I began this assignment with great anxiety. I have never really studied philosophy, nor had I heard the word pedagogy before I was accepted into the Education Program at the University of Northern British Columbia. To say I felt ill prepared for this assignment would be an understatement. I have since learned much about my personal pedagogy, although it is a work in progress. My ontology, epistemology, and axiology have, and will continue to be, developed over the years. I have also learned about different types of educational philosophy. Three forms of philosophy resonated with me on a deep level: Existentialism, Behaviorism, and Humanism. I would like to discuss each of these in detail, explaining why they resonate with me as a human being, an educator, and a learner.
My development and ontology have been interesting. As ontology is defined as the philosophical study of being, my own sense of being is an interesting story. I began really discovering who I was as a person during my elementary years at Beaverly Elementary School. I had recently started taking my education very seriously, and opportunities arose to become a tutor to younger students in French, math, and other subjects. I loved being able to explain complicated subjects in ways that the younger children could understand. I quickly realized that I was addicted to helping others because, in helping others to learn and feel good about themselves, I was able to spread joy and achievement. I would often assist my peers in class, and challenge myself to teach, rather than simply give the answers. In this way, I started to develop my own epistemology.
I have learned a lot about my axiology. My values and ways of making valuations of the world around me help to guide me as both a learner and a teacher. I value the voices of the children I teach. I think their views and ways of interacting with the world are just as important as ours. Furthermore, I find that students truly become engaged with their learning when it relates to them. For instance, children will better understand a complicated concept (math is a great example) if examples from their real lives are used. For example, children in rural communities will relate to a math problem involving livestock and numbers of, say, chicken eggs collected per day.
In terms of my ontology, epistemology, and axiology (my pedagogy), I have some thoughts about learners. I find that learning is important to the individual because individuals are becoming themselves, developing into adults. Afterall, part of becoming oneself is learning about the world around them. In terms of the collective, education is important to society so that individuals, and the collective, are safe, orderly, and making good collective decisions. Furthermore, education leads to a better understanding of others. I want my learners to have a strong sense of respect and humility towards all people. This is where the First Peoples Principles of Learning (FPPL) becomes especially important to incorporate into the classroom.
So, what should these learners be learning? And to what end? The short answer is facts. When one becomes informed with important facts, not opinion, one can then have informed belief about a subject. To become accepting, knowledgeable, and kind adults, young learners need to be exposed to a variety of cultures, experiences, and schools of thought. The FPPL aims to help create a learning environment that aligns with the values of respect, acceptance, knowledge, and understanding of diversity (Chrona, 2019). I think that this is an important concept: diversity. Learners of all backgrounds and identities should have equal access to education. In short, everyone needs to be represented in learning. This allows learners to acquire shared values including respect, trust, honesty, understanding, knowledge, and diversity. These values are especially conducive to the learning environment and the students therein.
I have many thoughts about my past and future students. The philosophy of Existentialism reminds me of the old saying: students are blank slates, or tabla rasa. I think that children and learners in general can be looked at as tabla rasa, but with their own experiences, feelings, behaviours, and values (Crowell, 2020). So, perhaps the term tabla rasa is too simplistic. Instead, I think that students are individuals, who have unique thoughts, perspectives, and life experiences (Crowell, 2020; Kosouth, 2015). Learners have their own voices and reflections, which are important identifiers for them as they develop.
Another relevant school of philosophical thought is that of Behaviorism. Behaviorism deeply resonates with me, and I wonder if it is due to my experience as a Behaviour Interventionist, wherein I conducted therapy using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). I, and many other brighter minds, feel that conditioning to specific environmental stimuli can alter human behaviour (Chance, 2007; Moore, 2005; Skinner, 1987; and Zuriff, 1985). For instance, using positive reinforcement can positively affect human behaviour. In the pursuit of clarity, I feel the need to define positive reinforcement. The word positive does not necessarily mean ‘good.’ Instead, there is a positive correlation between the number of instances of the target behaviour and the result (or, reward, in some cases) (Chance, 2007). One can use positive reinforcement to increase behaviours (the positive correlation I mentioned), or to decrease certain behaviours. The term positive simply means introducing a resulting stimulus when the behaviour occurs. For example, if a child answers correctly to the question, “what colour is this?”, he/she will receive a piece of candy. However, when the child answers incorrectly, they do not receive a candy, and they do not get a punishment (granted, a lack of candy would appear to be punishment). The instructor (person running the trial) will correct the student and re-teach the colours. The instructor will then move onto another task, encouraging the child to answer correctly. When the child gets the correct answer in a new trial, they receive a reward. This cycle of re-teaching and reinforcement in ABA is known as a type of reinforcement schedule (Chance, 2007).
