Unit 1 Notes: The Teacher as a Person in Society
Lesson I: The Teacher as a Person in Society
- Context: A teacher’s philosophy of life and education shapes how they view and enact their role in society; teachers influence society and are influenced by it. A teacher’s “window” to the world and “compass” in life guides thoughts, decisions, actions, and relationships.
- Objectives (brief):
- Define the role of a teacher rooted in philosophical heritage
- Recognize essential educational philosophies
- Summarize at least seven philosophies and their teaching-learning implications
- Formulate a personal philosophy of education
- Understand morality and values; foundational morality and value formation
- Assess personal moral character as preparation for teaching
- Embody ideal moral character by understanding moral foundations
- Recognize vocation and mission in teaching and realize professional calling
- Compose a poem reflecting commitment as a professional teacher
- Philosophical Perspectives in Education (essentials):
- Essentialism: core knowledge transmitted systematically; focus on basics (reading, writing, arithmetic); discipline; teachers as subject-matter masters; emphasis on textbooks and memorization; long school day/year; uphold traditional moral standards.
- Progressivism: education focuses on the whole child; learning by doing; questions and experiences; curriculum derived from student interests; democratic practices; emphasis on problem-solving and processes.
- Perennialism: knowledge that endures through the ages; reason and universal truths; great books; teacher-centered; emphasis on humanities and general education; Socratic/dialogic methods.
- Existentialism: focus on the individual, responsibility, and self-definition; wide range of student-chosen subjects; values clarification; whole-person education; self-paced, student-centered learning.
- Behaviorism: modification of behavior via environmental stimuli and reinforcement; external conditions shape responses; observable outcomes; carefully designed environments and reinforcements.
- Linguistic Philosophy: develop effective communication skills (verbal, nonverbal, paraverbal); experiential learning; classroom as dialogic space; multilingual competence valued.
- Constructivism: learners construct knowledge through active exploration; teacher as facilitator; data/experiences enable hypothesis, questioning, research, and meaning-making; emphasis on dialogue and collaboration.
- Implications for Teaching (highlights):
- Align methods with philosophy to address content, process, and the learner’s development
- Balance curriculum demands with student needs and context
- Foster critical thinking, moral reasoning, and lifelong learning habits
- What is morality? The quality of human acts judged as right or wrong; conformity to normative standards or natural law.
- Foundational Moral Principle (Natural Law):
- “Do good and avoid evil” as the universal norm underpinning all moral norms.
- Foundational moral principle is innate in human nature and traceable across traditions.
- Natural law viewed as "written in the hearts of men"; source of morality.
- Natural law in worldviews: universal guides across religions and philosophies (various renditions of do-good/do-not-do):
- Kung-fu-tzu: do not do to others what you don’t want done to you
- Kant: act so that your maxim could become a universal law
- Christian: Ten Commandments and Eight Beatitudes; love God and love neighbor
- Buddhist: Eightfold Path; moral cultivations
- Islam: Five Pillars and virtues (honesty, charity, etc.)
- Teacher as a Person of Good Moral Character:
- Preamble of Code of Ethics: teachers are licensed professionals with dignity and high moral values
- Four descriptors of a good moral character: 1) human, 2) loving, 3) virtuous, 4) mature
- Transcendent vs. relativist values:
- Transcendent values: timeless, universal, beyond time/place; believed by many cultures
- Relativism: values depend on time/place; not universal
- Filipino context: transcendental values are taught and caught (through examples and experiences)
- Values formation: three dimensions and approach
- Cognitive: understanding what the value means and why it matters
- Affective: feeling, valuing, and being moved toward honesty, justice, etc.
- Behavioral: living out the value; testing it through actions
- Values are both taught and caught; home/school/community influence strongly; role models matter
- Value formation is a training of intellect and will:
- Intellect: formation of ideas, judgment, and reasoning (St. Thomas Aquinas: “The intellect proposes and the will disposes”)
- Will: trained to act on the good, resist temptation, develop self-control
- Virtue as habit: constant effort to do good; virtues strengthen self-control and freedom
- Practical guidance for teachers:
- Engage in ethics/values education; participate in value-related activities and communities
- Read biographies of exemplars; seek role models; avoid negative influences
- Cultivate self-discipline and virtuous habits; avoid vice; commit to ongoing moral development
- Reflective prompts (sample):
- What does the line “To be moral is human” mean to you?
- Does religion shape moral formation? Why or why not?
- How does conscience relate to morality?
- Why is morality considered applicable to humans?
Lesson III: Teaching as Your Vocation, Mission, and Profession
- Etymology and meaning:
- Vocation: from Latin vocare, meaning “to call”; implies a caller and a response; a calling, often with a sacred dimension for believers.
- Mission: from Latin misio, meaning “to send”; teaching is a mission—an assigned task requiring dedication beyond a job.
- Teaching as vocation and mission:
- Being called to teach implies responsibility to develop and nurture students; teaching is more than a paycheck.
- A teacher’s vocation is to help students become human, capable, and civic; lifelong learning commitment.
- Teaching as a profession:
- Long, arduous preparation and continuous professional development are necessary because service is the end goal of a profession.
- Moral, ethical, and religious values form the bedrock of professional conduct and ongoing development.
- The maxim: “once a teacher, forever a student.”
- Job vs. mission vs. professional service:
- Job: driven by pay or routine; limited commitment
- Mission: driven by service and faithfulness; lasting impact
- Professional service: public duty requiring ethical conduct and continual growth
- Implications for preparation and practice:
- Four years of pre-service training plus ongoing continuing professional development
- Align personal philosophy with professional ethics and community needs
- Strive for excellence; uphold moral, ethical, and religious values as anchors
- Reflection prompts (from the module prompts):
- What perspective on teaching have you formed after reading and activities?
- How will you prepare yourself for the role of a professional teacher?
- What impression do you want to leave on students, parents, and the community when you start teaching?
Glossary and quick references
- Essentialism, Progressivism, Perennialism, Existentialism, Behaviorism, Linguistic Philosophy, Constructivism (one-line gist listed above)
- Natural Law: universal moral law written in the hearts of people; basis of the foundational moral principle
- Transcendent values: universal, timeless values shared across cultures
- Values are taught and caught: learning values through instruction and by example
- The three dimensions of values formation: cognitive, affective, behavioral
- “The intellect proposes and the will disposes”: key Thomas Aquinas idea about intellect seeking and will acting
- Vocational vs. avocational vs. mission terminology: vocation = calling; mission = sent to accomplish a task; both relate to teaching as a life-long commitment