FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.

0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 1

CHAPTER 1: THE TEACHER AS A PERSON IN THE SOCIETY

MODULE OVERVIEW

• Your Philosophical Heritage

• Formulating Your Philosophy of Education
• The Foundational Principles of Morality and You
• Values Formation and You
• Teaching as your Vocation, Mission, and Profession Bibliography

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Summarize at least seven (7) philosophies of education and draw their implications to teaching
learning.
2. Formulate own philosophy of education and explain teaching as a vocation, mission, and profession.

LEARNING CONTENTS

YOU, THE TEACHER, AS A PERSON IN SOCIETY

Teachers are one of the most significant members of society. They are also one of the most influential
professionals in the community. Before a teacher becomes a professional facilitator, motivator, initiator, and
motivator, teachers are essential learners of their own nature. Professionals will not be professionals without
professional teachers in society. Socially speaking, teachers are active contributors in the progression and
development in a social institution. The question is, how can they manage to do that?

There are teachers’ beliefs that enable them to be professionally developed. Initially, before a teacher
can develop children’s way of learning, they should have to develop themselves first. There are philosophies,
principles, values, that are important in teaching.

YOUR PHILOSOPHICAL HERITAGE

Determining one’s educational philosophy may be quite confusing, but there are categories of
philosophy that one can fall into. Philosophy is defined as mother of all sciences for it is a quest to know the
truth based on logical reasoning aside from the observation of one’s nature. Philosophies vary in different
period or era with that fact that there is ancient, medieval, renaissance period, modern and oriental
philosophies.

In the ancient philosophies that are mostly pagan beliefs, it is founded that philosophy may be classified
with wrong judgements, happy life, doubt, and combination of positive philosophies. It was founded by
different ancient philosophers, with different beliefs. Medieval philosophies are more on the divine beliefs
that is composed of different disciplines and moral learnings. The beginning of the modern science starts in
the period of renaissance wherein the philosophy includes the realism of sense and social. The modern
philosophy of education stresses on the value and beauty of knowledge and experiences. It focuses on mental
ideas for absolute good, and composed of different philosophies that can help a modern teacher to provide an
ideal environment for learning. Other philosophical beliefs that have something to do with religion are
included in the oriental philosophies.

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

FORMULATING YOUR PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

To philosophize is so essentially human - and in a sense to philosophize means living a truly human life.
J. Pieper

We are heirs to a rich philosophical heritage. Passed on to us are a number of philosophies of various
thinkers who lived before us. These thinkers reflected on life in this planet. They occupied themselves
searching for answers to questions about human existence. These essential questions come in different
versions. “What is life?” Who am I?” Why am I here?” or “What am I living for?” “What is reality?” Is the
universe real?” What is good to do?” How should I live life meaningfully?” and the like. In the school
context, these essential questions are: “Why do I teach?” How should I teach? What is the nature of the
learners?” How do we learn?”

The way that a teacher teaches their students, socialize, and interact with them has an underlying
philosophy. It starts with what we believe and includes the things that we want to happen with our students. It
is composed of our goals and aims for EDUCATION. No other person can make your own philosophy. There
are guides in making our own philosophy of education, and it is to enumerate our purposes, skills that we
want to impart, roles of teachers and students, and the way that we should assess learners. Sometimes,
answering the questions “what to teach?” and “how to teach?” can reflect the kind of philosophy that is
dominant to us. Formulating our own philosophy of education does not require us to use solely our minds but
is not limiting us to use our hearts in teaching.

What does a philosophy of education contain or include? It includes your concept about:
• The human person, the learner in the particular and the educated person
• What is true and good therefore must be taught.
• How a learner must be taught to come close with the truth

The Concept of Philosophy and Education

To understand the concept of philosophy of education, it is necessary to understand the meaning of

these terms first. Etymologically, philosophy comes from the Greek words “Philo and Sophia” which means
love of wisdom. In other words, philosophy is the “search for meaning.” Man examines all his dimensions as
a person—as an existing being in the world—in relation to God and others, as well as in birth and death,
sorrow, and joy. Man, searches for the meaning and truth of life—its importance, significance, value, and
relevance. “Love of wisdom is the essence for any investigation, the very origin of Philosophy.”

Education refers broadly to the total social processes that bring a person into life in a culture. By living
and participating in a culture, the youth gradually become a recipient of and a participant in a culture.
Education, in a more formal deliberate sense, takes place in the school, a specialized social agency established
to cultivate knowledge, attitudes (values) and skills in the learner. The term informal education is simply
incidental learning: learning how to cross the street or wash the dishes is learned by the child through
observation. The term non-formal education is used to label activities/programs to improve the quality of life.
These activities are literacy (for out-of-school youth and adults) rural development, training for occupational
skills and informative education. The target clientele is the unemployed, the underemployed, those who never
had or had little schooling and technical workers who need to upgrade their skills.

