Philosophy in the Classroom

So this week we learned all about philosophy in the educational system. This is something I hadn't really considered before and I'm glad we learned about...it really does come into play a lot more than one would think. There are many different philosophies to believe in and to practice.. it all comes down to a persons beliefs and how they portray them. "Various theories of learning have been suggested, and these theories differ for a variety of reasons." This is from an article from the website Education.com We learned that these philosophies derive from ancient times from famous philosophers (who were also educators) like Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates. And their methods of philosophy are still implemented in how people teach and learn today in modern education! While exploring the different philosophies and theories we were encourages to consider ourselves and where we fall into this world. Personally I do believe and admire Plato and his philosophies. 


After researching and learning of all the different philosophies that schools, teachers, and students "run off of" we got to assess our own philosophies. When assessing mine I found I am Reconstructive Critical Theorist as a teacher/person.

Reconstructionism/Critical Theory
Social reconstructionists advocate that schools should take the lead to reconstruct society in order
to create a better world. Schools have more than a responsibility to transmit knowledge, they have
the mission to transform society as well. Reconstructionists use critical thinking skills, inquiry,
question-asking, and the taking of action as teaching strategies. Students learn to handle
controversy and to recognize multiple perspectives.

^ This is the definition the assessment gave me, and I have to say... I think it is right on the money with my beliefs and my game plans as an aspiring educator. Since I agree with the outcome I do think this was an effective assessment.

I think that my philosophical outlook will come into my role as a teacher quite a bit. I believe that students should be taught more how to critically think than to solve a simple problem. I believe that in instilling critical thinking it will help out students to come up with more original solutions and also help them when solving any problem.. school related or not. It is an important trait to have. I believe. like the theory that schools have a big part in shaping the world. After all isn't it commonly said "The children are our future" so why not send our students into the world ready to take it on and make it a better place. I think I will have a lot of hand on activities in my classroom and ask a lot more open ended question that cause my students to think outside the box. If the children are of age I would even enjoy having discussions and sharing our ideas.