Educ 104

You, the Teacher, as a Person in Society John Donne said in Meditation XVII: No man is an island..."All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man

dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness....No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

The idea that people are not isolated from one another, butthat mankind is interconnected.

No Man Is an IslandArtist(Band):Joan Baez

No man is an island,No man stands alone,Each man's joy is joy to me,Each man's grief is my own.

We need one another,So I will defend,Each man as my brother,Each man as my friend.

I saw the people gather,I heard the music start,The song that they were

singing,Is ringing in my heart.

No man is an island,Way out in the blue,We all look to the one

above,For our strength to

renew.

When I help my brother,Then I know that I,Plant the seed of

friendship,That will never die.

Lesson learned…We don’t live in a vacuum. We live in a society. We are part of society. Our

thoughts, values, and actions are somehow shaped by events and people we come in contact with.

We, in turn, help shape society-its events, its people, and its destiny.

In the context of your life as a teacher, we would say: “No teacher is an island. No teacher stands alone”

Indeed, YOU can’t become a TEACHER alone!

It is therefore, no joke to become a TEACHER. Why? Many a time the teacher is blamed for the many ills

in society. There are lot of demands and much is expected from you.

Your influences on your students and on other people with whom you work and live are greater. But these influences depend greatly on your Philosophy as a Person and as a Teacher.

Thus, Your Philosophy of Life and your Philosophy of Education serve as your “window” to the world and “compass” in the sea of Life.

Within your personal Philosophy are your Principles and Values that will determine how you regard people, how you look at life as a whole. They govern and direct your lifestyle, your thoughts, decisions, actions and your relationships with people and things.

Teachers are expected to . . .

CARE

not to sCARE

CARE

look straight in the eyesgentle touch/pat on the backacknowledgement

s C A R E

name callingignoring one’s capacitybelittling students

Output 1: Answer this on a ½ crosswise yellow paper

1. Why do you want to become a Teacher?2. For you, what is meant by “No teacher is an

island. No Teacher can stand alone”.

YOUR PHILOSOPHICAL HERITAGE

THE EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONWe are heirs to a rich philosophical heritage

from the different philosophies of great thinkers in the past. They reflected on LIFE in this planet and search for answers about human existence.What is life?Who am I?Why am I here?What am I living for?What is reality?Is the universe clear?

Existential Questions (in the world of teaching)

Why do I teach?What should I teach?How should I teach?What is the nature of the learner?How do learners learn?

5 PHILOSOPHIES OF EDUCATION

Assignment: (encoded or written in short coupon bond)Research on the following philosophies. Be

able to describe: “Why teach? What to Teach? How to Teach?”

1.Empiricism2.Epicureanism3.Rousseau's Philosophy4.Logical positivism5.Confucianism

Formulating YOUR Philosophy of EducationWhat does a philosophy of education

contain or include? It includes your concept about:

1.The human person, the learner in particular and the educated person

2.What is true and good, and therefore must be taught

3.How a learner must be taught in order to come close to the truth

Example:Philosophy of Education of a Grade School

Teacher

(The human person, the learner in particular and the educated person)

I believe that every childhas natural interest in learning and is capable of

learningis an embodied spiritcan be influenced but not totally by his/her

environmentis unique and so comparing a child to other

children has no basis

(What is true and good, and therefore must be taught)

I believe that there are unchanging values in changing times and these must be passed on to every child by my modelling, value inculcation and value integration in my lessons

(How a learner must be taught in order to come close to the truth)

I believe that may task as a teacher is to facilitate the development of every child to the optimum and to the maximum by

- Reaching out to all children without bias and prejudice towards the “least” of the children

- Making every child feel good and confident about him/herself through his/her experiences of success in the classroom

- Helping every child master the basic skills of reading, communication in oral and written form, arithmetic and computer skills

- Teaching my subject matter with mastery so that every child will use his/her basic skills to continue acquiring knowledge, skills and values for him/her to go beyond basic literacy and basic numeracy

- Inculcating or integrating the unchanging values of respect, honesty, love and care for others regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, appearance and economic status in my lessons

- Consistently practicing these values to serve as model for every child

- Strengthening the value formation of every child through “hand-on-minds-on” experiences inside and outside the classroom

- Providing every child activities meant to develop the body, the mind and the spirit

Output 1- (Answer the questions to be given by the instructor)Output 2- FORMULATE your own Personal Philosophy of Education

- to be submitted next meeting- to be encoded in long coupon bond and inserted in a long clear book- the clear book will be used for your

other outputs and will serve as your portfolio in Educ 104 (Color Code: BEED – 2A Yellow; BEED 2B- Green; BEED 2C- Red; BEED 2D – pink)

THE FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES OF MORALITY

What is Morality?the quality of human acts by which we call

them right or wrong, good or evil. Your human action is RIGHT when it conforms with the norm, rule, or law of morality. Otherwise, it is WRONG.

