Teaching Philosophy Research Articles

Dedication to the craft: developing pre-service teachers into social justice advocates through PDS and poetry

PurposeThe purpose of this poetic inquiry was to understand how the professional development school (PDS) model can help pre-service teachers (PSTs) develop an inclusive philosophy of teaching while positioning themselves as social justice advocates. Four clinical interns collaborated in the research process guided by the university professor-in-residence (PIR).Design/methodology/approachTo conduct this poetic inquiry the interns kept journals, participated in individual interviews and weekly book club discussions to help us understand how education is situated within a broader social justice framework. Transcription poems were created from discussion and interview transcripts to capture the interns' perspectives and experiences in developing their philosophies.FindingsThe findings, shared through transcription poems, indicate that the interns established inclusive beliefs, experienced tensions between their beliefs and practices and emphasize the importance of community in developing as social justice advocates.Originality/valueBy sharing the findings through poetry, this study invites a more focused look into the nuances of PST’s emerging beliefs on inclusive education in a PDS.

The Educational Philosophical Thoughts of Abu Hamid Al Ghazali (1058 - 1111) and ‎John Dewey (1859 - 1952): A Comparative Study‎

The purpose of this study was to compare the educational thoughts of Al Ghazali and Dewey, two renowned scholars. In this ‎study, the researcher surveyed Al Ghazali's and Dewey's efforts on education using methodological qualitative research methods, ‎namely constant comparative analysis and discourse analysis, to discuss and evaluate their educational thoughts and to determine ‎their educational philosophical thoughts in order to objectively validate their educational aspects as educators. Similarities and ‎differences were discovered in the results of this study. The results indicated that the educational philosophical implementations ‎of Islamic and Pragmatic thoughts in terms of school curricula, teaching methods, roles of teachers, roles of students, and school ‎roles are viewed differently by each philosopher. Generally, Al Ghazali’s educational philosophical perspectives embody the idea ‎that education involves the intellectual, mental, spiritual, ethical, moral, and physical elements of a person. Whereas, Dewey’s ‎educational philosophical perspectives embody that the person, who is a social being, acquires knowledge through personal ‎experiences and is born with intrinsic skills that education should develop. Education must aim at nurturing and promoting those ‎skills to students’ fullest potential. Both scholars believed that promoting the well-being of children would be the school's role by ‎providing students with curricula enriched with a range of subject matters. Based on the study results, the researcher ‎recommended that those who are concerned with the business of changing lives must realize the importance of teaching ‎philosophy in order to establish their own. The researcher also made a number of recommendations, the most important of which ‎was that future research on this topic should take into account only one educational aspect as opposed to combining all five ‎aspects into a single study.‎ ‎(Keywords: Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali, John Dewey, Educational Philosophical Thoughts, Comparative Study)‎

Promoting University Teacher Resilience through Teaching Philosophy Development

Teaching in today’s complex and competitive university environment has become increasingly demanding as teachers try to respond to the stress and burnout negatively impacting their work performance. In this environment, it is more important than ever that university teachers build resilience to overcome stress and burnout and continue a career-long commitment to teaching effectiveness. The initial phase of this research systematically identified 39 empirical studies of school teacher resilience, and seven studies of university teacher resilience, to identify key resilience-building factors. The second phase, in-depth interviews, probed nine Australian and seven Canadian university teaching Fellows about their writing of their teaching philosophy. A close review of the outcomes of each phase prompted recognition of the similarity of resilience-building factors reported in the resilience literature and the benefits of developing a teaching philosophy reported by the university teaching Fellows. The similarities suggest that the benefits of developing a teaching philosophy could contribute to building university teacher resilience.

The role of teacher agency in using GIS to teach sustainability: an evaluation of a lower secondary school story mapping GIS initiative in Ireland

This paper investigates the role of teacher agency for those who were trained in using an innovative Geographic Information Systems (GIS) approach and incorporated GIS into their teaching. While national curricula increasingly emphasise STEM and sustainability approaches, there has been limited analysis of how teachers can bring new software, including GIS, and new approaches into the classroom. Through an evaluation of a teaching initiative “5*S: Space, Surveyors and Students – STEM and the Sustainable Development Goals” designed to bring GIS technology, satellite data, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into classrooms as activities and resources for teachers and students in Ireland, we examine how teachers can introduce new teaching strategies and platforms into their classrooms. In interviews and a focus group, teachers expressed eagerness for GIS teaching resources for the classroom and identified effective ways they were able to draw on their own teaching philosophy in introducing new concepts around sustainability and STEM education in the classroom. We argue that teacher agency and autonomy play an important role in the ability and development of teachers, departments, and schools to bring new approaches and GIS into the classroom, and we identify key learnings from teachers who were able to utilise the 5*S resources.

An Appraisal of Students’ Metacognitive Strategies and Learning: The Case of Undergraduate Educational Psychology Students of the University of Bamenda

Purpose: This study aimed at investigating the role metacognitive strategies on students’ learning. In this regard the researcher sought to provide answers to two important research questions namely: 1) How does planning influence students’ learning? 2) How does self-monitoring influence students’ learning? The theoretical underpinnings of the study were provided by Tchombe’s Mediated Mutual Reciprocity Theory, Vygotsky’s Theory of Sociocultural Development, Piaget’s Cognitive Theory of Development Bruner’s Spiral Curriculum. 
 Methodology: A descriptive survey design was considered necessary whereby self-constructed close ended questionnaires in a four-point Likert scale format were given to 60 students randomly selected from the Department of Educational Psychology of The University of Bamenda. Data were analyzed by using simple frequencies and percentages.
 Findings: Findings of the study revealed that when students engage in planning and self-monitoring, they are better equipped to solve problems and to be better learners who learn in meaningful ways and are able to construct knowledge.
 Recommendations: Recommendations were made to educational authorities, teachers and students. For educational authorities, it was recommended that they should closely monitor the teaching and learning process to ensure that learners are not passive observers in the classrooms but are actively engaged in the teaching and learning process. As for teachers, they should help learners to become lifelong learners by teaching the learners metacognitive strategies. Learners should also understand that learning should be about setting goals, planning and self-monitoring and learning must be meaningful.

Shaping the Architects of Tomorrow, Interplay of Teaching Philosophies and Practice Requirements: An Empirical Taxonomy of Professional Architectural Practice in the UAE

The UAE’s thriving real estate market has resulted in a highly diversified built environment, attracting architects from around the world. However, this has also led to a misconception within the architectural practice and its regularization, particularly concerning acceptable professional qualifications. Therefore, this study aims to address these issues and provide a blueprint for policymakers and stakeholders. This study provided a comprehensive overview of architectural practice in the UAE by identifying the services offered by professionals in the built environment and categorizing them based on their qualifications and professional titles. The study adopts a classical research method, which includes a literature review, unstructured interviews, a statistical survey, and analysis. The study identifies 13 building designs and allied services commonly provided by professionals in the built environment in the UAE. The professionals providing these services are categorized based on their qualifications and professional titles, which include registered architects, architect engineers, architectural consultants, engineering consultants, and project managers. Furthermore, the study clarifies the definition of an acceptable qualification for a principal architect, which can be used as a reference by young professionals to understand the trends in architectural qualification and practice. The results of the study can also be used by policymakers and stakeholders to address the issues in professional practice and improve the quality of architectural services in the UAE.

Teaching reform and exploration of pharmacology under the background of "double first-class" construction

Pharmacology is an important professional basic course in medical colleges and universities. With the rapid development of medical research, it is imperative to reform the traditional teaching philosophy and teaching methods of pharmacology. Based on the new demand of medical education and the new characteristics of medical education under the background of "double first-class" construction, this paper reforms the teaching content, teaching philosophy and teaching methods in the teaching process of Pharmacology, constructs a teaching reform plan that is student-centered, aims at scientific research innovation, and focuses on cultivating students' independent learning and learning interest, so as to promote the integration of science and education, It will help to cultivate a large number of high-quality medical talents for health care.