Seven (7) Philosophies of Education

1. Essentialism

• Often called traditionalism or conservatism

• Is the educational philosophy of teaching basic skills. This philosophy advocates training the
mind. Essentialist educators focus on transmitting a series of progressively difficult topics and

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 2

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

promotion of students to the next level or grade. Subjects are focused on the historical context of
the material world and culture and move sequentially to give a solid understanding of the present
day. This philosophy stresses core knowledge in reading, writing, math, science, history, foreign
language, and technology. The tools include lecturing, memorization, repetition, practice, and
assessment.
• William C. Bagley (1874–1946) was one of the most influential advocates of essentialism. Bagley
believed that education was not supposed to change society but to preserve it. At a conference for
the American Association of School Administrators in 1938, Bagley “urged schools and educators
to create what we know today to be vigilant in sticking to the core curriculum”.
• Why teach. This philosophy contends that teachers teach learners to acquire basic knowledge,
skills and values. Teachers teach "not to radically reshape society but rather to transmit the
traditional moral values and intellectual knowledge that students need to become model citizens."
• What to teach. Essentialist rigorous. The emphasis is on academic content for programs are
academically students to learn the basic skills or the fundamental r's reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic,
right conduct as these is essential to the acquisition of higher or more complex skills needed in
preparation for adult life. The essentialist curriculum includes the "traditional disciplines such as
math, natural science, history, foreign language, and literature. Essentialists frown upon
vocational courses..." or other courses with watered down academic content... The teachers and
administrators decide what is most important for the students to learn and place little emphasis on
student interests, particularly when they divert time and attention from the academic curriculum.
• How to teach. Essentialist teachers emphasize mastery of subject matter. They are expected to be
intellectual and moral models of their students. They are seen as a “fountain" of information and
as "paragon of virtue," if ever there is such a person. To gain mastery of basic skills, teachers
must observe "core requirements, longer school day, a longer academic year..." With mastery of
academic content as primary focus, teachers rely heavily on the use of prescribed textbooks, the
drill method and other methods that will enable them to cover as much academic content as
possible like the lecture method. There is a heavy stress on memorization and discipline.

2. Perennialism

• Perennialism values knowledge that transcends time. This is a subject-centered philosophy. The
goal of a perennialist educator is to teach students to think rationally and develop minds that can
think critically. A perennialist classroom aims to be a closely organized and well – disciplined
environment, which develops in students a lifelong quest for the truth. Perennialists believe that
education should epitomize a prepared effort to make these ideas available to students and to
guide their thought processes toward the understanding and appreciation of the great works;
works of literature written by history’s finest thinkers that transcend time and never become
outdated. Perennialists are primarily concerned with the importance of mastery of the content and
development of reasoning skills. The adage “the more things change, the more they stay the
same” summarizes the perennialists’ perspective on education. In this philosophy skills are
developed in a sequential manner. Here, the teachers are the main actors on the stage.
• Why teach. We are all rational animals. Schools should, therefore, develop the students' rational
and moral powers. According to Aristotle, if we neglect the students' reasoning skills, we deprive
them of the ability to use their higher faculties to control their passions and appetites.
• What to teach. The perennialist curriculum is a universal one on the view that all human beings
possess the same essential nature. It is heavy on the humanities, on general education. It is not a
specialist curriculum but rather a general one. There is less emphasis on vocational and technical
education. Philosopher Mortimer Adler claims that the "Great Books of ancient and medieval as
well as modern times are a repository of knowledge and wisdom, a tradition of culture which
must initiate each generation." What the perennialist teachers teach is lifted from the Great
Books.
• How to teach. The perennialist classrooms are "centered around teachers," The teachers do not
allow the students' interests or experiences to substantially dictate what they teach. They apply
whatever creative techniques and other tried and true methods which are believed to be most

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 3

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

conducive to disciplining the students' minds. Students engaged in Socratic dialogues, or mutual
inquiry sessions to develop an understanding of history's most timeless concepts."

3. Progressivism

• Progressivists believe that individuality, progress, and change are fundamental to one's education.
Believing that people learn best from what they consider most relevant to their lives,
progressivists center their curricula on the needs, experiences, interests, and abilities of students.
Progressivists like romantics believe that education should focus on the whole student, rather than
on the content or the teacher. They emphasize group activity and group problem solving so that
the students learn through cooperative learning strategies. It is antiauthoritarian, experimental and
visionary and aims to develop problem- solving ability.
• Why teach. Progressivist teachers teach to develop learners into becoming enlightened and
intelligent citizens of a democratic society. This group of teachers teaches learners so they may
live life fully NOW not to prepare them for adult life.
• What to teach. The progressivists are identified with need-based and relevant curriculum. This is
a curriculum that "responds to students' needs and that relates to students' personal lives and
experiences."

Progressivists accept the impermanence of life and the inevitability of change. For the
progressivists, everything else changes. Change is the only thing that does not change. Hence,
progressivist teachers are more concerned with teaching the learners the skills to cope with change.
Instead of occupying themselves with teaching facts or bits of information that are true today but
become obsolete tomorrow, they would rather focus. their teaching on the skills or processes in
gathering and evaluating information and in problem-solving.

The subjects that are given emphasis in progressivist schools are the "natural and social
sciences." Teachers expose students to many new scientific, technological, and social developments,
reflecting the progressivist notion that progress and change are fundamental. ... In addition, students
solve problems in the classroom like those they will encounter outside of the schoolhouse,

• How to teach. Progressivist teachers employ experiential methods. They believe that one learns
by doing. For John Dewey, the most popular advocate of progressivism, book learning is no
substitute for actual experience. One experiential teaching method that progressivist teachers
heavily rely on is the problem-solving method. This problem-solving method makes use of the
scientific method. (You will learn more of this in your Principles and Strategies of Teaching.)

