Labostro, Justine Lyka C.

Lastimosa, Angeline T.
Nabasca, Darlene F.
Somoson, Lea Jane S.

Field Study 1
Chapter VII
Personal Growth and Professional Development

Lesson 1: Philosophy of Teaching

How a teacher views teaching and learning is dependent on exposure, culture, and
training (Pajares 1992). Teachers’ practices in the classroom are basically an offshoot of
education and exposure. All these experiences form part of beliefs that become a basis of the
teacher’s philosophy.
The teaching philosophy influences content and pedagogy. Teaching philosophies can be
categorized into two: teacher-centered and student-or-learner-centered.
 Teacher- centered philosophy underscores the relevance of education. This kind of
philosophy places an emphasis on the teachers’ role in transmitting knowledge, skills,
attitudes, and values. Teachers who believe in this philosophy use tests to determine if the
objectives are met. Essentialism and Perennialism are two examples are two examples of
a teacher-centered philosophy.
Essentialism advocates the teaching of basic skills in order to train the mind. These skills
gradually become complex as students progress to the next level. Core knowledge in different
disciplines is essential and the teachers should use lectures, memorization, drills, and assessment.
Perennialism on the other hand, focuses on developing critical thinking skills, mastery of content
in a sequential order and reasoning skills (Lynch 2016).
 Student-or-learner-centered philosophy puts emphasis on how students learn. Teachers
focus on individual needs of students to make sure that they will benefit from the
teaching-learning process. Teachers who adheres to this philosophy focusing on
maximizing potential of the students in order to equip them with knowledge, skills and
attitudes that will help them face and overcome the challenges of the real world.
Progressivism, existentialism, and social reconstructionism are examples of a student-centered
philosophy. Progressivism believes in equipping students with the ability to learn through hands-
on engagement. Teachers are regarded as facilitators rather than a source of information. Small
group discussions and learning centers dominate the progressive classroom.
Existentialism, on the other hand, believes in giving the students to learn concepts and interests
them. Teachers who believe in existentialism believe that the students should be able to find
meaning in whatever it is that they are learning. Thus, the classroom is equipped with things that
are of interest to the students.
Social reconstructionism believes that schools can contribute to solving social problems.
Teachers who believe in reconstructionism will engage students in projects or activities that will
enable them to address a social issue and create an impact in society (Lynch 2016).
In responding to the needs of the 21 st century learners, a student-or-learner-centered philosophy
is essential so that communication, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem
solving skills will be developed.

Lesson 2: Dignity of Teaching as a Profession

Pearson (2018) conducted a study to determine the personal qualities that students are
looking for in a teacher. Based on this study, students aged 15-19 cite the following
characteristics of effective teachers: relates well with students; nurturing, understanding, and
kind; knows students well; committed to the profession; and engages students in learning in
order to motivate them. In other words, students are not really focused on how much knowledge
the teachers can share, but are more concerned with teachers can connect and established a
relationship with them. This just goes to show that when teachers are able to establish a rapport
with students, it will be easier for students to learn (Peterson- Deluca 2016).
In terms of professional qualities, effective teachers possess the following characteristics:
taking time to listen and help students, manages class well, collaborates with other professionals
to share expertise, constantly seeks ways to grow professionally, uses appropriate instructional
methods, has mastery of content, and is decisive (Goldberg 2013). These professional qualities
reveal that effective teachers go beyond the call of duty. Teachers should continue to update self
with knowledge and skills for the good of their students.
Lesson 3: Professional Links with Colleagues
It is a recognized fact that teachers need to collaborate with one another to grow
professionally. Collaboration among teachers means working together to reflect on practices and
improve teaching (DuFour 2005).
A study by Petterson in 2002 reveals that collaboration with colleagues is more
significant than short-term workshops or seminars. When teachers share practices, reflections,
and experiences with colleagues whom they have been working for quite some time, they tend to
learn more.
 Thus, conversing about professional practice is necessary as it provides novice teachers
some kind of mentoring. It also allows seasoned teachers to renew their interest in teaching as
they are given the opportunity to share their expertise (Williams 2010)
It is important to note that before professional relationships can be established, teachers
have to forge personal relationships with other teachers.
Ways of connecting with colleagues:
✓ find time to talk to colleagues
✓ ask them about their experiences in the classroom.
✓ volunteer to work on a project with other teachers.

