MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION AND ITS APPLICATION IN

TEACHING THE TECHNICAL SUBJECTS

Michael Naughton G00318925

Submitted for the name of qualification

to

Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Letterfrack

Module Leader: Dr. Pauline Logue

Programme: B.Sc. (Hons) in Education (Design Graphics and Construction)

Module Title: Education Studies

Date Submitted: 9th December 2016

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ABSTRACT

A philosophy statement is gathering your beliefs about teaching and learning so you
can easily implement them in a classroom environment. It is a unique description of
your approach to teaching, and how you use it in engaging with the students. This
essay explores and devises my own innovative teaching strategies, which I would
implement in a classroom. By studying selected theorists in the field of education, I
show how their methods can be effectively implemented in the technical classroom.
The methodology used is secondary research applied to the practice of teaching. This
paper follows a logical layout, the Philosophy of Education is examined, seen through
the work of Rousseau and Pestalozzi. Psychologically, both Humanist (Maslow) and
Cognitivist (Vygotsky) theories are explored and how they can link with the technical
classroom. In the sociology section, the contribution of Comte and Durkheim is
examined, applying key aspects of their theory to the practice of teaching.

KEY WORDS: P SYCHOLOGY , P HILOSOPHY , TECHNICAL C LASSROOM ENVIRONMENT ,

PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT , SOCIOLOGY .

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................................... 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................................. 3

1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 4

2 PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION ........................................................................................................................ 4

2.1 Jean Jacques Rousseau.......................................................................................................................... 5

2.2 Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi .................................................................................................................... 6

3 PSYCHOLOGY OF EDUCATION ....................................................................................................................... 7

3.1 Humanist theory ................................................................................................................................... 7

3.2 Cognitivist theory .................................................................................................................................. 9

4 SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION ........................................................................................................................ 10

4.1 Auguste Comte .................................................................................................................................... 10

4.2 Emile Durkheim ................................................................................................................................... 11

4 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................... 12

5 LIST OF REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 13

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 1 INTRODUCTION

According to the University of Minnesota, a philosophy statement is concisely gathering

together your beliefs about teaching and learning so that you can easily articulate them to
your students, your peers, and search committees (Universtity of Minnesota, 2015). It is
about exploring the aspects of philosophy that one engages with on a day-to-day basis. What
it is not, is a reflective piece, or scheme of work. A philosophy statement should show
progression of the theory of philosophy and how one implements it in a classroom
environment. Successful teaching strategies/methods should be examined, following from
the various theorists they arise from. A meaningful philosophy statement will explain how
one teaches in a classroom, and more importantly, why they teach the way they do. Who
influenced them? Does this way positively influence the students?

In this essay, psychology of education, philosophy of education and sociology of education

will be examined. The methodology implemented is literature review research. Through a
combination of various theorists studies, I aim to explore and devise my own innovative
teaching strategies that I could implement in any technical classroom. By studying the various
theorists concepts, I hope to show how their methods evoke me while teaching a class.

2 PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

In this section, I aim to discuss some philosophers who influenced me. I will particularly be
studying the workings of Jean Jacques Rousseau and Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, two of some
of the greatest pre 19th Century Philosophers. I will briefly discuss their biography and their
beliefs, after which I will explain how I, as a teacher, can implement their beliefs and studies
in TG and MTW classrooms. I chose to study Rousseau and Pestalozzi, as I believe I can take a
lot from them and they fit in well with my idea of a successful classroom environment.

