Philosophy and Goals
The philosophy of the PPM-UPRAg contextualizes the goals and objectives of the unit by providing diverse experiences that enable the teacher candidates to demonstrate their knowledge through critical analysis, inquiry, and synthesis. As a result, they will develop ethical values that will allow them to fulfill their potential in significant ways. The faculty of the PPM-UPRAg empowers teacher candidates to build connections between content areas and field experiences, integrating the principles established in our conceptual framework.
The program is grounded in the philosophical foundation that integrates the cognitive, humanistic, and constructivist principles and is committed to develop a knowledgeable, reflective, and transforming teacher. These theoretical foundations are based on the ideas, schools, and research of Piaget, Dewey, Vygotsky, and Brooks and Brooks, among others.
The philosophical principles that the PPM-UPRAg embraces are the following:
- Knowledge is an active process where the students are not just passive recipients of information, but active participants (Brooks and Brooks, 1999; Vygotsky, in Dunn, 2005).
- Cognitive process a result of the construction and interaction of the individuals with their environment (Piaget in Driscoll, 2000) to transform the teaching and learning experience in response to diverse cultural backgrounds and learning styles (Gardner, 2002)
- Awareness of ethical and aesthetic values (Kohlberg, in Santrock, 2006) and appreciation of the Puerto Rican society and its relationship with other cultures to promote social commitment and responsibility (Hostos, 1903).
- Educational technology, as an innovative tool for education, empowers the individual; therefore, the teacher candidates are skilled in using a variety of technologies in instruction, assessment, and in their own research and professional development (Wiens, 2005).
- Life-long learning is ingrained in the teacher candidates so that they are committed to pursue knowledge, reflect, inquire, and generate changes that will contribute to the student’s learning experiences (Stronge and Tucker, 2004).
- Cognitive development occurs as the individuals act on their ideas in societal settings and reflect on their own learning experiences (Dewey, in Gutek, 2004).