Example: When Juan gets the pencil of Pedro without the latter’s permission, Juan’s action is wrong because it is contrary to the norm. STEALING IS WRONG.

What is Morality? (cont.)A man’s action, habit, or character is good when

it is NOT lacking of what is NATURAL to man, that is, when it is in accordance to man’s nature.

Example: It is not natural for a man to behave like animal (beast). Man has INTELLECT AND FREE WILL, while animals are bound by INSTINCTS.

INTELLECT – makes man capable of thinking, judging and reasoning

FREE WILL – gives man the ability to choose

MEANING OF FOUNDATIONAL MORAL PRINCIPLE

Principle – is from the Latin word princeps, which means a beginning or a source.

A principle is that on which something is based, founded, originated, initiated.

A FOUNDATIONAL MORAL PRINCIPLE is, therefore, the universal norm upon which other principle on the rightness and or wrongness of an action are based.

It is the source of morality.

WHERE is this FOUNDATIONAL MORAL PRINCIPLE?It is contained in the NATURAL LAWMany moralists and authors and philosophers

may have referred to the FOUNDATIONAL MORAL PRINCIPLE in different terms but it may be acceptable to all (believers and non-believers) to refer to it as NATURAL LAW.

WHAT IS THE NATURAL LAW?The law written in the hearts of man (Romans

2:15)It is man’s share in the Eternal Law of GodIt is the light of natural reason, whereby we

discern what is good and what is evil… an imprint on us of the Divine light… (St. Thomas Aquinas)

It is the law that says “Do good and avoid evil”This is the fundamental or foundational moral

principle.

All men regardless of race and belief have a sense of of the foundational moral principle… WHY?It is ingrained in man’s nature and woven into

the fabric of the normal human mind.We are inclined to do what we recognize as good

and avoid that which we recognize as evil.Writings, customs, monuments of the past and

present generations point out to this conclusion: that peoples on earth, no matter how savage and illiterate, have recognized a supreme law of Divine origin, commanding good and forbidding evil.

VERSIONS OF THE NATURAL LAW1. Kung –fu-tsu

(Confucius)

“Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you.”

2. Christianity

“Do to others what you like others do to you.”

-Ten Commandments and 8 Beatitudes

3. Immanuel Kant

“Act in such a way that you maxim can be the maxim for all .”

4. Buddhist-8 fold path- Hatred does not cease by hatred, hatred

ceases only by love.

5. Islamic Koran > Five Pillars of

Islam

TEACHER AS A PERSON OF GOOD MORAL CHARACTER

Duly licensed professionals who possess dignity and reputation with high moral values as well as technical and professional competence. In the practice of their noble profession, they strictly adhere to observe, and practice this set of ethical and moral principles, standard and values.

(Preamble, Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers)

When are you of good moral character?

1. Being fully human-you have realized substantially your potential as a human person

2. Being a loving person – you are caring in an unselfish and mature manner with yourself, other people and God

3. Being a virtuous person- you have acquired good habits and attitudes and you practice them consistently in your daily life

4. Being a morally mature person – you have reached a level of development emotionally, socially, mentally, spiritually appropriate to your developmental stage

TEACHERS AS ROLE MODELS (Teaching character and moral virtues)Integrity

Teachers model integrity by choosing to do the right thing even when no one is looking.

HonestyTeachers display honesty by telling the truth

and acting in an honorable way. Trust

An honest person can be trusted. Trust is the belief in others that develops whenever people fulfill their promises and commitments.

FairnessFairness is closely linked with trust as students quickly

learn whether or not teachers discriminate against them or treat them disparately. Fairness requires that all students have the same opportunity to meet the standards.

RespectReal respect requires that teachers care for those students

toward whom they might not have a positive feeling. Teachers who model respect will always appreciate each individual students, even when the behavior of some may be less than worthy of this respect.

ResponsibilityResponsible teachers are those who are

accountable for their actions and fulfill their duties. Responsible teachers are always well –prepared for each class and provide constructive feedback to students.