I am not sure of the context so I have provided two answers. If an applicant to a teacher education programme were to write their philosophy that would be difficult because they have yet to learn about being a teacher. However, if a teacher is applying for a job they should be able to articulate their philosophy about being a teacher to identify what perspectives and influences they bring to their work. This could be in relation to subject matter, understanding of teaching and learning, how schools function etc. I would want to see the philosophy articulated in the first person so the author of the philosophy is clearly owning what they say. If this philosophy were to be graded, then the author would need to know the kind of criteria under which their submission would be marked.

Thanks a lot Maureen. I was actually referring to the second one - the person has already graduated from a teacher education program and is applying for a teaching job… I am tinkering of doing a study on the relevance of requiring a clear philosophy of education as a requirement for job entry… I was thinking of coming up with a framework capturing the salient points of educational philosophy as a pre-employment requirement … which can later be associated or correlated to attrition rate, performance… etc. :D

I think it is a good idea to be able to articulate a philosophy when applying for a teaching job. I would like to be able to read it but also ask the applicant to speak to their beliefs. Of course there is the need to look at the philosophy after a period of time to adjust your thinking. Perhaps your framework would need to allow for a change of ideals especially after the reality of teaching is felt. Not to reduce them but to find ways to attain or identify what blocks them being attained.

I certainly agree. That is exactly what I am thinking because I personally believe that a teacher's personal philosophy of education largely influences his or her actions… that translates to quality (through relevant indicators of course)...

Hi Richard, I agree with the comments posted - it is important for the individual to have thought through and reflected on the values they espouse within teaching (and other professions) and to be able to articulate this clearly. This allows an insight into the individual, and helps recognize where values between the applicant and the school match. However there is a risk here as well, when this is a standard expectation it can become a matter of the applicant simply stating what they believe is expected of them, identifying what they believe is wanted rather than what they actually believe. I still think this is a good process, but one that needs 'follow up' in the form of dialogue, where the applicant can explain what they mean with reference to how they have demonstrated or supported aspects of this philosophy in the practice setting.

Thanks a lot Sandra… yeah… I do agree. I'll try to conceptualize things out. Maybe something good will come out of this.

It is a positive trend but I have not rewritten mine for a decade or more. One should rewrite it more often to fit one's current or desired context.

I learned how valuable it was for teachers or aspiring teachers to have a philosophy about teaching during my Post-Master's Certificate in Education program. I learned various theories concerning education and teaching adults that I probably never would have learned about otherwise. Well, what happened during this process is that, indeed, I found that I had my own philosophy about teaching. Learning theories surfaced this philosophy and now I can articulate why I believe what I believe. Expressing a crystallized philosophy can be very informative to an evaluator because it can give insight into how an applicant will manage their classrooms, how he or she will interact with students, and even how that philosophy will inform syllabus creation. From this perspective, it might provide some indication of teacher performance, but cannot - and should not - be relied on as a sole predictor of performance.