My Philosophy in regard to Teaching Science

This is my philosophy in regard to teaching science. It was developed over the last five months and is very close to my general belief and values around an overall teaching philosophy.  I hope you enjoy reading about my values, hopes and aspirations for science in the classroom.

Before writing my teaching philosophy for science I found it necessary to research different theories and compare them to my own thoughts and ideas. I determined that I do not fall wholly into any one category but rather across various philosophies. In particular, social constructivism, the ideas of Professor Kereti Rautangata, cognitivism and humanism, and to a lesser degree behaviorism. To explain further I will briefly outline the particular parts of each teaching philosophy that appeal to me, albeit each philosophy is much more complex and extensive than allowed for below.

Behavioral Psychology includes a degree of rote learning where evidence of learning is observed through a change in behaviour (Skinner, 1961; Watson, 1979). Being teacher centered and directed, the teacher is considered the expert, or ‘sage’ with all the answers (Watson, 1913; Bandura, 1969). Students self regulate learning and are given reinforcement by the teacher who observes, measures and quantitatively evaluates results (Holland and Skinner, 1961). The line between teacher and learner is very clear (Appendix A). 

Humanism relies on a teacher providing numerous resources from which a student can choose to learn from which results in personalised and tailored learning for each individual (Maslow 1943; McLeod, 2007), thus recognising learners as individuals (McLeod, 2007). This theory appeals to me as my view of students is that they are all unique individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses and contributions to give.

Cognitivism allows learners to pursue their own interests within a community that also supports individual exploration (Neill, 1973; Montessori, 1994). It consists of individual learning activities, joint projects and field trips which provide real life learning opportunities based on individual interests (Kohler, 1992). Cognitivism is based on individuals having private and subjective knowledge that is then teacher directed towards resources that the student then engages with. Cognitivism relies on IT use; email, computer programs, timed power point slides and other web designed teaching/learning aides by which students move through various stages of learning (Appendix B), (Piaget, 1970; 1985). Incorporating computer generated-learning, means learners can progress at their own pace allowing for varying abilities within a class. Although students may not be working at the same level or even on the same subject at any one time I can see many benefits from this teaching philosophy. A major disadvantage is the requirement for a teacher to be able to multi-task and remember where any one student is up to at any one time.

Constructivism is also based on Gestalt psychology and can be argued to have arisen partly from cognitivism (Galloway, 2001). Students use previous and current experiences to derive knowledge and make educational experiences an integral part of life. It involves problem-based learning that not only applies to classroom activities but also to solutions to real life problems (Galloway, 2001). Social Constructivism allows for collaboration with others and the construction of hypotheses (Bruner, 1961; Vygotsky, 1978; Glaserfeld, 1992; 1996; Montessori, 1994; Mascolol and Fischer, 2005). It also has its focus in real life experiences as initially intended by its advocate John Dewey (Mascolol and Fischer, 2005).

It is my personal belief that if lessons can relate to the real world, animals, plants, planets, everyday house hold and environmental processes, then students will not only engage more easily with topics and subject matter but also retain information more readily. I particularly like that students are encouraged to research and find meaningful contexts in their quest for knowledge, and that learners and teachers are focused on creating an educational community that has meaning and value within a democratic community. The theories that did not fit my ideas include Existentialism, Critical Theory and Social Reconstructionism (Appendix C).

My teaching philosophy combines at least three of the theories mentioned: cognitivism, humanism and social constructivism.

- Cognitivism because learners are able to apply lessons to life outside of the classroom and incorporate an array of IT resources via E-learning (Appendix D).

- Humanism, because it allows a student to choose from a variety of resources in order to learn on an individual basis. It may be more difficult and time consuming to track the progress of individual students if all are working with individualised resources at their own pace within their own parameters but, an experienced, aware and energetic teacher would see good results. It would allow students to engage in a topic at an appropriate level for the individual and with resources that each connects with, whether audio, visual, literary, or hands-on (puzzles etc), therefore catering for most if not all learning styles.

- Social Constructivism because it allows for collaboration and education that has real world meaning.