Positive reinforcement is not always controlled. For example, if a child is looking for attention and screams, the likely result is that an adult will address the child to tell them to be quiet. The adult is unknowingly giving the child attention for this behaviour. As you may expect, this behaviour may increase because the reward was given (unknowingly but given nonetheless).
I could go on about other forms of conditioning, ABA therapy, types of reinforcement, and punishment, but my interest has always been in positive reinforcement. It is fascinating to me how students and learners of all ages respond to rewards. One of my goals as an educator will be to increase desired behaviours with positive reinforcement.
Although positive reinforcement is a useful tool for teaching, it is also a very common tool for self-discipline and self-awareness. It is something that could benefit learners of all ages. For example, I use a wonderful application called Duolingo on my iPhone to help me learn French. Although I excelled in French class in grade 12, I had lost most of the terminology since high school. I will be doing my last observational practicum at Lac de Bois, a French Immersion elementary school. In preparation for this exciting opportunity, I am re-learning French. The application that I use helps me to learn key phrases, pronunciation, and vocabulary that will help me to communicate with teachers and students during the practicum. Duolingo uses ‘hearts’ and ‘crowns’ to mark achievements on each lesson. Achieving a particular amount will reward the learner with points, and new opportunities (unlocking stories, audio lessons, and many other features). I love it. It motivates me, and I can see my achievements and badges as I rank myself against other users.
I hope that my examples have detailed why I enjoy using and implementing positive reinforcement in my life. I celebrate my accomplishments with rewards, just as I would reward a child for answering a question correctly. As Kroeker (2016) states, humans want to feel valued and like their achievements matter, which brings me to my third philosophical stance: Humanism.
Humanism resonates with me because I know how it feels to search for value in oneself. After years of attempting different careers, including behaviour intervention, legal assistance, and afterschool care, I have finally found my calling. It turns out that I have been using the skills and experiences of an educator since a young age. I have also learned a lot about myself as a person over the years. I strive for acceptance and respect between myself and my learners. I want to create an environment that is reflective of my own values, while being open to the values of others. I think that in becoming myself, and accepting myself as an educator, I have developed more fully as a person.
In summation, I personally think that Existentialism, Behaviorism, and Humanism resonate with me as an educator. Children and learners of all ages must feel included, respected, and heard. I value the views of my learners, and I hope to create an environment where my learners feel comfortable with me. I know that I want to promote the FPPL and inclusivity, diversity, respect, and understanding in my classroom. I feel that having a deeper understanding of my own teaching philosophy will better prepare me as an educator. In short, my pedagogy is developing, and I am looking forward to learning more about myself and the teaching profession as I progress in the Education Program at UNBC.
References
Chance, P. (2007). First course in applied behavior analysis. Vancouver: Langara College.
Chrona, Jo. (2019, August 08). First Peoples Principles of Learning. Retrieved November 11, 2020, from https://firstpeoplesprinciplesoflearning.wordpress.com/
Crowell, Steven, “Existentialism”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/existentialism/>.
Kosouth. (2015, July 01). Educational Philosophies. Retrieved November 11, 2020, from https://graduatefoundationsmoduleela.wordpress.com/
Kroeker, G. (2016). Erasmus the Theologian. Church History and Religious Culture, 96(4), 498-515. Retrieved November 9, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org.prxy.lib.unbc.ca/stable/26382864
Mcleod, S. (2020, March 20). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved November 11, 2020, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
Moore, J. (2005). Some Historical and Conceptual Background to the Development of B.F. Skinner’s “Radical Behaviorism” — Part 1. The Journal of Mind and Behavior, 26(1/2), 65-93. Retrieved November 9, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org.prxy.lib.unbc.ca/stable/43854053
Skinner, B. F. 1987. “Behaviourism, Skinner On.” Oxford Companion to the Mind. New York: Oxford University Press.
Zuriff, G. E. Behaviorism: A Conceptual Reconstruction. New York: Columbia University Press, 1985.