Definition of Philosophical Thinking
Philosophical thinking embraces an open-minded view of the world and a willingness to engage in conversations that challenge one’s belief. One who thinks philosophically is constantly open to change and adapting to new ways of thinking or approaching a given task. As an educator, thinking philosophically means that I am willing to embrace the uniqueness of each child and will not use a ‘one size fits all’ approach when planning for their learning. There will be a willingness to invest time and effort to navigate several strategies and applying the appropriate one to meet the needs of the students. I will understand that each child learns differently and ensure that the learning environment appeals to the different learning styles. Thinking philosophically means I must embrace change, I seek to remain current and engage in lifelong learning.
What future role do you see for your own philosophical thinking within your professional context?
My philosophy is that ‘Every child can learn, just not at the same pace.’ I have made a deliberate switch from teaching high school to kindergarten. It is a switch that has come with several challenges and a willingness to engage in learning that will prepare me to plan for their development. I have engaged in several professional learning opportunities focused on the primary learner. I see my future role as one that involves planning and delivering training courses on classroom strategies to address different learning styles. I will also be involved in creating classroom materials to support foundation skills, such as phonological awareness, in the primary learner. I strongly believe that every child needs a solid foundation on which to build as they move from one stage to the next. It is a great opportunity to be part of the team of facilitators to help build that solid foundation. My role involves extensive planning and creating of resources to facilitate their growth.
What learning from this course have you found most valuable?
The course readings were informative and presented great material for reflection. A number of materials presented information that was new to me and presented an argument for history in education. I appreciated being able to focus on my own philosophy of teaching and thinking about how this plays out in the classroom. Providing initial and revised definitions in context for the key terms: innovation, creativity, teaching, and learning, was beneficial. Most importantly, I appreciated a look at history and how to incorporate it in the classroom and engage students in conversations that address lessons from the past and being able to apply it to planning for the future. Our children are faced with so many negative experiences in the real world, the course readings encouraged me as an educator to be the voice of hope where hope seems to be fading.
Please indicate two ways in which you think that you can be innovative and or/creative in your future professional activities.
My present classroom engagement is at the kindergarten level. I think it is important for me to be innovative and creative to inspire these young learners and help them to develop their own skills and talents. One way I can be creative is in planning the learning environment for students. The kindergarten program is play-based and hence, it requires some creativity to ensure that the learning is embedded in the play. Creativity and innovation must be the highlight of the environment whether indoor or outdoor.
Secondly, I would love to be able to incorporate some form of history in my kindergarten program. Students in my kindergarten classroom this year have a passion for reading. They constantly want me to read stories during circle time. I can use this love of reading to introduce stories with a historical message that we can discuss engage in various activities. My challenge will be to find the right books and pose the right questions to get students to speak openly.
Overall, I have enjoyed the collaborative nature of the course and being able to connect with educators from various contexts. I appreciated being able to reflect on my philosophy of teaching and the many opportunities to get and provide feedback to course participants.
Teacher Reflection 
Hi Jacqueline,
How interesting that you made the move from high school to early learning. I am sure that this move allows for a unique perspective in your classrooms, and it certainty speaks to your desire to be a lifelong learner yourself. You note that this move necessitates creativity, and I applaud your decision to introduce stories with a historical message. There was a series that my daughter used to love called “Canadian Girl.” While the target audience may be a little older than the students you are currently working with, the concept was brilliant. The fictional stories were centred on a young girl who lived during a specific historical event and the events were drawn from across the country. The writing was excellent and the stories always very engaging. I like your choice of the Einstein quote to conclude. I enjoyed reading your posts and want to wish you all the very best on your continued learning journey…Doris
LikeLike
Hey Jacquline! Awesome post!
I really enjoyed that you took the time to define philosophical thinking, that’s almost as hard as our task to define creativity and innovation in the first model. I really liked your definition. I think you could add that thinking philosophically is to ’embrace change and adapt to it’.
I think you’re totally right about creativity and innovation being at the heart of kindergarten teaching. That’s the time when the foundations are laid for just about everything in a young students life outside of the home, so teaching children to be creative and innovative is of paramount importance as well as being so yourself.
In terms of reading and history, the chief ‘literature’ or reading/ listening for entertainment and moral instruction have been those of myth and symbol. These stories are not only engrossing for readers of all ages but impart lessons and lasting impressions that are not outright but implicit and become akin to common sense. These lessons become the building blocks for approaching stories later in life as well as overcoming obstacles. Here’s some recommendations that I have, from research and from my own upbringing, which was steeped in myth and story since I can remember:
The Gilgamesh trilogy, by Ludmila Zemen featuring easy to understand structure and beautiful art:
https://www.amazon.com/Gilgamesh-King-Trilogy-Ludmila-Zeman/dp/0887764371
Aesop’s fables
Assorted children’s versions of stories from:
The Mahabarta/ Baghivad Gita (India), the myths of the Iroquoian and Haida peoples, The Odyssey of Homer, Arabian Nights, The Old and New Testament, Hesiod’s Theogony, The works of Ovid, Australian aboriginals, Japanese folk stories, and the Thai fable of the Monkey King
There are a plethora of beautifully illustrated an easy to understand books on myth, culture and history that I find most helpful for developing and inquisitive minds. Hope that helps!
Will
LikeLike