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 2.1 JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Rousseau was an 18th Century Philosopher from France, often referred to as the philosopher
of freedom. According to Nel Noddings he attained the philosopher of education name as
he glorified the primitive state of human beings over the civilized one, because they like
animals are free of the pressures of life (Noddings, 2007) The basis of his study was that
everyone was born pure, clean and a decent person. This may be true, but it is my own view
that a childs actions are immediately influenced by their parents, their parents beliefs and
views will become accustomed with the child. This may not necessarily be positive if the
virtues of the parents arent exemplary. Rousseau believed that the positive virtues a person
holds from birth become influenced and changed the more that we mix with society. He
wanted to protect this as much as possible by encouraging everyone to express himself or
herself for who they are, by being individual and unique in what they do. Cohen summarises
In other words, to be happy you need to be your own person (Cohen, 2012). This has a close
link to the belief of another great philosopher, Socrates, who believed people should think
for themselves, and use the art of questioning more. However, the main belief, which I took
from his concepts, was that a teacher should not impose their will on a child. Nel Noddings
believes that a better approach is taking a step back and watching the students, listening to
them and working with them, the teachers will then have a reasonably clear picture of how
students are developing (Noddings, Caring in Education, 2005).

I then posed the question to myself, how would I not impose my will on a child/class? The
way the current system is set up means that there are large parameters in place in the
summative state examinations. From my experiences, many teachers teach to the exam
and so their way is heavily imposed on the student. In light of Rousseaus research, I believe
that leaving the element of choice open to students, where possible, would be a major step
in the right direction. Not forcing students to work in a particular way has huge benefits in
the area of differentiated learning. In my M.T.W class for example, I would leave a design
element of a project open to the students for their own interpretation curves, veneers etc.
The positives that can be taken from this approach are significant. Catering for mixed ability

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and differentiation is achieved by gearing the stronger students to more intricate design
solutions, while the weaker students arent forced beyond their capabilities. The beauty of
this is that by the end of the project, each student, regardless of their ability, has their own
unique element added to their project.

Rousseaus belief of not imposing a teachers will on a student can also easily be applied to
Technical Graphics. In my classroom, instead of giving a set drawing to the class, setting
certain criteria would be a better approach. For example: the students can draw an object of
their choice provided that it includes an ellipse, parabola, and a tangent. Alongside giving
more control to the student, it is also encouraging them to think for themselves, they may be
thinking How can I incorporate an ellipse into this picture? Linking technical terms to real
life situations makes the student create the link and so makes it easier for them to
understand.

2.2 JOHANN HEINRICH PESTALOZZI

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi was a Swiss philosopher born in 1746. He was largely influenced
by Rousseaus work and thus was a firm believer in children being free to explore and create
for themselves. One of Pestalozzis main beliefs was that children should be educated through
their senses. This has a strong link with the beliefs of Maria Montessori whose judgement was
that young children learn through sensory exploration of their environment (Chisnall,
2009). Using the senses of touch, taste, sight, hearing and smell, he believed that children
could get a far better grasp of an idea. mon

The outside world shapes childrens development through experiences that they have,
which include using their five senses; drawing a childs attention to these five senses
and discussing them increases understanding of and communication about the world
around us. (Simon, 2016).

The theory of using childrens senses throughout a class to aid learning is something that,
upon reflection could be easily implemented to a MTW or TG classroom. Once someone walks
into a MTW classroom, the scent of freshly cut timber is usually the first thing that greets
them. In the topic of wood identification for example, I would allow the students to grade

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timber according to its scent or the noise it makes when you hit it; incorporating more senses
then just sight. The larger the variety of senses used when explaining a topic, the greater the
chance a student will be able to recall that information at a later stage.

This concludes the Philosophy section in my paper. I will now progress to examine the
Psychology of Education.

3 PSYCHOLOGY OF EDUCATION

Psychology can be defined as the scientific study of thought, emotion and behaviour. They
examine the various aspects of human experience, such as human emotions, thoughts and
actions (The Psychological Society of Ireland, 2016). Through the study of the psychology of
education, one can try to appreciate the various ways students learn. These are two of the
main approaches in the psychology of education, which I will discuss Humanist and
Cognitivist theories.