The Block: A catalyst for ongoing innovation

This paper will contribute to our understanding of the Block, its pedagogical rationale and value, and explain why, apart from pandemic conditions, these might constitute a compelling alternative to traditional academic calendars. Current research highlights the need for further research on the nature of the Block, driven by an increased global focus on student outcomes and retention in Higher Education. This paper offers five case studies from institutions that have adopted a version of the Block at some time over the last 50 years. The authors seek to define the features that comprise block courses whereas the nature and functionality distinguish blocks from other intensive formats. A survey of the limited literature on this topic was based on theoretical underpinnings offered by one-course-at-a-time delivery, scholarship of teaching and learning on compressed education, and experiential learning. Using the research question, “Other than scheduling alternatives, what does the block offer HE institutions?”, this project uses research that is qualitative in nature drawing on a controlled comparison of case studies which enables a cross-institutional evaluation. The case studies explain why each institution adopted the Block, how these schedules work, and discusses the challenges and affordances of teaching in this intensive format. First findings of this cross-institutional exploration suggest that blocks are unique in their delivery, often experiential in nature, and effective in their outcomes. The various versions of the Block described within, provide ongoing transformative models of teaching philosophy, curriculum, student success, and more.

METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF TEACHING PHILOSOPHY AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE FORMATION OF NEW THINKING

The ideological function of philosophy is to determine the value orientations, the life orientation of each person, his understanding of the essence of phenomena and the formation of a sense of belonging to events in society. The onto-epistemological and anthropological orientation of philosophy contributes to the formation of the methodological culture of the future specialist. Therefore, philosophy as one of the compulsory subjects of study is included in the curriculum of higher education, because the main function of philosophy is aimed at the formation of a worldview position and critical thinking in every citizen. Therefore, the main goal of teaching philosophy is aimed at the development of an elite culture through an elite education. In understanding the objective reality, philosophical knowledge is based on the ratio of rational and irrational and forms critical thinking.

ESL Teacher’s Professional Identity in English Language Teaching

The current paper is a small-scale study on the core elements of professional identity (PI) issues among English as a second language (ESL) teachers. The study highlights the significance of professional identity, and the compromise and transformation ESL teachers undergo during their careers. Qualitative exploratory research methodology is applied in the investigation involving five ESL teachers. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted to explore the potential factors that have impacted English teachers’ professional identity. The study revealed the impact of top-down policy implementation, the significance of professionalism, unstructured overseas educational setup, and workplace challenges on the professional identity of English teachers. The findings of the study highlighted several key areas that had a positive as well as a negative impact on the PI of ESL teachers. ESL teachers’ adherence to their individuality and teaching philosophy in spite of facing different challenges, time and teaching experience of ESL teachers, culturally diverse working environment, and teachers’ evaluation system emerged as positive factors in PI development. However, the study also drew special attention to ESL teachers’ PI primarily getting affected by the imposition of a central policy system on ESL teachers, ignoring ESL teachers’ voices without taking their feedback into consideration, lack of awareness to foster positive professional relationships among peers and working in the overseas broken educational system. The study concluded that ESL teachers need their independent professional space to utilize their teaching capabilities and share their experiences to have an influential professional identity. However, due to the small number of participants a larger study would be better in unfolding in detail the causes behind the professional identity crises of ESL teachers.

Philosophy of Teaching as an ESOL Teacher (A study on curriculum development in adult education)

Philosophies and theories of teaching are not mutually exclusive, but each educator can select what philosophy or theory of teaching suits him or her depending on the learning atmosphere, small or large group of learners, the subject and material of teaching. All theories are just different ways to look at how personality develops and mostly they come from different perspectives of psychology such as the humanistic philosophy states: individuals especially adults have free-will and that we can actively develop themselves to the highest potential whilst the Behaviorist articulates: if something is not noticed then it will be learned. This paper, will try to identify a philosophical perspective on adult education as English for speakers of other Languages (ESOL) teacher and present a stance as for an experienced adult educator having five years of teaching experience in this field. Furthermore, will state a set of guiding principles for teachings that to believe in, such as management, trust, and respect, empowering, engaging, nurturing and teaching not lecturing the learners in the teaching process. Moreover, will illustrate views of different scholars who write on humanistic philosophy and behaviorist theory of teaching, such as Maslow, Chomsky, Bandura and others. In addition, will discuss other themes that show the practice of teaching such as audiolingual, learning environment in classes, the dynamic in small and large classes. Material and design of classes, the learners’ autonomy and the relationship with learners, activities, assessment and feedback plans will be discussed in different paragraphs. Finally, will state an opinion about the values, ethics, and professionalism in teaching followed by a conclusion of a philosophy of teaching and a descriptive figure of figured philosophy (Figure 1, p. 13).

