EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY PAPER INSTRUCTIONS

You will write a 6-page paper (excluding title, abstract, and reference pages) in APA format outlining your beliefs about the purposes of education. Relate those beliefs to the content of this course, citing specific examples of educational thinkers and philosophies by way of comparison and contrast to your own. You are to include at least 6 references for this paper. SafeAssign will be used to evaluate the originality of your paper.

Carefully review the Educational Philosophy Paper Grading Rubric to ensure compliance with all standards. The following elements must be clearly defined throughout your paper using headings and subheadings:

Title Page

Consider the title of your paper to be your motto, slogan, or bumper-sticker version of your philosophy. It should be clear enough to give the reader some idea of what you believe about education. Include your name, ID number, course and section, and your instructor's name and be sure it follows the APA format.

Abstract

Write a 1-paragraph abstract that conveys your philosophy of education and would be what you would write on a job application in response to a request to "describe your philosophy of education." The abstract need not summarize all aspects of the paper but should correspond with the title and thesis statements. You may target your abstract to be appropriate for either a public or Christian school application.

Consider this an abridged version of your full philosophy statement, similar to a vision or mission statement. This would also be something similar to what you would write on an employment application, or would say in an interview when asked about your educational philosophy.

Introduction

In your introduction, present a strong thesis statement that conveys what you believe to be the purpose of education. The thesis statement should correspond to the title of the paper. Construct the remainder of the paper to support the thesis statement.

The best place for your thesis statement is the last sentence of the introduction. It serves as a transition to the rest of the paper.

Worldview & Philosophy of Life

This is what you know and believe about the world and life. This section should flow smoothly into and be consistent with your thoughts about schools and learning. How would you describe your view of life in general? How will your worldview influence your practice as an educator? Be sure to include appropriate Scriptures to support your worldview. (The questions listed below are strictly to provoke thought and to help you know how to focus your writing. Do NOT write your paper as a list of direct answers to these questions.)

Remember to include your beliefs by specifically addressing and citing the main types of philosophies (idealism, realism, neo-scholasticism, etc.):

• Metaphysics: What is ultimately real or true? What gives life purpose or meaning?

• Epistemology: Do students come to know reality?

• Axiology: What do you most value? What do you want your students to value most? What ethical principles will guide you?

Philosophy of Schools & Learning

This is what you know and believe about both schools and learning. It should connect with the previous section and flow smoothly into the next section about instructional practice. Identify and properly cite key theories from your courses that will impact your teaching. In this section describe the theories and in the next section discuss how you would practice the theory in your instructional methods. What are the purpose of schools? How will professional knowledge guide your practice? \ Refer to the knowledge base in teacher education that includes educational psychology, philosophy, and learning theory. Don't try to cover everything; just identify two or three key theories you espouse. From what specific professional knowledge will you draw in your practice? Whose theories, ideas, etc., are meaningful to you?

Explain your beliefs about education, comparing and contrasting them to historical figures studied in this course. Discuss your beliefs regarding educational trends and societal currents that affect education. You are encouraged to integrate content from Scripture and other courses as well.

Educational Practice

This is what you will implement in your practice. This section should flow smoothly from the previous one. In the previous section you should have identified and briefly discussed what theories you plan to implement. In this section you will explain how you will put those theories into practice. What pedagogical practices or methods will you tend to use most frequently? Why? What instructional strategies will you value and implement? What do you hope to accomplish by using these strategies?

Briefly explain how your life and/or educational experiences have shaped your philosophy of education. (Because this is not an autobiography, avoid long narratives.) Explain how your philosophy of education shapes, or will shape, your professional practices. Connect theory to practice.

Teacher-Learner Relationships

What is the role of the learner? What is the role of the teacher? How should they relate to each other and why? What does the Bible have to say about learners and teachers?

When constructing this section of your paper, remember not o simply answer these questions. They are only a guide to stimulate thought.

Diversity

What factors need to be taken into account by the teacher? How do factors of student diversity impact instruction? What does the Bible teach about how we should treat others, even (or especially) if they're different?

Conclusion

Conclude with a paragraph that ties your paper together and reinforces the main idea that presented in the thesis statement and title.

If you have other headings, or important information you want to include in your paper, be sure to include them before your conclusion. Other ideas you may want to consider are your calling to teaching, classroom management philosophy, assessment philosophy, parent role and the relationship with the teacher, current ethics issues in education.

Use the chart below to help you organize your thoughts:

Because this paper is made up of your personal views, it will be graded on how well you followed the rubric, supported your ideas and presented them in a clear, consistent manner. You may disagree with your instructor without penalty. Make sure you are careful in your use of APA format, grammar, and sentence structure. Check your spelling and have someone proof-read your paper for content and correctness.

Try not to dwell too much on your personal biographical or testimonial information. How you came to believe what you do is not as important as what you believe and your rationale for it.

You should use a variety of references when composing your paper. Do not use Wikipedia or other non-reliable resources. Possible sources include:

• Textbooks for this and other courses
• The Bible (although not cited on the reference page)
• Academic educational journals
• Scholarly websites
• Books you've read that influence your educational philosophy

This course uses SafeAssign to determine originality. No more than 15% of your paper should be made up of direct quotes. All direct quotes must be properly cited with page or paragraph numbers, appear in quotation marks, and longer block quotes must be indented (see APA). If you do not set off direct quotes in this manner and also fail to cite them; it is plagiarism. If the idea or fact is not your own, you must cite its source. When not directly quoting, summarize or analyze the idea in your own words, but still cite your source.

For help with proper grammar, or other writing tips, visit Liberty's Online Writing Center for assistance.