Other "hands-on-minds-on-hearts-on" teaching methodology that progressivist teachers use

are field trips during which students interact with nature or society. Teachers also stimulate students
through thought- provoking games, and puzzles.

4. Constructivism

• Why teach. Constructivists seek to develop intrinsically motivated and independent learners
adequately equipped with learning skills for them to be able to construct knowledge and make
meaning of them.
• What to teach. The learners are taught how to learn. They are taught learning processes and skills
such as searching, critiquing, and evaluating information, relating these pieces of information,
reflecting on the same, making meaning out of them, drawing insights, posing questions,
researching, and constructing new knowledge out of these bits of information learned.
• How to teach. In the constructivist classroom, the teacher provides students with data or
experiences that allow them to hypothesize, predict, manipulate objects, pose questions, research,
investigate, imagine, and invent, The constructivist classroom is interactive. It promotes

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 4

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

dialogical exchange of ideas among learners and between teacher and learners. The teacher's role
is to facilitate this process.

Knowledge isn't a thing that can be simply deposited by the teacher into the empty minds of
the learners. Rather, knowledge is constructed by learners through an active, mental process of
development; learners are the builders and creators of meaning and knowledge. Their minds are not
empty. Instead, their minds are full of ideas waiting to be "midwifed" by the teacher with his/her
skillful facilitating skills.

5. Existentialism

• Why teach. The main concern of the existentialists is "to help students understand and appreciate
themselves as unique individuals who accept complete responsibility for their thoughts, feelings
and actions." Since 'existence precedes essence', the existentialist teacher's role is to help students
define their own essence by exposing them to various paths they take in life and by creating an
environment in which they freely choose their own preferred way. Since feeling is not divorced
from reason in decision making, the existentialist demands the education of the whole person,
"not just the mind."
• What to teach. "In an existentialist curriculum, students are given a wide variety of options from
which to choose." Students are afforded great latitude in their choice of subject matter. The
humanities, however, are given tremendous emphasis to "provide students with vicarious
experiences that will help unleash their own creativity and self-expression. For example, rather
than emphasizing historical events, existentialists focus upon the actions of historical individuals,
each of whom provides possible models for the students' own behavior, ...Moreover, vocational
education is regarded more as a means of teaching students about themselves and their potential
than of earning a livelihood. In teaching art, existentialism encourages individual creativity and
imagination more than copying and imitating established models."
• How to teach. "Existentialist methods focus on the individual. Learning is self-paced, self-
directed. It includes a great deal of individual contact with the teacher, who relates to each student
openly and honestly. To help students know themselves and their place in society, teachers
employ values clarification strategy. In the use of such a strategy, teachers remain non-judgmental
and take care not to impose their values on their students since values are personal."

6. Behaviorism

• Why teach. Behaviorist schools are concerned with the modification and shaping of students'
behavior by providing for a favorable environment, since they believe that they are a product of
their environment. They are after students who exhibit desirable behavior in society.
• What to teach. Because behaviorists look at "people and other animals... as complex
combinations of matter that act only in response to internally or externally generated physical
stimuli," behaviorist teachers teach students to respond favorably to various stimuli in the
environment.
• How to teach. Behaviorist teachers "ought to arrange environmental conditions so that students
can make the responses to stimuli. Physical variables like light, temperature, arrangement of
furniture, size and quantity of visual aids must be controlled to get the desired responses from the
learners.... Teachers’ ought to make the stimuli clear and interesting to capture and hold the
learners' attention. They ought to provide appropriate incentives to reinforce positive responses
and weaken or eliminate negative ones." (Trespeces, 1995)

7. Linguistic Philosophy

• Why teach. To develop the communication skills of the learner because the ability to articulate, to
voice out the meaning and values of things that one obtains from his/her experience of life and the
world is the very essence of man. It is through his/her ability to express himself/herself clearly, to get

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 5

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

his/ her ideas across, to make known to others the values that he/ she has imbibed, the beauty that
he/she has seen, the ugliness that he/she rejects and the truth that he/she has discovered. Teachers
teach to develop in the learner the skill to send messages clearly and receive messages correctly.
• What to teach. Learners should be taught to communicate clearly - how to send clear, concise
messages and how to receive and correctly understand messages sent. Communication takes place in
three (3) ways - verbal, nonverbal, and paraverbal. Verbal component refers to the content of our
message, the choice and arrangement of our words. This can be oral or written. Nonverbal component
refers to the message we send through our body language while paraverbal component refers to how
we say what we say - the tone, pacing and volume of our voices.

There is a need to teach learners to use language that is correct, precise, grammatical,
coherent, accurate so that they can communicate clearly and precisely their thoughts and feelings.
There is a need to help students expand their vocabulary to enhance their communication skills. There
is a need to teach the learners how to communicate clearly through non-verbal means and consistently
though para- verbal means.

There is a need to caution the learners of the verbal and non-verbal barriers to
communication.

Teach them to speak as many languages as you can. The more languages one speaks, the
better he/she can communicate with the world. A multilingual has an edge over the monolingual or
bilingual.
• How to teach. The most effective way to teach language and communication is the experiential way.
Make them experience sending and receiving messages through verbal, non-verbal and para-verbal
manner. Teachers should make the classroom a place for the interplay of minds and hearts. The
teacher facilitates dialogue among learners and between him/ her and his/her students because in the
exchange of words there is also an exchange of ideas.

THE FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES OF MORALITY AND YOU

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
Henry Brooks Adams

What is morality?

