Philosophy Statement

By Katherine Bauman
EDUC 201
Foundations of Education
Instructor: Egbert

The philosophies in the book that best describes my personality are Cognitivism,
Critical Theory, and Information Processing. I do, however, find it interesting that my
results of the Philosophy Assessment are quite close across the board. For example, the
highest score I received was a 16 in Cognitivism, and the lowest, a 9 in Perennialism. I
believe that my scores were so close together because I have beliefs that root in each area
but do not drive completely towards one way or another way. This is because students are
diverse. As is the way that they learn. Teachers must be flexible through the educational
processes and I find it rewarding that I am centered almost equally in the middle. Even
still, I do agree most strongly with the Cognitivism philosophy more so than any other.
There are aspects within that philosophy that is pertinent such as the idea that the
learner is actively involved in designing his/her understandings of the world based on
experience and time spent reflecting on those experiences. When a student does not
already have a structure for an experience to fit into, a struggle ensues within, questions
are brought to the surface, and as the educator, I would be instrumental in developing a
safe and caring environment so that those questions could be addressed and the student
could continue on with their learning processes.
According to my philosophical beliefs all schools should teach through a manner of
Cognitivism and Information Processing. This would encourage students to be very
interested in what they want to learn about, ask questions, and educators have the
essential knowledge of how the brain works to provide answers, and instruction in a
manner that would be best received by the individual student.
The Cognitivism philosophy states that, according to Oregonstate.edu, The learner
actively constructs his or her own understandings of reality through acting upon and

reflecting on experiences in the world. When a new object, event, or experience does not
fit the learner's present knowing structures, a conflict is provoked that requires an active
quest to restore a balance.
The teachers role is to create an environment whose conditions and experiences
support the student learning process. According to the Cognitivism philosophy. This
means that the educator must be accepting, open minded, trust worthy, and invested.
Personally, I learn best by actually being interested in the subject matter. If it is a
topic that I feel I have no use for, or that I really dont care for, then I dont learn about it
well. I have discovered certain concepts about my learning style, and they are, reading,
re-reading, writing, reading, having a discussion with another person about the subject,
and then writing my understanding of the subject again. For me, repetition is key to
success to fully understand a new topic. Subject material should be taught using the
Critical Theory approach. This should be partially decided by the student, due to their
interests and partially by the teacher, due to her curriculum. This is stated in
Reconstructionism philosophy.
It is extremely important to have a philosophy that an educator teaches through. Even
if that philosophy is somewhat imbalanced (such as mine is), the philosophy creates a
guide for the educator to stem from, and a strong viewpoint for the students to learn from.
The Cognitivism philosophy enables students to learn through their own interests in a
structured environment where students are encouraged to reflect on their experiences to
receive the full benefit of their capabilities. Utilizing that philosophy with the Critical
Theory will develop strong critical thinking skills, the ability to handle controversy and
generate a more thorough understanding. Therefore, several aspects of the Cognitivism,

Critical Theory, and Information Processing philosophies are important to the governance
of my life.