Kant on teaching philosophy

[Introduction] In 1765, Kant issued an Advertisement for the four lecture courses he would be delivering in the winter semester of 1765/66, on Metaphysics, Logic, Ethics, and Physical Geography (Kant 1905). Instead of merely outlining the course syllabuses, Kant prefaced the document with what would nowadays be called a ‘statement of teaching philosophy’. As far as I am aware, this is the only place where he explains his approach to teaching,2 and it is an approach which (apart from the first point below) is remarkably consistent with what professional educationalists consider to be best practice in the 21st century. In view of the radical nature of Kant’s ideas, it is surprising how little attention has been paid to them. John Ladd (1982) summarises the Advertisement in a general account of Kant as a teacher, derived largely from Vorländer’s biography. His main purpose is to show that Kant’s approach to the teaching of philosophy presupposes that philosophy is very different from other disciplines, in that it fosters the independence of thought which is central both to the concept of enlightenment and to the concept of the autonomy of the will in ethics. Eugene Kelly (1989) provides a complete translation of the Advertisement into English, and prefaces it with a few brief remarks. Interestingly, Kelly is almost entirely negative about the Advertisement. He says that if Kant had submitted it for publication in the APA Newsletter on Teaching Philosophy (of which Kelly was editor at the time), he would have rejected it, on the grounds that it was too long-winded, it contained too much technical terminology and it said too little about the content of his lectures. Its only saving grace, according to Kelly, was that Kant showed a genuine concern for his students. The articles by Ladd and Kelly are the only two writings I have been able to find which discuss Kant’s Advertisement in any detail. In what follows, I shall give a much more sympathetic account of Kant’s approach to teaching philosophy, and relate what he says to current theories of good practice in university education

Developing a Teaching Philosophy Statement

In the college of education it is common practice for students to write multiple versions of a concise and direct teaching philosophy statement (1,000-1,500 words).https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/btp_expo/1005/thumbnail.jp

Reflecting on the Context of a Teaching Philosophy

Teaching experience is only valuable when we reflect on our practices as professors. This reflection should expand our realization of the challenges we face in the classroom.As faculty, we have an obligation to our students and to ourselves to participate in continued assessment of our teaching philosophy.Not only is it important to do so from a pedagogical perspective, it reminds us of our responsibility to inform our students through evidence-based practices and the science of our respective disciplines

MY Teaching Philosophy

Paper attached to foundational course in university pedagogy arranged by Result, UiT The Arctic University of Norway: https://result.uit.no/From the beginning of my academic career, teaching has always been one of the important parts of my academic duties, and my teaching philosophies develop over time. I agree with Worley (2001) that there is a difference between effective and great teachers. He argues that while effective teachers are skilled, great teachers have a mission, a teaching impulse, and a vocation to teach. Being a great teacher is my underlying motivation as a good teacher. Good teaching goes beyond just learning design, and/or just interactions with the student. It avoids teaching paradigm where the teacher only pumps out knowledge to students without knowing the needs for students (lecturing students without building on their prior knowledge) and without their active engagement (instruction paradigm). Moreover, learning environment should be such that it promotes diversity and positive learning. In this paper, I will attempt to describe my teaching philosophy from the good teaching perspectives as described above

Academia as Missions: Our Adventures in Romania

Dr. Michael S. Jones, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University, shares his experiences of teaching philosophy at the flagship Romanian university in Bucharest, 2014-2015, thanks to a Fulbright grant

Teacher’s Belief on Teaching Philosophy as Teachers Professionalism Platform

This study aims at presenting the teacher's belief on teaching philosophy as a teacher professionalism platform. It explores how the teacher perceives teaching philosophy as a teacher professionalism platform and in what ways teaching philosophy assists the teacher to refine his teaching. The research design of this study is basic interpretative study. It is used to identify the extent to which teaching philosophy is understood and practiced by teachers. There are general pattern findings of this study. The first finding is English teachers' perceived teaching philosophy builds reflective teachers. The second findings refers to reflected activity that copes with the teacher in refining suitable ways in facilitating students to learn. Teaching philosophy potentially assists teachers in teaching by providing various activities. Thus, it supports the teacher to be a professional English teacher

Exploring Video Feedback in Philosophy

This paper explores the benefits of video feedback for teaching philosophy. Our analysis, based on results from a self-report student survey along with our own experience, indicates that video feedback possesses a number of advantages over traditional written comments. In particular we argue that video feedback is conducive to providing high-quality formative feedback, increases detail and clarity, and promotes student engagement. In addition, we argue that the advantages of video feedback make the method an especially apt tool for addressing challenges germane to teaching philosophy. Video feedback allows markers to more easily explain and illustrate philosophical goals and methods. It allows markers to model the doing of philosophy and thereby helps students to see philosophy’s value. Video feedback is a promising tool for addressing both cognitive and affective barriers to learning philosophy. Such advantages are especially valuable in the context of a student-centered, intentional learning framework. In light of these advantages, we find that video feedback is underappreciated and underutilized

Teaching Philosophy in Manila

In this talk, Fr. Roque J. Ferriols, S.J. shares some reflections from his experiences in teaching philosophy for almost fifty years in what he describes as a “small corner of Manila”. Teaching philosophy, for him, involves creating an atmosphere, an environment which allows students to see things they could not see before--things that the teacher may not even have seen before. That is why a teacher must have the courage to learn from the students and the patience to cultivate a kind of silence enabling them to move from the world of pure ideas to the world of what is really happening. In this world of the real, what is most important cannot be said but lived. Viewing philosophy as a search for the truth, Fr. Ferriols stresses that a person looking for the truth must admit there is a true answer. This answer might be difficult and may take long to find but there is a true answer. In looking for the truth, it is best to use the language of the place where you are philosophizing. For Fr. Ferriols, this would be the language of “the people outside cleaning the streets, driving the jeepneys, driving the buses, going to their work”.(A Plenary Lecture presented during the International Conference on “Teaching Philosophy in Asian Contexts” sponsored by Missio Aachen, Germany on February 19, 2005 held at Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines. This version was edited with the kind assistance of Dr. Leovino Ma. Garcia. The abstract was also prepared by Dr. Garcia.

The PRS subject centre: four years on

At the AAPT International Workshop/Conference at Alverno College in 2000, I was invited to give a presentation on the recently established Philosophical and Religious Studies Centre of the Learning and Teaching Support Network. My presentation was published in AAPT News, 24/1, Spring 2001, pp.3–8. In the UK, there had never previously been a forum for publishing articles or conducting discussions specifically concerned with teaching philosophy. In those early days, I naively expected that there would be scores of philosophers scattered throughout the UK eager to share their ideas about teaching philosophy, and to publicise their innovative methods of teaching and assessment. This turned out not to be the case. Although we now have a growing resource of articles and reviews in our journal Discourse and on our website, these are mostly the outcomes of projects we have funded with grants of up to about $5k. We still have difficulty persuading people to write for us voluntarily, or to attend workshops and conferences — much more difficulty than subject centres covering other disciplines. It is worth considering possible reasons for this: (Continues..