As defined by one textbook author, morality refers to “the quality of human acts by which we call
them right or wrong, good or evil.” (Panizo, 1964) Your human action is right when it conforms with the
norm, rule, or law of morality. Otherwise, it is said to be wrong. For instance, when Juan gets the pencil of
Pedro without the latter’s permission, Juan’s action is wrong because it is contrary to the norm,” stealing is
wrong”. A man’s action, habit or character is good when it is not lacking what is natural to man, i.e., when it
is in accordance with man’s nature. For instance, it is not natural for man to behave like a beast. He is man
and unlike the beast, he has the intellect and the free will. That intellect makes him capable thinking, judging,
and reasoning. His free will gives him the ability to choose. Unlike the beast, he is not bound by instincts. It is
natural occurrence for beasts when a male dog meets a female dog on the street and mate right there and then
as they are not free but bound by their instinct, like sexual instinct. But it is contrary to man’s nature when a
man and a woman do as the dogs do. To do so is to go down to the level of the beast.

What is meant by foundational moral principle?

What is meant by foundational moral principle? The word principle comes from the Latin word
princeps which means a beginning, a source. A principle is that on which something is based, founded,
originated, and initiated. It is likened to the foundation of a building upon which all other parts stand. If we
speak of light, the principle is the sun because the sun is the body from which the light of this world
originates. A foundational moral principle is therefore the universal norm upon which all other principles on
the rightness or wrongness of an action are based. It is the source of morality.

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 6

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

Where is this foundational moral principle? It is contained in the natural law. Many moralists, authors
and philosophers may have referred to this fundamental moral principle in different terms. But it may be
acceptable to all believers and non-believers alike to refer to it as natural law.
What is the natural law? It is the law “written in the hearts of men”, (Romans 2:15). For theists, it is
man’s share in the Eternal Law of God. (Panizo, 1964) St. Thomas defines it as the “light of natural reason,
whereby we discern what is good and what is evil, an imprint on us of the divine light.(Panizo 1964) .
It is the law that says: Do good and avoid evil.” THIS IS THE FUNDAMENTAL OR FOUNDATIONAL
MORAL PRINCIPLE.

All men and women, regardless of race and belief, have a sense of this foundational moral principle. It
is ingrained in a man’s nature. It is built into the design of human nature and woven into the fabric of the
normal human mind. “We are inclined to do what we recognize as good and avoid that which we recognize as
evil.

Panizo says: Writings, customs and monuments of past and present generations point out to this
conclusion: that all peoples on earth, no matter how savage and illiterate, have recognized a supreme law of
divine origin commanding good and forbidding evil. (Panizo 1964). The same thing was said by the Chinese
philosopher, Mencius, long ago:

All men have a mind which cannot bear (to see the suffering of others. If now men suddenly see a
child about to fall into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress.
From this case we may perceive that he who lacks the feeling of commiseration is not a man, that he
who lacks a feeling of shame and dislike is not a man, he who lacks a feeling of modesty and yielding
is not a man and that he who lacks a sense of right and wrong is not a man. Man has these four
beginnings. (Fung Yulan 1948,69-70)

The natural law that says “Do good and avoid evil” comes in different versions. Kung-fu-tsu said the
same when he taught: Do not do unto others what you do not like others do unto you.” This is also the Golden
Rule of Christianity only that is written in the positive form: “Do to others what you like others do to you”.
Immanuel Kant’s version is Act in such a way that your maxim can be the maxim for all.” For Christians, this
Golden Rule is made more explicit through the Ten Commandments and the Eight Beatitudes. These are
summed up in the two great commandments, “love God with all your heart, with your entire mind, with all
your strength” and “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” The Buddhists state this through the
eightfold path. For the Buddhists, they go do good when they “(1) strive to know the truth; (2) resolve to
resist evil; (3) say nothing to hurt others; (4) respect life, morality, and property; (5) engage in a job that does
not injure others; (6) strive to free their mind of evil; (7) control their feelings and thoughts, and (8)
practice proper forms of concentration.” (World Book Encyclopedia, 1998) Buddha thought that hatred
does not cease by hatred; hatred ceases only by love.” The Islamic Koran “forbids lying, stealing, adultery,
and murder” It also teaches “honor for parents, kindness to slaves, protection for the orphaned and the
widowed, and charity to the poor. It teaches the virtues of faith in God, patience, kindness, honesty, industry,
honor, courage and generosity. It condemns mistrust, impatience, and cruelty.” (World Book
Encyclopedia,1998). Furthermore, the Muslims abide by The Five Pillars of Islam: 1. prayer 2. self-
purification by fasting 3. Fasting 4. almsgiving 5. Pilgrimage to Mecca for those who
can afford.

Teacher as a Person of Good Moral Character

As laid down in the preamble of our Code of Ethics of Professionals who possess dignity and
reputation with high moral values as well as technical and professional competence. In the practice of their
profession, they strictly adhere to, observe and practice this set of ethical and moral principles, standard and
values. When are you of good moral character? One Christian author describes four ways of describing good
moral character:

1. Being fully human – you have realized substantially your potential as a human person.

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 7

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

2. Being a loving person – you are caring in an unselfish and mature manner with yourself, other people,
and God.
3. Being a virtuous person – you have acquired good habits and attitudes and you practice them
consistently in your daily life.
4. Being a morally mature person – you have reached a level of development emotionally,
socially, mentally, spiritually, appropriate to your development stage.

