Every teacher has a unique teaching strategies that makes their classroom unique. What many people do not know, however, is that the methods and strategies that teachers use can all be traced back to the five teaching philosophies. These philosophies, perennialism, progressivism, essentialism, reconstructionism, and existentialism, are either teacher or student based, and can greatly shape the way an individual teaches (Powell, 2015). Each philosophy differs on what should be taught, how it should be taught, and how the students are expected to learn (Powell, 2015). In this essay this essay I will provide examples of the many teaching philosophies my own teachers have had, and how it shaped their teaching.
My ninth-grade English class spent the first semester reading Shakespeare. My previous experiences with the great playwright had been dull and agonizing leaving me dreading the class. On the first day of class I sat in the classroom with my copy of Romeo and Juliet in hand, preparing for the worst. Then the teacher entered, Mrs. Brown, a small woman who spoke softly. However, when she began to read long passages of Shakespeare her voice grew, becoming louder and stronger as she read the prologue with theatric flare and passion. Mrs. Brown’s passion for English played just one part in her teaching method. She actively encouraged her students to find their own passion and use it in English. For example, if a student was passionate about art she would encourage the student to write what inspire them or about a famous artist. Mrs. Brown’s teaching philosophy was likely progressivism. She was an encouraging teacher, wanted students to be self-motivated, had a stimulating learning environment, used an interactive curriculum, and instructed with active encouragement (Powell, 2015). Mr. …show more content…
V, another English teacher I had in high school, had a great passion for Edger Allan Poe. Before his class I had never read any of Poe’s works, and had little interest in doing so. Mr. V would hold class discussion from The Raven to The Cask of Amontillado with the enthusiasm of one who had read the poems and stories for the first time. His excitement was infectious and left the entire class eager for each new reading. So captivating was his passion that I took another one of his English classes the following year. I was thrilled to be taught by someone who was so excited not only to teach, but to teach English specifically. Mr. V encouraged his students to not only read the required reading, but find ones that related to other topics they were interested in. He would even suggest readings he believed would be …show more content…
These philosophies, perennialism, progressivism, essentialism, reconstructionism, and existentialism, are either teacher or student based, and can greatly shape the way an individual teaches (Powell, 2015). Each philosophy differs on what should be taught, how it should be taught, and how the students are expected to learn (Powell, 2015). In the above examples, there are examples of three different teaching philosophies. Mrs. Brown was encouraging to students, urged each pupil to be self-motivated, and had a stimulating curriculum. It is likely her teaching philosophy was progressivism. Mr. V encouraged students to be individual, responsible, and to draw their own conclusions making him a likely existentialist. Finally, Dr. Grogin, who had little interest in students, dispensed knowledge, and heavily focused on difficult assignments or tests would probably be an
My ninth-grade English class spent the first semester reading Shakespeare. My previous experiences with the great playwright had been dull and agonizing leaving me dreading the class. On the first day of class I sat in the classroom with my copy of Romeo and Juliet in hand, preparing for the worst. Then the teacher entered, Mrs. Brown, a small woman who spoke softly. However, when she began to read long passages of Shakespeare her voice grew, becoming louder and stronger as she read the prologue with theatric flare and passion. Mrs. Brown’s passion for English played just one part in her teaching method. She actively encouraged her students to find their own passion and use it in English. For example, if a student was passionate about art she would encourage the student to write what inspire them or about a famous artist. Mrs. Brown’s teaching philosophy was likely progressivism. She was an encouraging teacher, wanted students to be self-motivated, had a stimulating learning environment, used an interactive curriculum, and instructed with active encouragement (Powell, 2015). Mr. …show more content…
V, another English teacher I had in high school, had a great passion for Edger Allan Poe. Before his class I had never read any of Poe’s works, and had little interest in doing so. Mr. V would hold class discussion from The Raven to The Cask of Amontillado with the enthusiasm of one who had read the poems and stories for the first time. His excitement was infectious and left the entire class eager for each new reading. So captivating was his passion that I took another one of his English classes the following year. I was thrilled to be taught by someone who was so excited not only to teach, but to teach English specifically. Mr. V encouraged his students to not only read the required reading, but find ones that related to other topics they were interested in. He would even suggest readings he believed would be …show more content…
These philosophies, perennialism, progressivism, essentialism, reconstructionism, and existentialism, are either teacher or student based, and can greatly shape the way an individual teaches (Powell, 2015). Each philosophy differs on what should be taught, how it should be taught, and how the students are expected to learn (Powell, 2015). In the above examples, there are examples of three different teaching philosophies. Mrs. Brown was encouraging to students, urged each pupil to be self-motivated, and had a stimulating curriculum. It is likely her teaching philosophy was progressivism. Mr. V encouraged students to be individual, responsible, and to draw their own conclusions making him a likely existentialist. Finally, Dr. Grogin, who had little interest in students, dispensed knowledge, and heavily focused on difficult assignments or tests would probably be an