ED 500: Personal Philosophy of Education Essay
In ED 500, you are required to develop your own personal philosophy of education. This activity will require you to think critically about your beliefs and your role as a teacher. You may be asked to provide your teaching philosophy to potential employers when applying for future jobs, so you should keep your essay and revise it over time as you see fit.
In reflecting upon your personal philosophy of education, you should consider beliefs and positions regarding the learner, teacher, classroom climate, subject matter, and assessments. Keeping these topics in mind, respond to the questions listed below to help you understand your innermost beliefs about schooling, teaching, and learning. A strong personal philosophy education essay will include examples and evidence that you put your philosophy into practice in the classroom. The essay should not be an abstract activity – it should truly be personal.
Personal Philosophy of Education Content Requirements
Your essay should provide answers to the following questions:
· What are the broad goals of education and how can they best be met?
· What are your personal goals and hopes for your students, and how can you help them achieve those goals?
· In your opinion, what kinds of knowledge and skills are most important for your students to learn? How can students gain that knowledge and skills, and what is your role in the process? This answer should relate, at least in part, to the grade level and subject matter that you teach.
· Will you consciously promote specific values in your classroom? If so, what values? If not, why not?
· What kind of environment do you strive to create in your classroom? How do you create this type of environment? How does that ideal environment relate to your beliefs about students and learning?
· What is diversity and why is it important? What steps can you take to ensure that diversity is celebrated in your classroom? What steps do you take to include diverse parents in their children’s education?
· After reading about the five philosophies of education in Chapter 6 (
See Overview 6.1), which do you think is most aligned with your personal philosophy of education? Why? Be specific here. Does the philosophy fit perfectly? Are there some elements you don’t agree with? Provide specific examples of how this philosophy is evident in your personal philosophy.
Personal Philosophy of Education Essay Formatting Requirements
· Your essay must be typed in Word, 12-point font, 1” margins on all sides, double spaced, and at least five pages in length (excluding title page and references). Your essay, not including the title page and references, should not exceed 8 pages.
· Your essay should be written in the first-person perspective.
· No abstract is required, but you should include a title page.
· Since this essay reflects your personal philosophy of education, citations are not required. If you paraphrase or quote material from the textbook or other sources; however, you must use APA format and include a reference list.
· Use direct quotes sparingly. This is your personal philosophy of education; I want to know what your thoughts are.
· You do not have to answer the questions in the order they are listed; however, your essay must be organized in a way that allows the reader to clearly see your answers to each question.
For a full description of the grading scale for article summaries in this course, see the Personal Philosophy of Education Essay Rubric that is posted in Blackboard.