Pedagogy and Pizarro

This essay describes the pedagogic style and teaching philosophy of Joaquín Martínez Pizarro, a scholar distinguished by his translations (from Latin) and literary interpretations of important, somewhat under-recognized early medieval texts, his discovery of emergent narrative styles in literary history, and his identification of “firsts” within the trajectory of early medieval literature. The article focuses on Professor Martínez Pizarro’s dedication to his students and accompanying beliefs that guided his career: teaching is vital to the scholarly project; language instruction extends the subtle craft of translation; and a medievalist worth their salt does not adhere slavishly to constraints of genre or periodization but explores generic overlaps while reading and teaching outside the medieval canon. For both writers, Professor Martínez Pizarro’s impact has been profound and ongoing. Showing a scholar of remarkable breadth and literary passion bequeathing some of what he knows, this essay makes a larger argument for the necessity of medieval studies to a healthy humanities curriculum.

Team Teaching in Higher Education: Personalities, Leadership Styles, and Preferences

Objective: This study aims to find out more about a) certain personality types, leadership styles, and teaching philosophies of those who have participated in team teaching, as well as b) their preferences for team teaching. These preliminary results ought to be helpful to faculty who may be asked to consider team teaching with a colleague(s), and results may help academic administrators assign and match faculty to team teach courses in their program offerings.Background: Given that few faculty have had the opportunity to team teach relative to the numerous courses they offer solo, there is a lack of focus, faculty development opportunities, and research on this subject. This does not, however, diminish the value of this method of delivering courses in higher education. Faculty may explore collaborative teaching in a number of ways, such as inviting a colleague to provide a one-time guest lecture, distributing assignments according to the collaborators' specialized knowledge, or working together on every part of the course.Methods: Using previously developed Myers-Briggs personality type finders and leadership style research tools, the participants' leadership and personality types were identified (Malak et al., 2022). People's experiences with teaching and preferences for leading vs. following were mapped using both qualitative (self-report) and quantitative (survey) approaches.Results: Sixty-three percent of the respondents identified as utilizing either servant leadership or coaching/mentoring. The majority of "E" type personalities like to "Lead," especially in a team-teaching atmosphere, according to this study's findings. The traditional team-teaching method was adopted by 49% of the participants, while 26% used cooperative learning, 11% used integrated learning, 9% used parallel learning, and the remaining 6% used monitoring learning. It is important to highlight that more than 60% of the subjects who had "E" qualities had backgrounds in nursing, public health, health administration, or health care.Conclusions: In summary, the faculty survey data reveal an overall profile of the faculty who have team taught in higher education as an extrovert with a penchant for judging; who prefers to lead rather than follow; uses a coaching/mentoring or servant leadership style; and prefers high level cooperation with a colleague(s) in the full range of teaching/learning activities.

Uncommon Sense: Jeremy Bentham, Queer Aesthetics, and the Politics of Taste

It would be an almost comical understatement to say that, throughout my graduate study in philosophy and subsequent years of teaching and writing, I found myself engaging with the works of Jeremy Bentham somewhat infrequently. Beyond flavorful anecdotes about mummified heads and jabs about stilted nonsense in my undergraduate Intro to Ethics courses—as we segued into extended discussion of John Stuart Mill, of course—Bentham’s direct and recognized role in my philosophical activities has been pretty much nonexistent. With all that said: as a sexual- and gender- nonconforming aesthetician and LGBTQIA+ educator and wellness professional living in what is now a post-Roe United States, I found Carrie D. Shanafelt’s Uncommon Sense: Jeremy Bentham, Queer Aesthetics, and the Politics of Taste (2021) to be rich, captivating, and at times, even genuinely comforting. Shanafelt’s short book is equal parts history of philosophy, philosophical history, biography, and queer manifesto, written in an accessible manner that successfully balances scholarship with readability. I could easily see Uncommon Sense engendering rich discussion in graduate seminars as well as undergraduate courses of various sorts—though I can just as easily see portions of the book’s content generating various rumbles of controversy, at least at some of the institutions I’ve taught at before. (See, for example, Chapter Four, titled ‘Bentham’s Queer Christ.’) Any anticipatory worries of short-sighted reactionary takes aside, the book would absolutely serve well as the central focus on an entire course, supplemented by a range of literature and scholarly material from philosophical aesthetics, queer studies, political theory, and more. Honestly, I would love to teach that class.

