I find that I most closely identify with a blend of empiricism, pragmatism, and constructivism, although I don't agree completely with any of them. I think there is an objective reality existing independently from our beliefs and perceptions, but as we have no means to access that reality, it becomes irrelevant and our beliefs and perceptions govern how we interact with our environment and each other.

I believe that our personalities are built by our environment, our past experiences, and whatever physiological factors create our brain structure. We start out by reacting to stimuli, just like training a puppy, and what we perceive as our sentience and intelligence is built from that foundation. Our natural tendency to move towards what makes us happy and pull away from what makes us unhappy guides our more complex needs and desires.

I believe our ability to learn is tightly wound with our desire to do so. The available knowledge is vast, but any part of it is only learned efficiently when the learner is motivated to concentrate on it. This is easy when a student has a genuine interest in or curiosity about the subject, but this is not often then case. Most of the time, it is not enough to know for the sake of knowing -- learners have to know why they should make the effort. What will I gain from learning what this class has to offer? Motivating students will also encourage them to be persistent in tackling new or confusing ideas.

To encourage learning, teachers should: