by Rea Papakonstantopoulos

Created on: May 28, 2009

From the preschool classroom to the college lecture hall, every educator has beliefs, theories, and ideas about teaching and learning. These elements serve to inform the organization of curriculum, the manner in which instruction is delivered, the character of the classroom environment, and the methods and techniques used to assess the learning progress of students. In essence, they form the foundation of the teacher's philosophy of education.

The Nature of the Learner

Every student is a unique individual with an inherently complex nature and a drive to learn that draws upon a number of different factors. "Every child is a multidimensional human being, a person with a heart, a mind, and a soul, with hopes, dreams, aspirations, and capacities that must be embraced if productive growth and learning is to take place" (Ayers, 2001; xiii). A student's desire to learn is driven by his or her level of intrinsic motivation, which in turn is influenced by his or her level of interest in the subject matter. Interest in the subject matter has a great deal to do with the nature of intelligence, which is best explained by Howard Gardener's multiple intelligence theory. Gardener's theory maintains that all individuals posses at least eight relatively independent forms of intelligence. "The strength of each intelligence and the ways in which [they] interact to solve problems or fashion products," however, "can differ greatly across individuals, and across cultures as well" (McGilly, 1995; 108). The different combinations of intelligences housed within each student results in a diverse range of interests expressed among students. Within the nature of the learner there exists a relationship between a student's interest, intrinsic motivation, and desire to learn. A student with a high level of interest in a subject will also have a high level of intrinsic motivation, and thus will have a great desire to learn.

The educational philosophy known as progressivism is compatible with this view of the learner. "Progressivism favors the scientific method of teaching and learning, allows for the beliefs of individuals, and stresses programs of student involvement that help students learn how to think" (Johnson et al., 1994; 396). Because progressivism allows the student the opportunity to pursue his or her own beliefs, that student's level of interest in the subject matter is increased. This, as it turns

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