Adopting parts from each of these theories would allow for an environment that is conducive to learning, where students tolerate different points of view and where individuals are able to bring their life experiences in to the classroom and yet apply lessons learnt to the wider community. Students will learn to be responsible to themselves, each other and the community in which they live. The classroom environment would aid in attaining equity by nurturing and encouraging students to take risks in speaking, demonstrating and partaking in group and class activities. Encouraging participation in investigations and hypothesising would promote the sharing of ideas and encourage curiosity leading to amazement of the world about them and mutual respect for each other as learners. Ultimately learners would be encouraged to embrace science education as being a natural part of life, all around and everywhere, rather than merely an external curriculum ‘add-on’ (Appendix E). Bringing science alive, and making it relevant and applicable to everyday life will capture and excite many students. For example, investigating the chemistry of food in items that students commonly eat, gazing at the wonders of the stars and making parallels with time travel, or at the inner machinery of a cell which isn’t unlike the workings of a car or motorbike engine have appeal to both genders.

With regard to Maori inclusion in my teaching philosophy, I refer to Professor, Kereti Rautangata. He managed to bring in to his teaching traditional Māori spiritual ideals giving students the ability to connect with who they are as well as to relate to their perceived reality of the world.  His statement sums up my own thoughts perfectly:

“For me, everything must be interlinked with the ‘Cosmic Plan', the all-inclusive Primordial Blueprint that human beings, irrespective of colour, creed or country, should ultimately be aspiring to. . . Hence for me, the art of teaching is coined in the phrase:

... ‘Tahuna te Ahi-para papa-rākau-a-Tū, Oi' he ngākau-toa, Oi' he Manawa toa ..." ... "Fan the potential spark, lying dormant in the psyche of a tauira (student & teacher), into a flamboyant shield of glory ..." (Rautangata, 2008). 

He views education as a tool for which a spark may be ignited in a person. His philosophy is a combination of reality, spiritual and physical and he is an advocate for first being inspired yourself before trying to inspire others (Rautangata, 2008).  I firmly believe this is a wonderful philosophy and these words speak volumes to me. My desire is to be able to enthuse others about the world around us; its natural marvels, mysteries and awesomeness. To encourage curiosity that leads to amazement. To light the tinniest of sparks could take any student so much further than if they had had no spark at all. Like one-degree begins insignificantly small but in space opens up to become kilometers wide.

­­­­­

In regard to Maori, the Ministry of Education states that schools need to provide all individuals with opportunities to understand and respect tikanga Māori (The Ministry of Education, 2012). After a 12 week course in the School of Maori with Duane Culshaw (2011) and hearing Anton Matthews speak (lecture 7^th February 2012) about tikanga and Maori Culture I think it important that all students come to appreciate and respect the depth and significance of Maori history, customs, language and spirituality, including the beliefs around ancestors and the entire meaning of whanau and how the Marae itself, for example, the placement of decorations, doors and windows, are deeply symbolic. There is a great wealth of understanding to be obtained from exploring Maori culture and language that would in itself encourage others to make comparisons with their own cultures and thus reduce any feeling of minority in a classroom, whether Asian, African, Pacific Islander, Maori or other. Inclusion of trips to a Marae and incorporation of Te Reo language is invaluable to all students in recognising New Zealand’s unique and rich history, traditions and culture. Including pohiri and Kapa Haka as a norm in schools would benefit not only the school but the wider community especially if parents and extended family are invited to have input.

However, it is simply not sufficient to concentrate only on the Kiwi student or Máori learner. It is my belief that science teaching is required to incorporate a philosophy for multiculutural education and therefore needs a multicultural philosophy. To this end science education needs to include texts, readings and examples from other cultures. For example the movements of the moon could be related to the Islamic, Mayan and Amazonian Calendars that could then lead on to various scientific discoveries each of these cultures made. After all, science started in the East with ancient civilizations. Understanding the value and significance of ecosystems to different cultures would be enlightening for many students. Mapping tectonic plates would reveal not only scientific information but also reveal many myths and folk tales. In particular, many myths about earthquakes are from areas that are situated on major fault lines (Quynh, undated). Lessons should include scientists from different ethnicities and cultures including minorities; women, for example. This would illustrate to students that science is genuinely for everyone. Describing the lives of great scientists would give learners an appreciation of great discoverers being human and not dissimilar to each of them. Any one student is equally able to discover something unique.

On the note of equality - as Banks and Banks (1995) stated, ‘equality is reached when teaching styles facilitate the academic curiosity of all learners regardless of their race, cultural, social or other group’. This equality also extends to access to resources, especially IT. Where possible, making sure educational resources are available before and after class to students is important. In particular, assess to computers. This would also have the added benefit of facilitating further cooperative work in groups that is important for some cultures and specific learners. For example, the academic success of Mexican, American and African learners is increased with cooperative activities (Aronson & Gonzalez, 1988).