VALUES FORMATION AND YOU

Education in values means the cultivation of affectivity, leading the educand through the exposure to an
experience of value and of the valuable.
R. Aquino

Values are taught and caught

Another essential question we must tackle is: “Are values caught or taught? Our position is that values
are both taught and caught. If they are not taught because they are merely caught, then there is even no point
in proceeding to write and discuss your values formation as a teacher here. Values are also caught. We may
not be able to hear our father’s advice “Do not smoke” because what he does (he himself smokes) speaks
louder that what he says. The living examples of good men and women at home, school and society have far
greater influence on our value formation than those well-prepared lectures on values excellently delivered by
experts who may sound like” empty gongs and clanging cymbals.”

Values have cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions

Values have a cognitive dimension. We must understand the value that we want to acquire. We need
to know why we must value such. This is the heart of conversion and values formation. We need to know how
to live by that value. These are the concepts that ought to be taught.

Values are in the affective domain of objectives. In themselves they have an affective dimension. For
instance, it is not enough to know what honesty is or why one should be honest. One must feel something
towards honesty, be moved towards honesty as preferable to dishonesty. (Aquino 1990)

Values also have a behavioral dimension. In fact, living by value is the true acid test if we really value
a value like honesty.

Value formation includes formation in the cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects

Your value formation as teacher will necessarily include the three dimensions. You must grow in
knowledge and in wisdom and in your “sensitivity and openness to the variety of value experiences in life.
(Aquino 1990) You must be open to and attentive in your value lessons in Ethics and Religious Education.
Take active part in value sessions like fellowships, recollections organized by your church group or
associations. Since values are also caught, help yourself by reading the biographies of heroes, great teachers,
and saints (for the Catholics) and other inspirational books. (It is observed that less and less teachers read
printed materials other than their textbooks). Your lessons in history, religion and literature are replete with
opportunities for inspiring ideals. Associate with model teachers. If possible, avoid the “yeast” of those who
will not exert a very good influence. Take the sound advice from Desiderata: Avoid loud and aggressive
persons; they are vexations to the spirit.” Join community immersions where you can be exposed to people
from various walks of life. These will broaden your horizon, increase your tolerant level, and sensitize you to
life values. These will help you to “fly high” and “see far” to borrow the words of Richard Bach in his book,
Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 8

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

Value formation is a training of the intellect and will

Your value formation in essence is a training of your intellect and will, your cognitive and rational
appetitive powers, respectively. Your intellect discerns a value and presents it to the will as a right or wrong
value. Your will wills to act on the right values and wills to avoid the wrong value presented by your intellect.
As described St. Thomas Aquinas, “The intellect proposes, and the will disposes.”

It is clear that “nothing is willed unless it is first known. Thought must precede the deliberation of the
will. An object is willed as it is known by the intellect and proposed to the will as desirable and good. Hence
the formal and adequate object of the will is good as apprehended by the intellect. (William Kelly, 1965)
These statements underscore the importance of the training of your intellect. Your intellect must clearly
present a positive value to be a truly a positive value to the will not as one that is apparently positive but in the
final analysis is a negative value. In short, your intellect must be enlightened by what is true.

It is therefore, necessary that you develop your intellect in its three functions, namely:” formation of
ideas, judgment and reasoning”. (William Kelly, 1965) it is also equally necessary that you develop your will
so you will be strong enough to act on the good and avoid the bad that your intellect presents.

How can your will be trained to desire strongly desirable and act on it? William Kelly explains it very
simply:

Training of the will must be essentially self-training. The habit of yielding to impulse results in the
enfeeblement of self-control. The power of inhibiting urgent desire, of concentrating attention on
more remote good, of reinforcing the higher but less urgent motives undergoes a kind of atrophy
through disuse. Habitually yielding to any vice, while it does not lessen man’s responsibility, does
diminish his ability, or resist temptation. Likewise, the more frequently man restrains impulse, checks
inclination, persists against temptation, and steadily aims at virtuous living, the more does he
increase his self-control and therefore his freedom, to have a strong will means to have control of the
will, to be able to direct it despite all contrary impulses.

Max Scheler’s hierarchy of values

Max Scheler outlined a hierarchy (ladder) of values. Our hierarchy of values is shown in our
preferences and decisions. For instance, you may prefer to absent from class because you want to attend the
annual barrio fiesta where you are the “star” because of your ability to sing and dance. Another one may
prefer just the opposite by missing the fiesta (anyway, she can have all the fiestas after studies) and attends
class. Aquino 1990 presents Scheler’s hierarchy of values arranged from the lowest to the highest as shown
below.