The Awareness of the Educational Philosophy in the Industrial Age 4.0 among the AAQES Grades Six Teachers: Input for Improvement Plan

Abstract The goal of this study was to determine how well AAQES Grade Six Teachers understood the Educational Philosophy in the Industrial Age 4.0: Input for Improvement Plan. 45 questions on a test given to AAQES instructors covered topics such the relationship between philosophy and education, its advantages, the educational philosophy they preferred and used in the classroom, and the variables that influenced their choice. It was noted that philosophy and education are related. To ensure that the children learned, teachers in sixth grade employed a variety of teaching philosophies and incorporated their subject into all learning environments. Similar evidence may be found for the many advantages of the relationship between philosophy and education. The desire and practice of educational philosophy in the classroom was further exposed, and all of the elements were judged as "very expressed," with an overall weighted mean of 3.84. Offering education program formation had the highest mean (4.20) and was deemed to be significantly presented. Finally, the AAQES teachers' reasons for selecting their educational philosophies received a total mean score of 4.24, which was assessed as moderately excellent. This indicates that sixth-grade teachers justified their educational philosophy to meet the needs of their pupils and understood the value of philosophy in both the curriculum and learner transformation. Education and teachers serve as change agents. Keywords: 21st century skills, awareness, educational philosophies, industrial age 4.0, input, improvement plan

Taoisme dan Konfusianisme di Indonesia

The documentary entitled Jejak-jejak Akulturasi provides clues about the existence of li rites, the gods as objects of worship, monasteries, and Chinese citizens as adherents of Confucianism, in Indonesia. The results of this identification provide ample space to uncover the veil of acculturation between Ancient China and Confucianism (also Daoism) in Indonesia. As a study of religious studies, the author uses a historical and sociological approach in describing the existence of Daoism and Confucianism, as well as the reality of Daoism and Confucianism in Indonesia. In conclusion, Daoism and Confucianism are cultural heritages containing philosophy of body, social-politic philosophy, and ethical teachings to forge a harmonious life. The existence of Daoism and Confucianism, as well as the reality of Daoism and Confucianism in Indonesia, proves the existence of a race that 'lives in its own world' and undergoes its religious history in an atmosphere of 'its own world'.

A Research on the Quality of Inner Mongolia Ethnic Education in the Context of BRI

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is China's grand strategy to strengthen regional collaboration and promote the prosperity of the world economy. The development of ethnic education provides an opportunity for countries along the Belt and Road to enhance their economic and political trust and to strengthen the educational growth of ethnic minorities. With the rapid economic and social development of Inner Mongolia, the existing ethnic education system is facing challenges and is unable to meet the demand for talents for the rapid economic and social development along the Belt and Road strategy. From the perspective of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory and Quality Management Theory of Ethnic Higher Education, this study concludes that the level of development of ethnic higher education is one of the important indicators of the overall development of ethnic regions. The study proposes the following conclusions: The institutions of higher education for ethnic minorities in Inner Mongolia should establish the concept of quality in higher education while taking into account the situation of the region and ethnic groups. The obstacles such as insufficient investment in teaching and learning, loss of human resources and old-fashioned teaching philosophy to achieve the high-quality development of ethnic higher education should be properly recognized. Inner Mongolia Ethnic Education in the Context of BRI is going to contribute to the long-term development and prosperity of the country and ethnic regions.