Lesson 4: Professional Reflection and Learning to Improve Practice

Education Theory
According to Dewey 1933, people do not learn from experiences unless they reflect on
these experiences. One of the ways in which teachers can improve the way they teach is to reflect
on their own practice.
Reflective practice- term used to describe the teachers when they are studying their own
experiences to improve the way they teach. Harvey et.al. 2016, it is deliberate act to think about
the past, present, and future actions in order to improve teaching.

There are various ways in reflecting one’s practice as stated by Brookfield, 1995.
 Autobiography
- Way of documenting practices e.g., writing a journal, portfolio, and other writings
used to reflect on their practices in class
 Student evaluation
- Students are the direct recipients of teaching. They are in the best position to
gauge how teachers perform in class and how effectively they teach which can be
done formally or informally.
 Peer observation
- Teachers can learn the best practices of their colleagues, ponder on their own
practices, and determine the ways to improve these practices.
 Research
- Teachers are also resort to studying researches and theories. Teaching practices
can be further improved through conducting a research/study e.g., action research.
Lesson 5: Professional Development Goals
Teachers need to be life-long learners because of the constant changes in the education
landscape brought about by developments in the field of research. Hence, it is but logical to point
out that teachers should set goals to keep them abreast with the needs of their students and at the
same time promote the development of the teaching profession.

In a study of teachers’ professional goals, it was found that teachers focus on different
objectives at each level of their career. Early and mid-career teachers are interested in knowing
more about curriculum and instruction and becoming a specialist in the subject or area that they
are currently teaching. Teachers who are in the late career stage are no longer interested in
improving their teaching skills. Rather, their goals are focused on learning more about
technological innovations and how these changes can be applied in the classroom (Louws et al.)

The study only revealed that a standardized continuing professional degree program will
not work with all teachers. Thus, for this reason, the Philippine Professional Standards for
Teachers (PPST) was developed. PPST is composed of seven domains, each of which is
composed of different strands where teachers in different stages of their career are guided to
develop themselves professionally. More specifically, these seven domains have a total of 37
strands (Department of Education 2017).

The following are the domains and the different strands:

Domain 1 – Content Knowledge and Pedagogy
1. Content knowledge and its application within and across curriculum areas
2. Research-based knowledge and principles of teaching and learning
3. Positive use of ICT
4. Strategies for promoting literacy and numeracy
5. Strategies for developing critical and creative thinking, as well as other higher-order
thinking skills
6. Mother tongue, Filipino and English in teaching and learning
7. Classroom communication strategies
Domain 2 – Learning Environment
1. Learner safety and security
2. Fair learning environment
3. Management of classroom structure and activities
4. Support for learner participation
5. Promotion of purposive learning
6. Management of behavior
Domain 3 – Diversity of Learners
1. Learners’ gender, needs, strengths, interests, and experiences.
2. Learners’ linguistic, cultural, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds
3. Learners with disabilities, giftedness, and talents
4. Learners in difficult circumstances
5. Learners from indigenous groups

Domain 4 – Curriculum and Planning

1. Planning and management of the teaching and learning process
2. Learning outcomes aligned with learning competencies
3. Relevance and responsiveness of learning programs
4. Professional collaboration to enrich the teaching practice
5. Teaching and learning resources including ICT

Domain 5 – Assessment and Reporting

1. Design, selection, organization, and utilization of assessment strategies
2. Monitoring and evaluation of learner progress and achievement
3. Feedback to improve learning
4. Communication of learner needs, progress, and achievement to key stakeholders
5. Use of assessment data to enhance teaching and learning practices and programs

Domain 6 – Community Linkages and Professional Engagement

1. Establishment of learning environments that are responsive to community contexts
2. Engagement of parents and the wider school community in the educative process
3. Professional ethics
4. School policies and procedures

Domain 7 – Personal Growth and Professional Development

1. Philosophy of teaching
2. Dignity of teaching as a profession
3. Professional links with colleagues
4. Professional reflection and learning to improve practice
5. Professional development goals