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Philosophy of Teaching Brad OBrien

According to our text the literal translation of Philosophy breaks into Love and
Wisdom. When contemplating my own philosophy of teaching I had to take into consideration
which teachers had the greatest impact on my own education. What elements did those
instructors have in common despite their varied disciplines? I believe students learn the most
from instructors who can inspire them; educators who believe in the students potential and in
the value of knowledge itself. If I were asked to choose one skill, or one drive, to impart to
learners in the course of my teaching, regardless of subject, it would be my hope to impart a love
of wisdom; to plant the seed of life-long learning that comes from students who appreciate
knowledge and understand its value.
I believe in the need for an informed public. I hold firmly that civility, democracy, and
the American ideals require that the people en masse be more than passive observers but critical
thinkers to appreciate the value of values and social progress as a whole.
If I might paraphrase Albert Einstein, the problems our nation faces today will not likely
be solved with the same thinking that created them. I choose to engage with learners in a way
that encourages their own faculties. To challenge established ideas that in learning how to defend
ones own preconceptions a learner might find greater value in them, or cast them aside and step
forward with a better mind for having been brave enough to question themselves.
History, though very easily co-opted by nationalism and ethnocentrism, can be a
wonderful subject to teach in that (generally speaking) events took place in a certain way, at a
certain time, with the particular individuals involved. As its study pertains to the occurrences of
the past, we are able to be objective in our study; at least as objective as possible. I want the
learners working with me to understand how the world around us developed into its current state,
Philosophy of Teaching Brad OBrien

and what we might learn from that progression to understand current events and perhaps that
which lie ahead.
As a teacher of history I will expect my students to show their understanding of events
and concepts through both summative and formative methods. Classroom lectures will included
questions regarding the ongoing relationships within day-to-day materials, how does this war
relate to the tariffs we discussed yesterday? Regular quizzes and short essays which require the
needed details through memorization, alongside the cognitive whys and hows of events which
have transpired
I have believed for many years that I am an optimistic pragmatist. I first became of aware
of John Deweys Progressive Era work to improve the education system while studying
American History. The entire progressivism movement, which suggested applying a
methodology to determining a most appropriate course of action whether politically, socially, or
other applicable circumstance, seemed to me a brilliant stroke of logic and reason.
I believe it will be incredibly necessary to stay informed of the most useful teaching
approaches being developed, and in recognizing where and when those methods can be applied
to my students, and my classroom or facility. I hope to work with an institution which allows for
teachers to explore, within reason, methods for learner engagement outside of the perennial
model, which might cry this is how weve always done it! or this text book was good enough
when I was in school. I believe there is value in the common core standards. Although not every
learner should be expected to progress at the same rate each learner should be required to posses
a certain level of functional knowledge in a board area of competencies in order to gain the
credential of a given level of diploma.
Philosophy of Teaching Brad OBrien

Shakespeares Merchant of Venice suggests to the reader that Truth will out. While I
dont find the sum of my beliefs in Deweys ideals, I think the core concept of proving a
systems value through experimentation, and that willingness to adapt, to try new avenues for
reaching the students is crucial to an improved, or reformed, educational intent is an equation
which yields the best results. I choose the language of intent here specifically over system. The
systems we use, as teachers, are wholly informed by our intentions for the learners. If our intent
is to create a more informed populace capable of contributing to a modern, global, society we
must focus on both the learner and the teacher. Any theory which wants to focus solely on one
or the other would be incomplete.

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