3.1 HUMANIST THEORY

Abraham Maslow

Abraham Maslow was an American Psychologist born in 1908. He believed that people are
naturally good; they want to grow and be the best they can be (Daniels, 2012). Maslow
became known for creating Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. It was his belief that people need
to fulfill certain needs in life and that if these needs arent met an individual becomes deeply
discouraged to be motivated for the need for self-actualization (Sullivan, 2016). Maslow
believed that having respect, wellbeing and putting the needs of the pupil first would help on
the journey to self-actualization. As seen in Fig1 below, the criteria at the bottom of the
pyramid must be met before one can progress up the pyramid to self-content. In my view, it

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is key to ensure a class are free and able to progress high up the pyramid. As a teacher, it is
my role to help build the foundation in the classroom for the students to reach self-
actualization.

Figure 1: Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

Jane Leadbetter makes the statement that it is the class teacher who is the prime mover in
designing the learning environment (Leadbetter, 1999, pp. 7-9). Therefore, in order for me to
follow the Humanist approach, I would implement strategies such as rules and routines,
having a student centered classroom and promoting health and wellbeing. Enforcing rules
and routines is something that I always implement in a classroom, it means that all students
are treated equal, which is linked closely with Maslows theory. Having a student-centered
classroom allows the students to become to centre of the learning experience. Making the
learning about them is key, and so including peer peer activities such as Each One Teach
One, Back to Back and Think Pair Share puts the students needs first (Learnonline, 2016). It
is widely known that students can grasp a topic easier from their peers, so encouraging peer
activities should generate a prosperous learning environment. Promoting health and
wellbeing is core to a positive classroom in my view. Wellbeing is one of the key skills being
promoted in the new Junior Cert reform guide. There are eight key skills required for

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successful learning by students across the curriculum and for learning beyond school one
entitled staying well being healthy, social, safe, confident, positive
(DepartmentofEducationandSkills, 2015, pp. 12 - 13). To reach self-actualization, the students
must be content in who they are and what they are doing. Promoting this is a crucial skill in
my view.

3.2 COGNITIVIST THEORY

Lev Vygotsky

Lev Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist born in 1896. He was associated with the cognitivist
theory and believed that students would learn from the knowledge imparted on them from
an experienced adult. Bentham sums this up in the words In this way the child was seen as
an apprentice (Bentham, 2002, pp. 10-11). Vygotskys work was closely linked to that of
Jerome Bruner; both were promotors of the scaffolding process. This meant using prompts,
giving background information in order for the child to reach a solution. Another concept of
Vygotsky was the Zone of Proximal Development. Bentham further explains that Vygotsky
believed that there was a difference in what an individual could achieve by themselves and
what they could achieve by working and learning from a more skilled individual (Bentham,
2002, PP. 10-11). In order to learn from a more skilled individual they themselves must decide
to wait and hope that the others will come around to a more skilled view of the situation
(Smith, 2009)

Implementing the concepts of Scaffolding and The Zone of Proximal Development in my

classroom would work well. Due to the nature of the classes, students are usually working at
benches, mixing with their classmates. The Zone of Proximal Development could be
implemented subtly in the seating plan, being strategic in where students sit. For the initial
classes when I would not be aware of the students ability, it would be crucial to determine
each students level. As the weeks move on, pairing weaker students with stronger ones
would be of great benefit. The weaker students would be brought up to their potential, with
the aid of the stronger student. There would also be benefits for the stronger students, as the

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terminology and methods would be reinforced with themselves as they aid the weaker
students.

Allowing students to discover the solution to a question for themselves via scaffolding is also
something that I would bring into my class. In Technical Graphics for example, I would give a
sketch of a drawing, there would be no construction lines or excessive hints, just the outline
of the shape. The students must think for themselves and figure out the solution Is there an
ellipse in that corner? Is that line connected to the circle by using a tangent? By giving small
tokens of information, the students will be well capable of arriving at a solution.

This concludes the psychology section. I will now move on to the sociology section of the
essay where I will discuss both Comte and Durkheim.