This leads me to my last but most important belief. I absolutely believe that all learners regardless of wealth, age, gender, faith, ability, background, race or any other factor should always be treated with absolute equally in the classroom. The classroom itself should foster an environment where learners have a positive, collaborative and inclusive educational experience which comes from building a foundation of equal status where there may exist gender differences, significant diversity in race, ethnicity, culture and ability. My teaching philosophy not only encompasses what I wish to foster in a classroom environment but also what I wish to see develop in my students and also in myself. It is important to me to recognise my own biases, and thoughts and feelings and re-evaluate and reconsider my own viewpoint to ensure that attitudes towards each student is genuinely equitable. It would be my intent not to portray myself as an expert in any field but rather as a partner in the learning process. Moses Maimonides, stated that the best we can do is to place a person in a position, via education, where they no longer need our aid. If a student found that I was obsolete in that they could learn no more from me, then I would believe my job would have been a successful one.

  

References

Aronson, E., and Gonzales, M. H. (1988). Using Social Cognition and Persuasion to Promote Energy Conservation: A Quasi-Experiment. Brain and Behaviour 18(12).

Apple, M. W. (2004) "Creating Difference: Neo-Liberalism, Neo-Conservatism, and the Politics of Educational Reform," Educational Policy 18 (1), 12-44.

Bandura, A., and Walters, R. H. (1963). Social learning and personality development. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.

Bandura, A. (1969). Social learning of moral judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 11, 275-279.

Banks, J. A., and Banks, C. A. (2003).  Multicultural education: Issues and

perspectives. John Wiley & Sons: New York. p197-221.

Banks, J. A., and Banks, C. A. (1995). Educational Equality for Students of Color. Villanseñor: New York. Pp.197-221.

Brown, D., and Apple, M. (2011). Social Theory, Critical Transcendence, and the New Sociology: An Essay. Retrieved 7 February 2012 from http://www.ineducation.ca/article/michael-apple-social-theory-critical-transcendence-and-new-sociology-essay

Bruner, J. S. (1961). "The act of discovery". Harvard Educational Review 31 (1), 21–32.

Galloway, C. M. (2001). Vygotsky's Constructionism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, amd technology. Retrieved 6 February 2012 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Gestalt Psychology (1992, July 1). An Introduction to New Concepts in Modern Psychology. New York: Wolfgang Kohler Liveright Publishing Corporation, 384p.

Giroux, H. A., Penna, A. N, and Pinar, W. (1981). Curriculum & instruction : alternatives in education . Berkeley, California: McCutchan Pub. Corp.

Giroux, H. A. Schooling for democracy : critical pedagogy in the modern age. London: Routledge, 1989.

Glasersfeld, E. V. (1996). Introduction: Aspects of constructivism. In C.T. Fosnot (Ed.), Constructivism: Theory, Perspectives, and Practice (pp. 3-7). New York-London: Teachers College Press.

Glaserfeld, V. (1992). Constructivism reconstruction: A reply to Suchting. Science and Education, 1, 379-384.

Holland, J., and Skinner, B. F. (1961). The analysis of behavior: A program for self-instruction. New York, NY, US: McGraw-Hill. 337 pp.

Kierkegaard, S. (2000). The Essential Kierkegaard, edited by Howard and Edna Hong. Princeton.

Kohler, W. (1992). Cognitive Theories of Learning downloaded from http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/x/wxh139/cognitive_1.htm

McLeod, S. A. (2007). Simply Psychology. Retrieved 6 February 2012, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/humanistic.html

McMahon, J. D. (2012). Teaching/Learning Philosophies. Human Resource Development, Towson University, Towson, MD 2125 Downloaded on 20 February 2012 from http://pages.towson.edu/mcmahon/generic/philosophychart.html

Mascolol, F., and Fischer, K. W. (2005). Constructivism and Social Constructivism. Retrieved on 8^th February 2012 from http://www.ucdoer.ie/index.php/Education_Theory/Constructivism_and_Social_Constructivism

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370-96.