Уроки философии и вопросы философского образования в творчестве Габриэля Марселя

The article deals with the clarification of the forms of teaching philosophy and the characteristic mistakes in teaching, in the interpretation of the French Catholic philosopher and playwright Gabriel Marcel (1889–1973). The place and influence of philosophy in the living space of culture was not, as it is known, static and permanent. In different epochs, it was called either a queen or a ser­vant, and its perception, both by the philosophers themselves and by merely edu­cated and poorly educated people, changed, as did the forms of “wisdom lessons”. Today, the positions of philosophy in the world leave much to be de­sired, the point of its meaning, place and role in modern society turns out to be debatable, and the teaching of philosophy and the teaching of philosophizing are problematized. These problems are closely related to Marcel’s definition of the essence of philosophy and the role of the philosopher in society. Marcel argues that philosophy presupposes openness to others and unity of people on the basis of ascent to the transcendent. To examine these topics, the thinker introduces the concepts of intersubjectivity, philosophical experience, etc., and distinguishes between the concepts of problem and mystery. The philosopher is called to a deep examination of the foundations and prospects of the modern world. These definitions are becoming radically relevant in the era in which the possibilities of nuclear suicide of mankind have opened up and the philosopher cannot stand aside while remaining unbiased. This means, Marcel concludes, that teaching philosophy should be based on openness, inclusiveness and integration of peo­ple, passing them “flame, not ashes”.

Pedagogical principles used by anatomy teachers to facilitate the teaching and learning of anatomy to physiotherapy undergraduates in the United Kingdom.

The teaching of anatomy for physiotherapy differs from other health professions, and yet there is lack of guidance for the best practice in the literature, especially within the United Kingdom (UK). The present study aimed to provide the most effective pedagogical guidance for teaching a typical anatomy curriculum for a three-year BSc Physiotherapy degree program within the UK. The research design used a constructivist grounded theory where semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight registered physiotherapists teaching anatomy to undergraduate physiotherapy students within the UK. The study generated 72,292 words of qualitative data that were thematically analyzed using Saldaña's coding techniques until data saturation was reached. The results had three main components: a pedagogical backdrop composed of five pedagogical issues, pedagogical approaches with its three sub-components and pedagogical timings of phases of when anatomical teaching was conducted across the three undergraduate physiotherapy degree programs. The cognitive load theory (CLT) best explained the results through five main pedagogical principles: spiral curriculum strategies, visual anatomical imagery, kinesthetic anatomical skills, strategies for teaching clinical physiotherapy anatomy, and using anatomical principles for metacognition. The study proposes a new modified version of CLT which acknowledges that newly acquired knowledge is fragile in novice learners, who have limited long-term memory capacities, and subsequently require regular revisitations, and also acknowledges kinesthetic input and germane cognitive load metacognition strategies. The study recommends appointing anatomy theme leads to take responsibility for the spiral curriculum approach across the 3 years and to introduce explicit anatomy teaching during the later clinical years.

Entrepreneurship educators: a configurational analysis of factors influencing pedagogical choices

PurposeEntrepreneurship education (EE) is critical for developing the skills of tomorrow's entrepreneurs and leaders. While significant research examines the content, student learning processes and outcomes, less studied are the entrepreneurship educators and their pedagogical preferences. Following a cognitive process model of decision-making, this study explores how self-efficacy, philosophy of teaching, entrepreneurship training and teaching experience influence entrepreneurship educator preferences to follow either a teacher-centric or a student-centric approach. This study also includes gender in a secondary analysis of the relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 289 entrepreneurship educators in 2021, and fuzzy-set comparative qualitative analysis (fsQCA) was used to obtain configurations of conditions (causal recipes) that lead to teacher-centric or student-centric model. A secondary analysis explores whether there are different configurations of conditions when gender is added to the analysis.FindingsThe results of our fsQCA analysis reveal multiple configurations of conditions (causal recipes) that result in a preference for either a teacher-centric or student-centric approach to teaching entrepreneurship. The authors find that teaching experience is the main condition for the teacher-centric model, while self-efficacy and entrepreneurship training are the main conditions for the pathways leading to student-centric model. The fsQCA results also show that the configurations are affected when gender is taken into account in the analysis.Originality/valueThis study, one of the first of its kind, uses a configurational approach to examine pathways that contribute to the teaching preferences of entrepreneurship educators. This paper uses self-efficacy, teaching philosophy, teaching experience and entrepreneurship training as conditions to identify multiple unique pathways that result in either a teacher-centric or student-centric pedagogical model in EE. Notably, differences by gender are also found in this study.