Teaching Philosophy

Paper Summary:

The paper examines William James' belief that any person can succeed, provided he/she is given the correct opportunities and motivation by a good teacher. The paper then discusses how Blaise Pascal took a less empowering view of the individual's abilities, believing the teacher must provide guidance about the child's natural inclinations and tastes. The paper also looks at how Immanuel Kant focuses on training the mind, attempting to give the student the intellectual tools to reason and learn on his/her own.

From the Paper:

"William James' view of the correct means and methods of teaching places a tremendous amount of empowerment in the hands of the student. James' expressed views reflect the American belief that any person can succeed, provided that person is given the correct opportunities and motivation by a good teacher. This is reflected in James' anecdote, chronicled in his Principles of Psychology, of the boy who was prodded to learn to read, because of his natural curiosity about interesting pictures in a book. The boy's father teased his son with the prospect of learning about the pictures, telling the boy he must learn on his own, thus the boy becomes motivated to read because "An artificial and indirect desire" to read had been "grafted on a natural and direct one" to learn about the pictures (James 290-291)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• James, William. Principles of Psychology. Excerpted in Great Books of the WesternWorld. Ed. by Mortimer J. Adler, Clifton Fadiman, Philip W. Goetz. 2nd ed. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1990. Vol. 53. Retrieved 24 Feb 2007 from Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -- All Rights Reserved. Most recently updated: 24 Jan 2004<http://www.gutenberg.org/>
• Kant, Immanuel. "The Critique of Pure Reason." Excerpted in Great Books of theWestern World. Ed. by Mortimer J. Adler, Clifton Fadiman, Philip W. Goetz. 2nd ed. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1990.Vol. 42. Retrieved 24 Feb 2007 from Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -- All Rights Reserved. Most recently updated: 24 Jan 2004.<http://www.gutenberg.org/>
• Pascal, Blaise. "Pensees." Excerpted in Great Books of the Western World. Ed. by Mortimer J. Adler, Clifton Fadiman, Philip W. Goetz. 2nd ed. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1990. Vol. 33. Retrieved 24 Feb 2007 from Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -- All Rights Reserved. Most recently updated: 24 Jan 2004<http://www.gutenberg.org/>

More papers on Teaching Philosophy:

• Term Paper # 112559 : "Teaching Philosophy in Early Childhood Education"
• Analytical Essay # 145318 : "Impact of a Teaching Philosophy"
• Admission Essay # 145630 : "Personal Teaching Philosophy and Motivation"
• Persuasive Essay # 144690 : "Philosophy on Family School Partnerships"

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