4 SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION

In this section I hope to discuss some of the sociologists that influenced me. The work of
Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim will be reviewed. Sociology can be defined as the study
of human social relationships and institutions (SociologyDept, 2016). An assumption in
sociology is that society has a major influence on what people do with their lives and on the
way, we understand what we do (Walsh, 2011). Both Comte and Durkheim examine various
aspects of sociology and provide key areas where I, as a teacher, could implement them in a
classroom

4.1 Auguste Comte

Auguste Comte was a French sociologist born in 1798. He became associated with positive
science - known for his study of people in a scientific manner. He wanted to learn more about
peoples backgrounds (Giddins, 2006). According to Haralambos The positivist approach in
sociology puts emphasis on behavior that can be directly observed (Haralambos, 2004). This
fits into a classroom environment when the attitude and rapport of students is constantly
being monitored. Comte was interested in finding out about people, what they liked, where
their interests lied.

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Taking the study of Auguste Comte on board, and into my classroom planning, I believe that
finding out more about the students would be highly beneficial. I feel that it would lead to a
better understanding and connection, the typical student-teacher barrier could be broken
down. However, the important question is, how can a teacher find out more about a student,
their capability, their interests, and their personality. As discussed earlier in the essay, a
teacher shouldnt impose their will on a student, they need to find out through classroom
activities. For example, a second year MTW class, I know little about the students, their
interests or their ability some sample techniques I may use could include a survey, an online
Kahoot survey about their interests and hobbies. Another strategy about gathering
information from the students could include a Battelle for Kids student experience survey.
This way I could collate how the class are finding the topic and more importantly, the teaching
style. If change would be required on the teachers behalf it could be implemented. Repeating
the survey would be key, to see if the teacher took the students feedback on board and made
the necessary changes. Another scenario of a fifth year DCG class, building on their
capabilities could be implemented by individual formative feedback. Taking a students
drawing sheet and talking through it with them (perhaps with the marking rubrics in hand)
would be a beneficial way to assess how students are doing. Providing suggestions for
improvement, combined with positive feedback would mean that they could take things a
step further next time, and broaden their capabilities.

4.2 Emile Durkheim

Emile Durkheim was a French Sociologist born in 1858. The key belief associated with
Durkheim was that aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals must be
studied (Giddens, 2009). Mental Health was a key area where Durkheim focused his workings
on. Another of Durkheims famous studies analyzed suicide; the outcome is extreme
personal unhappiness (Giddens, 2009). From this he concluded that social factors influenced
negative and suicidal behavior. Linking Durkheim more closely with education he argued that
education plays an important role in reinforcing social solidarity; a concept that relates to
the degree to which individuals and society are integrated together (Walsh, 2011). He felt
that allowing people to mix together and work alongside each other, there would be less
negative thoughts, or self-harm tendencies.

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In my own classroom, Durkheims views on social solidarity compliment my idea of an ideal
classroom environment. I feel that no student should be left alone, students should be mixing,
with new people, getting to know each other. It is accepted that everyone is different, but I
believe it is about finding similarities or commonalities between people. If students have a
shared interest, there is a bond instantly created. If I put myself in a first year MTW class,
where there was a divide in the class, students had their own friends and kept together,
Durkheims idea of social solidarity would be implemented. Active teaching strategies such
as Each One Teach one would instantly have the group mixing together. It is by this mingling
of students that common ground is discovered and new friendships are formed.

Another key area of Durkheim was the mental health issues that arise from negative social
experiences. Mental health is a massive area with teenagers today, it is my view that all
teachers should be given guidance on how to spot someone with mental issues. Moving in
the right direction however, sees the proposed introduction of a Mental Health module for
the new Junior Cycle reform. It can be difficult to spot a student with mental health issues in
a classroom, as all can be hidden away. In my classroom, I will aim to highlight the idea that
its ok to talk. Students should know that there is always someone there to give assistance
when the situation may look grim.

This completes the sociology section. I will now conclude the key findings of my study.

