La Consolacion University Philippines

City of Malolos, Bulacan

GRADUATE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

HERNANDEZ, ROSHELL L.
Master of Arts in Education Major in Computer Aided Instruction

TOPIC: PHILOSOPHICAL MODELS OF TEACHING

INTRODUCTION
Models of teaching are frameworks, patterns, or guides that educators may apply
in educational components such as curricula, teaching techniques, instructional
groupings, classroom management plans, content development, sequencing, delivery, and
development of support materials, among others.

PRESENTATION OF THE TOPIC

Models of teaching deal with the ways in which learning environments and
instructional experiences can be constructed, sequenced, or delivered. These
educational philosophical approaches are currently used in classrooms the world over.
They are perennialism, essentialism, progressivism, and reconstructionism. These
educational philosophies focus heavily on what we should teach, in the curriculum
aspect.
Hence the main aim of models of teaching is to create powerful learners. Element of a
model of teaching represent its structure, process and teaching aids of the instruction. A
model of teaching consists of syntax, social system, principle of reaction and support
system.
These aforementioned educational components are affected by the six traditional
parts of any educational model, as identified by Joyce, Weil, and Calhoun in the 9 th
edition of Models of Teaching (2014). They are as follows:
 Focus – It is the main objective of the model. It answers the question, “What is
the focus, end-game, or specific intention that the educator has in mind?”
 Syntax – It describes the structure and sequence of steps of the model. It answers
the question, “How does the model progress?”
 Principles of Reaction – It is how the teacher confirms whether the learners have
been actively involved in the model’s processes and steps or not. It answers the
question, “How should the teacher regard the learner and respond to what the
learner does or says?”
 The Social System – It describes the overall social climate or interactions
between the students and teacher. It answers the questions, “What are the

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 expected norms? Who is at the focal point of all interactions? Which behaviors
should be rewarded?”
 Support System – These are any additional requirements beyond general human
skills and capabilities that are needed to implement the model. It answers the
question, “Are there any special skills or knowledge, media, equipment, or
learning environments that need to be accessed in using this model?”
 Application and Effects – It refers to the utility of the model and the changes
that it can make in how students think or feel about, say, and do things. It answers
the question, “How can students use what the model teaches to improve
themselves?”

Although there are numerous models of teaching, most models tend to fall under
the umbrella of one of the distinct families of educational psychology, namely social
interaction, information processing, personal source, behavioral, and the most recently
added one: constructivism.

The social interaction family of models of teaching aims to build learning

communities and develop productive ways of interacting democratically. Models under
this family operate under the premise that human learning occurs in social settings,
through modeled behaviors and social exchanges.

One example of a model that targets social interaction is student-instructor

negotiated instruction which is a democratic way of deciding on topics and activities to
be tackled in the classroom. This is often the case for higher education settings in which
the instructor operates under the assumption that the learners are in tune with the best
ways that they can absorb the lessons.

Another example is cooperative learning, which involves learners in collaborative

or team-based tasks. In this model of education, students become responsible for not only
their own, but also for their teammates’ understanding. Some activities that may be
applied under this model are reporting activities and community projects.

On the other hand, the information processing family encompasses a large group
of models of teaching, and focuses primarily on the development of intellectual and
metacognitive functions. Models under information processing rely heavily on acquiring
and organizing data, problem solving, concept and language development, logical
reasoning, and retaining information.

The top-down (also known as instructor-directed) model of teaching can be

categorized under information processing. Although it is not necessarily known for
actively involving students in the teaching-learning process, this is perhaps the most
traditional model of teaching that can be employed.

Other examples of information processing models are goal-based scenarios in

which learners can apply certain skills and competencies that they gained thus far, and

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problem-based learning in which learners engage in advanced problem solving through
analysis and research.

Meanwhile, models that fall under the personal source umbrella acknowledge that
each learner is unique, thus should be in charge of creating, directing, and structuring
their own personal meaning. These types of models target self-esteem, self-efficacy,
emotional and personal understanding and acceptance.
By that definition, it can be said that the bottom-up (also known as student-
centered) model is one that falls under personal source. This is because the nature of the
bottom-up model relies considerably on students’ interests and efforts, as it covers a more
limited amount of information at greater depths.

Audio tutorials, frequently used in language learning, can also be classified as a

personal source model. These allow the learners a semblance of autonomy seeing as they
are exposed to independent study materials that they can make use of at their own pace.