Pleasure values - the pleasure against the unpleasant

- the agreeable against the disagreeable
*Sensual feelings
*Experiences of pleasure or pain
Vital values – values pertaining to the wellbeing either of the individual or of the community
*Health
*Vitality
- values of vital feeling
*Capability
*Excellence
Spiritual values - values independent of the whole sphere of the body and of the environment
- grasped in spiritual acts of preferring loving and hate
*Aesthetic values: beauty against ugliness
*Values of right and wrong
*Values of pure knowledge

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 9

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

Values of the Holy - appear only regarding objects intentionally given as absolute objects
*Belief
*Adoration
*Bliss

Based on Scheler’s hierarchy of values, the highest values are those that directly pertain to the
Supreme Being while the lowest values are those that pertain to the sensual pleasures. We act and live well if
we stick to Scheler’s hierarchy of values, i.e., give greater preference to the higher values. We will live
miserably if we distort Scheler’s hierarchy of values, like for instance when we subordinate spiritual values to
pleasure values. We act well when we give up the pleasure of drinking excessive alcohol for the sake of our
health. But while we take care of our health, Christians will say, we bear in mind that we do not live by bread
alone, but also by the word that comes from the mouth of God. (Luke 4:4) life is more than food and the body
more that clothing.” LUKE 12:23 Our concerns must go beyond the caring of our bodily health. As we
learned in Lesson 1, man is an embodied spirit and so we also need to be concerned with matters of the spirit
like appreciation of what is right and what is beautiful. The saints have been raised to the pedestal and are
worthy of the veneration of the faithful because they gave up their life for the faith in the Holy One. San
Lorenzo Ruiz the first Filipino saint spurned offers of liberty and life for his faith in God. Having done so, he
affirmed the absolute superiority of the Holy. We also know of Albert Schweitzer, the much-honored
physician, missionary and musician who because of his deep reverence for life spent many years extending
humanitarian assistance by treating thousands and thousands of sick people during his medical mission in
Africa. He also built the hospital and leper colony for the less unfortunate in Africa. We cannot ignore Blessed
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India who chose to leave a more comfortable life in the convent to devote her life
bathing, consoling, and picking up the dying outcasts in the streets of Calcutta out of genuine love and
compassion.

Outside the Catholic Church, we, too can cite several whose lives were focused on matters of the
spirit more than the body. At this point, we cite Mahatma Gandhi the great political and spiritual leader of
India, who passionately fought discrimination with his principles of truth, nonviolence, and courage. His
nonviolent resistance to the British rule in India led to the independence of India in 1947. We do not forget
Helen Keller who, despite her being blind, traveled to developing and war-ravaged countries to improve the
condition of the blind like her for them to live a meaningful life. Of course, we do not forget. Dr. Jose Rizal,
our national hero and Benigno Aquino Jr. and all other heroes of our nation who gave up their lives for the
freedom that we now enjoy and many more for you to talk about at the end of this chapter.

TEACHING AS YOUR VOCATION, MISSION, AND PROFESSION BIBLIOGRAPHY

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of times.
Desiderata

Teaching: Mission and/or a Job?

If you are doing it only because you are paid for it, it’s a job;
If you are doing it not only for the pay but also for service, it’s a mission.
If you quit because your boss or colleague criticized you, it’s a job;
If you keep on teaching out of love, it’s a mission.
If you teach because it does not interfere with your other activities, it’s a job;
If you are committed to teaching even if it means letting go of other activities, it’s a mission.
If you quit because no one praises or thanks you for what you do, it’s a job;
If you remain teaching even though nobody recognized your efforts, it’s a mission.
It’s hard to get excited about a teaching job;
It’s almost impossible not to get excited about a mission.
If our concern is success, it’s a job;
If our concern is success plus faithfulness in our job, it’s a mission.
An average school is filled by teachers doing their teaching job;

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 10

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

A great school is filled with teachers involved in a mission of teaching.

*Adapted from Ministry or Job by Anna Sandberg

Teaching as a Vocation

Vocation comes from the Latin word “vocare” which means a call. Based on the etymology of the
word, vocation, therefore, means a call. If there is a call, there must be a caller and someone who is called.
There must also be a response. For Christians, the Caller is God Himself. For our brother and sister Muslims,
Allah. Believers in the Supreme Being will look at this voiceless call to have a vertical dimension. For non-
believers, the call is also experienced but this may be viewed solely along a horizontal dimension. It is like a
man calling another man, never a Superior being calling man.

The Christians among you realize that the Bible is full of stories of men and women who called by
God to do something not for themselves but for other. We know of Abraham, the first one called by God, to
become the father of great nation, the nation of God’s chosen people. We recall Moses who was called while
in Egypt to lead God’s chosen people out of Egypt to free them from slavery. In the New Testament, we know
of Mary who was also called by God to become the mother of the Savior, Jesus Christ in Islam, we are
familiar with Muhammad, the last of the prophets to be called by Allah, to spread the teaching Allah. All of
them responded positively to god’s call. Buddha must have also heard the call to abandon his royal life to sick
the answer to the problem on suffering.

Teaching as a Mission

Teaching is also a mission. The word mission comes from the Latin word “mission” which means to
send. You are called to be a teacher and you are sent into the world to accomplish a mission, to teach. The
Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines mission as a task assigned. You are sent to accomplish an
assigned task.

Teaching is your mission means it is the task entrusted to you in this world. If it is your assigned task,
then you’ve got to prepare yourself for it. From now on, you cannot take your studies for granted. Your four
years of preservice preparation will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and attitude to become an effective
teacher. However, never commit the mistake of culminating your mission preparation at the end of the four-
year preservice education. You have embarked in a mission that calls for a continuing professional education.
As the saying goes,” once a teacher, forever a student.” (More is said of continuing professional education in
the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers in Chapter 5)

Flowing from your uniqueness, you are expected to contribute to the betterment of this world in your
own unique way. Your unique and most significant contribution to the humanization of life on earth is in the
field where you are prepared for – teaching.

