A_Teachers_Profession

In education, it is important to have a system of beliefs or principles. Several kinds of belief systems are relevant to the teaching profession. These kinds of belief systems vary based on whether they are personal or systemic, and whether they are scientific or not. An ideology in education is a broad, system-wide approach to education. For example a school, school system, university, or a country might have an educational ideology. Ideologies are political, and are designed to change things on a large scale. Ideology might cover such questions as whether or not schools should teach moral, ethical or religious concepts; how access to school should be determined; what the ultimate purpose of education is to be; and what the desired outcomes are for students. Philosophy is more personal. It might take the form of an individual teacher’s philosophy about how students learn best, or a parent’s decision to send a child to a public neighborhood school instead of a private school. Teachers or administrators may also have philosophies about issues such as discipline and appropriate dress. In some cases, personal philosophy may contrast directly with the rules of the school system. For example, a school librarian may believe that children should have access to a wide range of books, but the school system may not allow books on certain topics in the library. Philosophy is the study of thought, knowledge, and truth. Epistemology is the theory of knowledge, and refers to questions about what kinds of knowledge are relevant and meaningful, and how people gain knowledge. For example, an epistemological question is whether it is important for students to learn facts by rote. Metaphysics is about existence: what is the nature of the universe, and what kinds of things are real outside of science' An obvious metaphysical question is how to handle religious issues in the school setting. Logic is the study of reason and inference. Educational philosophy often emphasizes teaching logical thinking skills. Axiology is the study of quality or value. In an educational setting, an axiological question might be something like “How do I evaluate student work'” Educational philosophy can extend to issues of how to grade open-ended or unstructured assignments. Axiology might also include ethics, such as how to demonstrate, model, and enforce academic honesty. Educational theory is based on scientific study and research. It includes scientific study of different learning styles and personality types, which explain how to best suit the educational methods to different kinds of students. It includes cognitive development and theories of multiple intelligences. Teaching practices can be measured based on their outcomes. Some examples of educational theories include behaviorism (Skinner) and Piaget’s theory of childhood cognitive development.