¶ … Personal Philosophy of Education
Many teachers enter the classroom for the first time armed with the training and knowledge they receive from their higher education, but with no personal philosophy of education to help guide them in the process. In fact, some teachers believe that a personal philosophy of education is irrelevant to the real-world needs of education today, but a growing consensus of teachers maintain that a personal philosophy of education is an integral part of curricular and professional development. To determine the facts, this paper reviews the literature to define a philosophy of education and its importance, the differences between teacher-centered philosophies of education and student-centered philosophies, and a description of a major philosophy of education and how it is reflected in school practice. Finally, a discussion concerning some of the psychological and cultural factors influencing education is followed by an assessment concerning how the legacies of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are reflected in education today. A summary of the research and important findings concerning a personal philosophy of education are presented in the conclusion.
Definition of a philosophy of education and why it should be important to teachers
The last thing on the minds of many teachers as they enter the classroom for the first time may be their philosophy of education. Although some educators view the conceptualization of a formal philosophy of education as unnecessary and even spurious for the pragmatic needs of classroom teaching, there is a growing consensus that a philosophy of education is an integral part of the educational process that should be included as part of the professional development process. For instance, Stitzlein (2010) points out that, "The field of philosophy of education is often rightly criticized for being esoteric and unconnected to classroom practice. However, philosophy of education can be used...
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