5 CONCLUSION

From this essay, I have learned a lot about the various theorists, their views, opinions, and
most importantly, how I can relate it to my own technical classroom. In the philosophy
section, I discussed the work of Rousseau and how he believed everyone was born pure and
decent. Pestalozzi shared this view, but thought that students should be educated through
their senses the smell of freshly cut timber. On the psychology of education, Maslow was a
key theorist for me. He helped explain why people act or behave in a certain way, visually
through his Hierarchy of Needs. Susan Bentham summed up Vygotskys belief of children
learning from a more skilled individual, by comparing them to an apprentice. Sociologically,

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Comte was eager to learn about people, their background and interests. Durkheim had a very
poignant view on Mental Health and how society can have a major impact on it.

I feel that it is very important to include various theorists and their work to all my classes. I
chose these theorists, as I believe their concepts are applicable to my classes of MTW and TG.
As a teacher, it is my responsibility to ensure the students know their material. Taking
Rousseaus and Pestalozzis stance into the classroom, I believe that leaving a class more open
to interpretation is key to effective learning. Letting the students think for themselves, use
their senses, chose their own questions and apply the methods to them allows for
independent thinking. However, teaching class material is one aspect, but considering both
Maslow and Durkheim, being certain that all students are comfortable in their mind is another
aspect. I have discussed how important personal wellbeing is, and that it should take a centre
role in the new Junior Cert reform guide. Promoting a happy, safe and positive learning
environment will form the basis of a successful class. Vygotskys Zone of proximal
development compliments Comte desire to learn more about the student. Allowing the
students to engage with one another, with a set task, means that they can learn more
together.

6 LIST OF REFERENCES

Bentham, S. (2002). Psychology and Education. New York: Routledge.

Chisnall, N. (2009, June). Children learn through their senses. Retrieved from Montesorri aotearoa new zealand:
http://www.montessori.org.nz/node/271

Cohen, E. D. (2012, February 27). Are you your own person. Retrieved from Psychology Today:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-would-aristotle-do/201202/are-you-your-own-person

Daniels. (2012, May 17). Humanistic Psychology and Self-Actualization - based on youtube video. Retrieved from
Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7qTWqXa-bo

DepartmentofEducationandSkills. (2015). Framework for Junior Cycle. Dublin: N/A.

Giddens, A. (2009). Introuctioin to Sociology. London: W.W Norton.

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Giddins, A. (2006). Sociology. US: Polity Press.

Haralambos, M. (2004). Sociology Themes and Perspectives. London: Collins Education.

Leadbetter, J. (1999). Applying Psychology in The Classroom. London: David Fulton.

Learnonline. (2016). Teaching & Assessment strategies. Galway: Learnonline - Curriculum and Assesssment CRN
48330.

Noddings, N. (2005). Caring in Education. Retrieved from Infed: http://infed.org/mobi/caring-in-education/

Noddings, N. (2007). Philosophy of Education. Colorado: Westview Press.

Simon, C. A. (2016). Engaging the Five Senses to Learn About Our World. Retrieved from readwritethink:
http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/tips-howtos/engaging-five-senses-
learn-30959.html

Smith, C. (2009). Handbook of Research on Adult Learning and Development. New York: Routledge.

SociologyDept. (2016). What is Sociology. Retrieved from University of North Carolina:

http://sociology.unc.edu/undergraduate-program/sociology-major/what-is-sociology/

Sullivan, E. (2016, July 13). Self-actualization. Retrieved from Encyclopaedia Britannica:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/self-actualization

StudiousGuy. (2016) Maslows Heirarchy of Needs: Figure 1. Retrieved from http://studiousguy.com/maslows-

hierarchy-of-needs/

The Psychological Society of Ireland. (2016). What is Psychology. Retrieved from The Psychological Society of
Ireland: http://www.psihq.ie/career-guidance-overview

Universtity of Minnesota. (2015, February 20). Centre for Educational Innovation. Retrieved from Universtity of
Minnesota: https://cei.umn.edu/support-services/tutorials/writing-teaching-philosophy

Walsh, B. (2011). Education Studeis in Ireland: The key disciplines. Gill and MacMillen.

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