What exactly is the mission to teach? Is it merely to teach the child the fundamental skills or basic Rs of
reading, writing, arithmetic, and right conduct? Is it to help the child master the basic skills so he can continue
acquiring higher level skills to become a productive member of the society? Is it to deposit facts and other
information into the “empty minds” of students to be withdrawn during quizzes and tests? Or is it to
“midwife” the birth of ideas latent in the minds of students? Is it to facilitate the maximum development of his
/her potential not only for himself but also for others? In the words of Alfred North Whitehead, is it to help the
child become “the man of culture and of expertise? Or is it to provide opportunities for a child’s growth and to
remove hampering influences” as Bertrand Russel put it?

Teaching is indeed your mission:

o If you are doing it only for the pay but also for the service
o If you keep on teaching out of love, it’s a mission.
o If you are committed to teaching even if it means letting go of other activities,
o If you remain teaching even though nobody recognizes your efforts,
o It makes you get excited

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 11

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

o If your concern is success plus faithfulness, it’s a mission.

Teaching as a Profession

In the words “professional manner”, “gawang propesyonal”, “professional fee for expert services
rendered”, the word “professional” implies one who possesses skill and competence / expertise. “Highly
professional” “unprofessional…to act that way” imply a code of ethics by which a professional person abides.
In short, a professional is one who conforms to the technical or ethical standards of a profession. So, two
elements of a profession are competence and a Code of Ethics.

The other elements of a profession are:

1. Initial Professional Education – professionals generally begin their professional lives by

completing a university program in their chosen fields – teacher education, engineering,
nursing, accountancy. This means long and arduous years of preparation. Take note this is
just initial, which means only the beginning because a professional is expected to learn
endlessly.
2. Accreditation – University programs are approved by a regulatory body like the Commission
on Higher Education (CHED) in the Philippines to ensure that graduates from these
recognized programs start their professional lives with competence.
3. Licensing – Licensing is mandatory, not voluntary and is administered by a government
authority. In the Philippines, this government authority is the Professional Regulation
Commission (PRC).
4. Professional Development – this is an ongoing professional education that maintains or
improves professionals’ knowledge and skills after they begin professional practice. In the
Philippines, this is Continuing Professional Development mandated by RA 10912, otherwise
known as the CPD Act of 2016.
5. Professional Societies – professionals see themselves as part of a community of like-minded
individuals who put their professional standards above the individual self-interest or their
employer’s self-interest. These professional societies put dedication to the public interest and
commitment to moral and ethical values. Professional societies define certification programs,
establish accreditation standards, and define a code of ethics and disciplinary action for
violations of that code.
6. Code of Ethics – each profession has a code of ethics to ensure that its practitioners behave
responsibly. The code states what professionals should do. Professionals can be ejected from
their professional societies or lose their licenses to practice for violating the code of ethics.
(McConell, Steve, Source: http://www.alexsbrown.com/prof9.html, Retrieved 6-3-18).

The teaching profession is governed by the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers. Violation of the
Code of Ethics for Professional teachers is one of the grounds for the revocation of the professional
teacher’s Certificate of Registration and suspension from the practice of the teaching profession (Sec
23., RA 7836).

Historical Development of Teaching as A Profession in The Philippines

The first legal document that professionalized teaching was Presidential Decree 1006 issued by then
President Ferdinand E. Marcos. It was only in 1976 with PD 1006 known as the Decree Professionalizing
Teaching that teachers in the Philippines became professionalized. The need to professionalize teaching was
felt “to insure that in the immediacy and urgency of teacher recruitment, qualitative requirements are not
overlooked…” and “although teaching requires a number of years of collegiate study, it is the only course
that is not yet considered a profession” (PD 1006). Furthermore… “in recognition of the vital role of teachers
in nation-building and as an incentive to raise the morale of teachers, it is imperative that they be considered
as professionals and teaching be recognized as a profession.” (PD 1006)

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 12

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

Then in 1994, R.A. 7836, otherwise known as the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of
1994, was passed to… “promote quality education by proper supervision and regulation of the licensure
examination and professionalization of the practice of the teaching profession.” (Section 2)

During the pre-Hispanic period, there was no established formal schooling in the country. So, there
was no established formal schooling in the country. So, there was no formal preparation for teachers too. The
mothers and fathers and tribal leaders served as teachers at home and in the community.

During the Spanish period, and by virtue of Educational Decree of 1863 free public school system
was established. There was one school for boys and another school for girls in every municipality. The
Spanish missionaries served as teachers. The same decree provided for a normal school run by Jesuits to
educate male teachers in Manila. Normal schools for women were not established until 1875. So it was the
Spaniards who started training teachers in normal schools.

Paz Ramos, once dean of the College of Education of the University of the Philippines, Diliman,
claims: The foundations of teacher education in the Philippines were laid by the Spanish government during
the mid-eighteenth century. It is said to have begun on August 4, 1765, when King Charles of Spain issued a
Royal Decree requiring each village to have a “maestro”. On November 28, 1772, another Royal Decree
specified the qualifications of teachers. However, it was not until 1863 that there was a specific attempt to
systematize and update the education of Filipino Teachers.

At the end of Spanish rule, schools during the Spanish era were closed for a time by Aguinaldo’s
government. So, there was no teacher preparation that took place.

During the American regime, American soldiers served as the first teachers. In 1901, the Philippine
Commission enacted into law Act 74 which created the Department of Public Instruction, laid the foundations
of the public school system, and offered free primary education for Filipinos.