Ministry of Education (2012), Máori language and culture in schools. 2 February 2012 Available at http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/MaoriEducation/AboutMaoriEducation/WhoWeAre/EngagementWithMaori/HuiTaumataMatauranga/BetterRelationshipsForBetterLearning/Maori_Language_and_Culture_In_The_School.aspx Downloaded on 7th February 2012

Montessori, M. (1994). PROSPECTS: the quarterly review of comparative education (Paris, UNESCO: International Bureau of Education), vol. XXIV, no. 1/2,  (89/90), p. 169-183. UNESCO: International Bureau of Education, 2000.

Murray, J. P., and Bevis, E. O. (1979). Toward a caring curriculum: A new pedagogy for nursing. New York: National League for Nursing.

Neill, A. S. (1973). Children's Freedom: A. S. Neill and the Evolution of the Summerhill Idea. New York: Schocken Books,  218p.

Piaget, J. (1970). Genetic epistemology. (E. Duckworth, Trans.). New York: Columbia University Press.

Piaget, J. (1985). The equilibration of cognitive structures. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Quynh. (undated). Science for All: Our philosophy for blending science education and multicultural education. Retrieved from  http://nz.bing.com/search?q=Quynh+fault+lines+folk+tales&qs=n&form=QBRE&pq=quynh%2520fault%2520lines%2520folk%2520tale&sc=0-0&sp=-1&sk=

Rautangata, K. (2008). (Whakairo Department, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa ) - a Excellence in Innovation winner 2005 Aotearoa Academy of Tertiary Teaching Excellence 10 October 2008. Downloaded from http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/community/ako-aotearoa-academy-tertiary-teaching-excellence/resources/pages/professor-kereti-rautang on 6th February 2012

Sartre, J-P. (2007, July). Existentialism is a Humanism. US: Yale University Press.

Sartre, J. P. (1957). Existentialism and Human Emotions. New York: Philosophical Library, p3.

Skinner, B. F., and Holland, J. (1961). The analysis of behavior: A program for self-instruction. New York, NY, US: McGraw-Hill. 337 pp.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher mental processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Watson, J. B. (1913) ‘Psychology as the behaviourist views it’, Psychological Review, 20, 158-178.

Watson, J. S. (1979). Perception of contingency as a determinant of social responsiveness. In E. B. Thoman (Ed.), The Origin of the infant's Social Responsiveness. New York: Erlbaum. Pp. 33 64.

Appendix A

Behavioural Psychology reflects the way many African and Asian nations teach as well as what students and parents expect from a teacher and learning processes. Although, there is a place for this teaching philosophy it is not one I would wish to embrace in New Zealand. From personal experience, whilst building, funding and running a school in rural North Africa, any other method of teaching in Africa would result in confusion for the students and their extended families who have very clear ideas and expectations: that being the teacher teaches and the student ‘fills up’ like a vessel or sponge. This philosophy therefore has its place in the global community albeit not one I believe would elicit the best results in New Zealand.

Appendix B

These stages are known as ‘assimilation’, where a student fits new information into an existing cognitive structure or understanding; ‘accommodation’  where a learner modifies their existing cognitive structures based on new information and then ‘equilibration’ where a student develops a more adaptive and sophisticated mode of thought from something newly learnt (Piaget, 1970; 1985).

Appendix C

Existentialism appeared too abstract (Sartre, 1957 p14; 2007 p6; Kierkegaard, 2000) and it included long moral and political contexts. As New Zealand is very much a multicultural society I believe it best to focus on our similarities and embrace differences in order to build a positive learning community rather than form separations by focusing on political differences. Of course, in science as with all areas politics are rife in academia and between individuals and groups but this need not detract focus from teaching. Critical Theory encourages a world where all learners work towards freedom and equality whilst at the same time working towards changing social conditions (Giroux, 1981; 1989. Michael Apple, 2004; Brown, 2011). Social Reconstrucionism focuses on working to overcome problems that exist in society and thus create a better world (Montessori, 1994). Critical Theory allows each student to work towards an individual need and ability, but I wonder who judges a student’s need and ability. It is my belief that all learners should not be labeled but encouraged to achieve all they are able rather than being judged as more or less able or in need.

Appendix D

However, as teachers we need to ensure that students embrace not only the ability to communicate effectively using IT in a virtual space but are also able to fully function and communicate in the physical world via face to face interactions which develop specific social skills including the ability to read body language and expressions.

Appendix E

This is not unlike the aim outlined in our Professional Studies lecture which states that Maori should be a natural part of a students experience so that it is not considered an ‘add-on’ but rather a natural presence to both teacher and student.