Philosophy is derived from two Greek words. Philo means lOVE, sophy means WISDOM. Philosophy means “love of wisdom”. Conscious of a set of beliefs, or personal philosophy informs how we live, work, & interact with others. What we believe is directly reflected into teaching and learning processes. It is important to understand how philosophy and education are interrelated. In order to become the most effective teacher you can be, you must understand your own beliefs, while at the same time empathizing with others. Developing our own educational philosophy is a key part of our journey to teach.
Major branches of philosophy are Metaphysics, epistemology, Axiology and logic. Metaphysics considers questions about the physical universe, & the nature of reality. Epistemology examines how people come to learn what they know. Axiology is the study of fundamental principles or values. Logic pursues the organization of the reasoning process. Logic can be divided into two components; deductive reasoning which takes general principles and relates them to a specific case; & inductive reasoning, which builds up an argument based on specific examples.
Idealism can be divided into three categories, classical, religious, & modern. Classical idealism the philosophy of the Greeks Socrates & Plato, searches for an absolute truth. Religious Idealism tries to reconcile God & Humanity.Modern Idealism stemming from the Ideas of Descartes, links pereption & existence.
Realism, school of thought founded by Aristotle, believes the world of matter is separate from human perceptions. Modern Realist thought has led to the blank slate, notion of human capabilities.
Pragmatism believes that we should select ideas, actions, & consequences with the most desirable outcome, as well as learning from the previous experiences to achieve desirable consequence.
Major philosophy of education can be broken down into three main: teacher-centered philosophies, Student-centered philosophies & society-centered philosophies. These include Essential-ism, Perennial-ism, Progressivism, social Reconstruction-ism, Existentialism, Behaviorism, Constructivism, Conservatism, & Humanism. Other Ideologies of educational philosophy include nationalism, American exceptionalism, ethno-nationalism, liberalism, conservatism, & Marxism.
It is important to identify your own philosophy of education in order to understand your own system of values & beliefs so that you are easily able to describe your teaching.
ZENA GALLERY 