What is a Teaching Philosophy?

In my previous post, I shared with you my teaching philosophy and what I thought the exact role of a teacher was. Teachers are leaders of people and masters of their craft. To this end, teachers must model strong leadership, while also demonstrating the skills and knowledge a master possesses. One point of emphasis in my philosophy is the fact that students need to do the work of a professional in the subject. Students need to do the work of a scientist in Science class, the work of a historian in History class, and the work of a mathematician in Math class. When students do this, they become engaged in the learning process and begin to understand how school can help them in their future studies and careers. They see “the point” of standard education. Moreover, they get immediate feedback on their strengths and weaknesses. Students work to perfect their strengths and improve their weaknesses. When students better understand themselves, they have firmer ground from which they can look forward, and begin to form a vision for their life. For example, when they see themselves truly enjoying the work of a businessman, a student can create a vision of themselves being a businessman in the future. The ability to look forward and imagine a future for themselves is crucial to both the cognitive and social-emotional development of our students. (More on the social-emotional aspect of teaching in later blog posts). Lastly, to do the work of a professional gives students an answer to the question: “Why do I need to go to school anyway?” (Finally!)

Of course, teachers are not just leaders and masters, but mentors, coaches, counselors, therapists, motivators, actors, facilitators, guides, thinkers, doers, planners, creators, and so much more. With these layered roles in mind, we can think of a teacher almost like a video game character. Each teacher has varying levels of knowledge about their subject, experience teaching their subject(s), and a personalized set of skills that affects their teaching. While all teachers fulfill the different roles listed above to some extent, teachers choose to emphasize certain roles over others. Based on their natural abilities and experience, teachers actively enhance these attributes and develop a teaching style throughout their careers.

Bound by their experiences and grounded by their talents, teachers can set out to develop a clear teaching philosophy. A teaching philosophy is not simply why a teacher shows up every day or what effective teaching looks like. A teaching philosophy is a clear statement of priorities. It is an assertion of what the teacher believes is important and it outlines the way they view their ultimate role in the classroom. Furthermore, a true teaching philosophy is a declaration of the ideal educator. The teacher should frequently return to their philosophy, as a reminder of the job they are to perform. In this sense, a teaching philosophy pushes the teacher to perfect their craft while also grounding them to a set of ideal standards. A philosophy guides a teacher’s decision inside and outside of the classroom. As is a government with no constitution, a business with no mission, an individual with no vision, a teacher without a formalized and written philosophy cannot become the best version of themselves. They cannot have the true impact on students that they claim to seek. They can become successful, even effective teachers. However, they cannot truly master their craft.

In addition to the underlying reasons why a written teaching philosophy is important, it is also relevant to the day-to-day decisions a teacher makes in the classroom. When an observer steps into the classroom, they should see, hear, and feel the philosophy in all aspects of the learning environment. The observer should recognize the organization of the physical space as a manifestation of the philosophy. They should see it in the lessons themselves. They should see it in the interactions between students. They should see it in the teacher’s relationship with each student. They should see it on the desks. They should see it on the boards and walls. They should see it in the lesson plans and within the curriculum that is being taught. They should see it with the particular resources a teacher has selected. When applied in it’s highest form, the teaching philosophy should be recognizable in every aspect of the learning environment.

There are a few major benefits to the consistent implementation of a teaching philosophy. Let’s start within the classroom itself. When the class is a pure reflection of what the teacher values, it allows for the creation of a specific culture. Just as in towns, cities, and countries, culture has to be maintained by the community. When the community upholds and enforces those values, a stable and predictable environment is formed. A stable environment promotes effective teaching and learning. It promotes the development of skills and acquisition of knowledge because students know what is expected of them. A stable environment also helps students maintain and build healthy relationships that are necessary for a range of collaborative and cooperative activities. I would argue that a stable environment is the root of all success that happens within a classroom. This stable environment does not exist until the teacher decides their philosophy.

Once the culture is established, the true learning can begin. This is where the nuts and bolts of teaching come into play and is where the rubber meets the road. When the lessons happen, they should reflect the knowledge and skills that the teacher has determined are most important for students to learn. Of course, the learning is bounded by the standards of the curriculum the school or community has chosen. Yet, the teacher has unbelievable power to choose the way those standards are taught. With their philosophy in hand, the teacher can derive clear learning goals and objectives. As is with any objective, specificity, and clarity have a direct causal relationship to an objective’s success. Because the teacher knows what they want, they know what learning to prioritize for students. This supports students because they can see what the teacher is trying to teach. Now the students have an active role in their learning, and can effectively manage their own time, assess their strengths and weaknesses, use resources more strategically, and acquire information that truly helps them. These forces act together to create deeper learning experiences. This all stems from the teacher’s deliberate implementation of their philosophy.

The culture is set and the learning is taking place. Students are now also maturing as people. With the culture to support them and the knowledge and skills to facilitate learning, they begin to develop the qualities that educators want to see in all students. The teacher may not even need to deliberately mentor and guide students to this end. With confidence and understanding students begin to develop trait conscientiousness. They also develop executive functioning which is crucial for a healthy mind and body. They are more likely to take risks. They become better planners. Better organizers. Better writers. Better thinkers. They can set goals and create plans of action to achieve those goals. They become more detail-oriented. They can identify what motivates them intrinsically and extrinsically. They become more independent. They develop the ability to reflect on their actions. They are growing up.

As people (and teachers), our job satisfation is highly dependent on the expectations and assumption we bring into the classroom. We then compare those expectations to the reality in the moment. When the teacher has implemented their philosophy in such a way that it creates a stable environment and the students are learning and maturing, the teacher feels rewarded. Just as they want students to take pride in their work and continue to grow, teachers want the same. If teachers see the results of their labor reflected in the learning of their students, they are now more motivated to continue the work necessary for mastery. They are well on the way to the creation of their unique style. They begin to feel like a teacher.

The hardest part of this process is then taking the philosophy of different teachers within the broader school environment and establishing a school-wide culture of excellence. The process can be streamlined and better implemented when a few things happen. First, administration and management must set an expectation among teachers that they should create and implement a philosophy. It is not enough for teachers to simply think about what content should be learned and what activities will be effective. Teachers must state a clear philosophy and the administration should then work with teachers to implement it. Is this not part of the reason administrators evaluate their teachers in the first place? Second, the school’s mission and vision are partnered with the individual teacher’s philosophy. This means that there is an alignment of goals and values. This alignment facilitates the creation of a school culture that students recognize and to which they adhere. Third, there must be a consistent implementation of these philosophies in each classroom. Without consistent implementation, a stable environment cannot form and thus students do not understand and act on the expectations set by the culture. Out goes the culture and in comes the chaos.

I believe that a philosophy should drive all decisions a teacher makes. A teacher without a written philosophy is a teacher who has not set clear goals for themselves. If the teacher lacks clarity of vision as an educator, then there will be a lack of clarity for students. A philosophy is necessary to guide the actions of the teacher, serving as the vehicle for quality teaching and quality learning.