There was a storage of teachers. The Philippine Commission authorized the Secretary of Public
Instruction to bring to the Philippines 600 teachers from USA. They were Thomasites. Due to urgent need for
teachers, the Americans gave bright young Filipino students opportunity to take up higher education in
American colleges and universities financed by the Philippine Government. They were the pensionados.

Act 74 of 1901 also provided for the establishment of Philippine Normal School (PNS) in Manila. The
Philippine Normal School formally opened in September 1901, as an institution for the training of teachers.
For more than two decades, PNS offered a two-year general secondary education program. In 1928, it became
a junior college offering a two-year program to graduates of secondary schools. In 1949, the Philippine
Normal School, renamed Philippine Normal College, offered the four-year Bachelor of Science in Elementary
Education. Other four-year teacher education courses followed. This means that the present four-year
preparation for the professional teacher began as a two-year program only. Teacher preparation became four
years only in 1949 and thereafter.

LEARNING ACTIVITY

Determine your Educational Philosophy.

Find out to which philosophy you adhere. To what extent does each statement apply to you? Rate yourself as
follows:

4 – if you agree with the statement always

3 – if you agree but not always
2 – if you agree sometimes
1 – if you don’t agree at all

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 13

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

Statement 4 3 2 1
1. There is no substitute for concrete experience in learning.
2. The focus of education should be the ideas that are as relevant today as when they were first
conceived.
3. Teachers must not force their students to learn the subject matter if it does not interest them.
4. Schools must develop students’ capacity to reason by stressing on the humanities.
5. In the classroom, students must be encouraged to interact with one another to develop social
virtues such as cooperation and respect.
6. Students should read and analyze the Great Books, the creative works of history’s finest
thinkers and writers.
7. Teachers must help students expand their knowledge by helping them apply their previous
experiences in solving new problems.
8. Our course of study should be general, not specialized; liberal, not vocational; humanistic, not
technical.
9. There is no universal, inborn human nature. We are born and exist and then we ourselves freely
determine our essence.
10. Human beings are shaped by their environment.
11. Schools should stress on the teaching of basic skills.
12. Change of environment can change a person.
13. Curriculum should emphasize on the traditional disciplines such as math, natural science,
history, grammar, literature.
14. Teachers must help students expand their knowledge by helping them apply their previous
experiences in solving new problems.
15. Schools should help individuals accept themselves as unique individuals and accept
responsibility for their thoughts, feelings and actions.
16. Learners produce knowledge based on their experiences.
17. For the learner to acquire the basic skills, he/she must go through the rigor and discipline of
serious study.
18. The teacher and the school head must prescribe what is most important for the students to
learn.
19. The truth shines in an atmosphere of genuine dialogue.
20. A learner must be allowed to learn at his/her own pace.
21. The learner is not a blank slate but brings past experiences and cultural factors to the learning
situation.
22. The classroom is not a place where teachers pour knowledge into empty minds of students.
23. The learner must be taught how to communicate his ideas and feelings.
24. To understand the message from his/her students, the teacher must listen not only to what
his/her students are saying but also to what they are not saying.
25. An individual is what he/she chooses to become not dictated by his/her environment.

Interpreting your scores: If you have 2 answers of 2/4 in numbers:

• 1, 3, 5, 7 – you are more of a progressivist

• 2, 4, 6, 8 – you are more of a perennialist
• 9, 15, 20, 25 – you are more of an existentialist
• 10, 12 – you are more of a behaviorist
• 11, 13, 17, 18 – you are more of an essentialist
• 14, 16, 21, 22 – you are more of a constructivist
• 19, 23, 24 – you are more of a linguistic philosopher

Analysis: if you have 2 scores of 4 in several of the 7 clusters, you have an eclectic philosophy which means you
put the philosophies together. If your scores are less than 4, this means that you are not very definite in your philosophy.
Or if your scores are less than 3 in most of the items, this means your philosophy is quite vague.

SUMMARY

We have a very rich philosophical heritage. But only seven philosophies were discussed here: essentialism,
progressivism, perennialism, existentialism, behaviorism, linguistic philosophy and constructivism. The seven
philosophies differ in their concepts of the learner and values, in why do we teach (objectives), what should be taught

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 14

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in PROFED 101: THE TEACHING PROFESSION

(curriculum) and how should the curriculum be taught (teaching strategies). However, there exist also some similarities
among the philosophies.

It is important that you make explicit your philosophy of education. Your philosophy of education is your
“window” to the world and “compass” in life. Your philosophy is your own thought and formulation, never formulated
for you by another, that is why you were advised to begin stating it with the phrase “I believe”. It is best to state it in the
concrete not in the abstract like a theory because this is your blueprint to daily life.

REFERENCES:

Bilbao, Purita P., Corpuz, Brenda B., Llagas, Avelina T., Salandanan, Gloria G., The Teaching Profession
Lorimar Publishing. 2018.

Bilbao, Purita P., Corpuz, Brenda B., Llagas, Avelina T., Salandanan, Gloria G., The Teaching Profession
Lorimar Publishing. 2006.

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/isabela-state-university/bachelor-of-technology-livelihood-education/chapter-1-
lesson-1-your-philosophical-heritage/22423512

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/university-of-the-cordilleras/information-technology/the-foundational-principles-
of-morality/12302001

https://cer.jhu.edu/files_ta/4_Major_Educational_Philosophies.pdf

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 15