Another family of models is behavioral. These models concentrate on finite,

observable objectives that can be cognitive (e.g. reading), psychomotor (e.g. physical
skills), or affective (e.g. behavioral restructuring or emotional adapting) in nature. The
best example of such models is B.F. Skinner’s operant conditioning in which ideal
behaviors are incentivized, while unsavory behaviors subject the doer to punishment.

Lastly, the latest family under which models may fall is constructivism. Models of
teaching under constructivism are highly aligned with real life contexts and are mostly
dependent on the learner’s prior knowledge and capacity to understand or construct
meanings on their own.

The constructivist philosophy is evident in the model of cognitive apprenticeship,

in which instructors demonstrate expert-like processes for students, after which the
students apply the processes on their own and then discuss their reasoning processes with
other learners. Another exemplification of constructivism may be observed in anchored
instruction, in which learners are given the opportunity to experience the same dilemmas
faced by professionals or experts in a given field.

- QUESTIONS
1. What are the three primary considerations in choosing a model of instruction?
The focus, social system, and application and effects may be the first three parts
of the model to be considered.
(Different subjects may require different foci; for instance, the instructor-centered
model may be more appropriate for Mathematics while language subjects can be taught
better using collaborative learning).

Meanwhile, the level of the learners is the reason for deciding on the social
system to be applied first. Younger learners may benefit more from hands-on, direct
discipline from the teacher as opposed to secondary or tertiary level learners who seek
more freedom and choices at their stage in life.

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 These two parts of the model, in turn, may affect how the learners use what they
learned in real life, and how they holistically change for the better in the long run.

2. Why is constructivism the rising star among the models of teaching nowadays?
(Ever since the K-12 educational system was implemented in the country, the
focus of education shifted from the traditional concept of transferring information to
preparing the youth to become well-adjusted, well-meaning members of society.
Constructivism is one of the – if not the – best models of teaching for this purpose, seeing
as the activities and approaches prescribed by constructivists all point in this direction).

3. What are the instructional models of education?

- These are the guidelines or sets of strategies on which the approaches to teaching
by instructors are based.

4. What are the impacts of instructional strategies to the learners?

- These are the techniques teachers use to help students become independent,
strategic learners. These strategies become learning strategies when learners
independently select the appropriate ones and use them effectively.

5. What is John Dewey’s theory that can relate to the millennia’s way of learning?
- Dewey believed that human beings learn through a “hands-on approach”.
Learning by doing is in line with pragmatist idea, that believed that reality must
be experience.

6. How can you define philosophy of teaching?

- A teaching philosophy is an explanation of your values and beliefs as they relate
to teaching. Your philosophy is often a combination of methods you studied in
college or graduate school and lessons learned during any professional
experience

7. Why is a teaching philosophy important?

- Through the various highs and lows, a teaching philosophy or “mission
statement” helps an educator stay true to one's core beliefs. ... Reflecting on core
values and beliefs about education and the role of educators can bring life and
direction to any statement.

8. What plans do you have as a teacher to achieve the learner centered philosophy?
- By focusing on the needs of students, teachers are able to assist and teachstudents
within the classroom ensuring a higher level of student success. In this article
three types of student-centered philosophies will be discussed
which areprogressivism, social reconstructionism, and existentialism.

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 9. What is the function of philosophy in a teacher's life?
- It is a set of principles that guides professional action through the events and
issues teachers face daily. Sources for your educational philosophy are your life
experiences, your values, the environment in which you live, interactions with
others and awareness of philosophical approaches.

10. Why is philosophy useful?

- This is both because philosophy touches so many subjects and, especially,
because many of its methods can be used in any field. The study
of philosophyhelps us to enhance our ability to solve problems, our
communication skills, our persuasive powers, and our writing skills.
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IMPLICATION TO EDUCATION
Following a model of teaching may be beneficial because they help educators to:

 Develop a deeper and more varied professional repertoire;

 Reach a broader range of students more effectively;
 Create either more uniform, varied, or effective instructional events guided by
targeted subjects, content, or processes;
 Understand curricular foci better, especially since different models can be
matched specifically to both learning outcomes and/or targeted learning groups;
 Gain necessary insights as to why some methods work with some learners, but not
with others; and

 Radically modify or redesign existing methods of teaching and instructional

delivery in order to reflect emerging techniques that may better meet the needs of
today’s students.

REFERENCES

Malitan, R.A. (2012). Philosophical model in teaching. Prezi. Retrieved from

https://prezi.com/s3xq1ax3dhau/philosophical-models-in-teaching/
Wilson, L.O. (n.d.). Models of teaching. The Second Principle. Retrieved from
https://thesecondprinciple.com/teaching-essentials/models-of-teaching/