Purpose Statement
My Pedagogic Presuppositions & Axioms
Success in my 23 years of teaching philosophy, to the degree there has been
any, is predicated on a few presuppositions and axioms that need to be stated,
and hopefully read, before examining my other articles here. If only other
professors would take the time to state their assumptions about their
philosophy of education then a lot of meaningless chatter could be eliminated.
For example, suppose a professor believes that students are witless and
powerless victims of a tyrannical regime instituted by old-dead-white-guys.
Then, I submit, this presupposition will make a substantive difference when you
ask that professor how to deal with any of the topics in this student success
seminar. If students are presumed witless victims then how can they be held
accountable for time management, note taking, classroom attention, or academic
success in general? What then, is the role of the professor, if any?
Therefore, I wish to state my presumptions at the root of my developing
philosophy of education that began many years ago.
Presumption #1: IF YOU'RE NOT IN FRONT OF MY FACE I ASSUME YOU HAVE AN ADULT
REASON FOR BEING SOMEWHERE ELSE. FINE! DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES.
Presumption #2: HIGHER EDUCATION IS A DIALOGUE OF IDEAS BETWEEN A PROFESSOR WHO
HAS SOMETHING TO PROFESS ABOUT AN ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE AND A STUDENT WHO HAS
SOMETHING TO STUDY ABOUT THAT SAME DISCIPLINE.
Presumption #3: THE PROPER GOAL OF THE PROFESSOR IS TO MAKE THE STUDENT BETTER
SKILLED THAN THE PROFESSOR IN A PARTICULAR ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE.
Presumption #4: THE PROPER GOAL OF THE STUDENT IS TO ACTUALLY BECOME BETTER
SKILLED THAN THE PROFESSOR IN A PARTICULAR ADADEMIC DISCIPLINE.
Presumption #5: THE PROFESSOR CAN NOT (AND SHOULD NOT) ENDOW THE STUDENT WITH
NECESSARY AND SUFFICIENT HUMAN SKILLS, ABILITIES, INTERESTS AND TEMPREMENTS
THAT CONSTITUTE A SUCCESSFUL STUDENT.
Presumption #6: THE PROFESSOR WILL ONLY SUCCEED WITH THE STUDENT IF THE
PROFESSOR MODELS A DYNAMIC, NEVER ENDING, EVER EXPANDING INQUIRY INTO A
"LIFE OF IDEAS".
From these presuppositions I derive the following:
My Pedagogic Axioms
Axiom #1: THE PROFESSOR HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO PUT THE STUDENTS "LIFE OF
IDEAS" AHEAD OF ALL OTHER ACADEMIC CONCERNS.
Axiom #2: THE PROFESSOR HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO RESPOND TO ANY REASONABLE
STUDENT REQUEST TO NUTURE THE STUDENT'S "LIFE OF IDEAS".
Axiom #3: THE PROFESSOR HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO GUIDE THE STUDENT'S DEVELOPMENT
TO A POINT WHERE THE PROFESSOR IS NO LONGER NEEDED TO CONTINUE THE STUDENT'S
"LIVE OF IDEAS".
With these stated presuppositions and axioms, I trust the other articles I
author here will be made more intelligible. I invite other professors to
profess themselves similarly and to profess their observations on my stated
pedagogy.
Mark McIntire
Philosophy Department
Santa Barbara City College
November 12, 1999
this web page was created
on 11/11/99 at 11:45:40 AM
and modified on 11/12/99 at 12:43:11 PM