this student were to be reprimanded on the spot for their actions it could lead to further issues, making it a case that needs to be thoughtfully handled by multiple professionals. Other examples included time management in a student is diagnosed with ADD; one student may need more time to get between classes and the rules surrounding punctuality might need to be relaxed. Fortunately, the student code of conduct in sd73 does consider these circumstances can occur as it states in one entry that “[w]hen responding to unacceptable student behavior, the following are to be considered” (2019).

In a Canadian pluralist liberal society, I would also strive to teach tolerance for other ideas students or parents may have with beliefs I don’t identify or associate with. One example of ideas that make me uncomfortable is radical religious ideas like rejecting gay marriage, rejecting sexual education, and rejecting scientific ideas. I understand that when I encounter this student or potentially faculty member in the future that despite our conflicting ideas, we will need to respect each other’s autonomy and individuality. That being said, I would still proceed to teach a comprehensive curriculum that may include ideas that certain religious backgrounds are uncomfortable with. In my opinion, tolerance is about understanding and coexisting, but is not about bending your philosophy and curriculum away from scientific facts to make students feel more confrontable. Teaching evolution in a biology classroom would be an excellent example. If a student or parent were to challenge me with creationist ideas, I would only allow for a discussion outside of class time. I also think that a Canadian pluralist liberal society should focus on indigenizing our education system. Not only is Canada the birthplace of culture and wisdom, as our aboriginal studies teacher, Carolyn Anderson, but has also pointed out. Besides, I also believe there is a significate divide between indigenous and non-indigenous communities. I hope that by following the ninth standard in the Public Standards for BC Educators, I could help students develop a more well-rounded world and scientific view in students and foster more tolerance.

In the future, I want to want to be a chemistry teacher. So, I imagine that if you were to walk into my classroom in 10 years you would see students working cooperatively on lab experiments. I imagine the environment in my classroom is calm and filled with anticipation as my students enthusiastically gain practical lab skills. I hope that I can thoughtfully plan lessons to including an indigenous perspective of science and the education need of all students in the class. One way I would practice critical pedagogy in my classroom is by showcasing scientists of different races, religions, genders/sexuality; providing students with a non-eurocentric view of science. I hope to even give students a semi-autonomous inquiry-based project where students are asked to make a hypothesis and predict an outcome. This philosophy would a progressive approach to education with a feminist perspective as I would be sure to support their growth and guide their learning to ensure they are on track. I would primarily do this by informal check-ins and probing them with open-ended questions. I must acknowledge, however, that although this is my educational philosophy now, I understand that it may be idealistic and incomplete. I hope that by gaining experience through our practicums and in the classroom, I will be able to develop my educational philosophy further and become a more adept educator.

Work Cited
Administrative Procedure 350. (2019, August). Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://bcsd73.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/93950?preview=102797

Foley, J.A., Morris, D., Gounari, P. & Agostinone-Wilson, A. (2015). Critical education, critical pedagogies, Marxist education in the United States. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 13(3), 110-144.

Kretz, L. (2014). Ecological identity in education; Subverting the neoliberal self. Leadership and research in Education: The Journal of the Ohio Council of Professors of Educational Administration, 1, 4-21.

Mayo, C. & Stengel, B. (2010). Feminism and Education. In R. Bailey, R. Barrow, D. Carr, &C. McCarthy, (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of philosophy of education, (pp. 151-166). London, UK: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Riley, P. & Welchman, J. (2005). Rousseau, Dewey, and democracy [excerpt]. In R. Curren (Ed.), A companion to the philosophy of education (pp. 103-109 only). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

What is Social Reconstructionism? (2018, June 13). Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://www.theedadvocate.org/edupedia/content/what-is-social-reconstructionism/