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In EDFI 408, students engage in a critical,
interdisciplinary examination of schooling in a pluralistic society. The
course introduces students to major theories, concepts, and issues of
contemporary education. The course's aim is for each student to
consider his/her role as an educator in a pluralistic society. Philosophy,
when directed toward education, can be understood as a systematic
consideration of education’s role in society and the particular values
and beliefs that impact one’s professional decisions. Thus, philosophy is
something you have constructed to guide your interpretations of the
teaching-learning process and your actions as an educator.
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| The development of educator professionalism involves
more than teaching content areas or implementing instructional methods and
activities. Educator professionalism entails a deeper understanding of the
three “V’s”:
 | the vision one holds about the role of the
school in society; |
| the values one has about teaching and
learning in a pluralistic society; and, |
| the venue (environment) one strives to
create and the ways one acts on his/her professional values. |
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| Articulating your educational philosophy is an
on-going process throughout your career. As a future teacher, you are asked to
consider your role as an educator in a society where people hold different
values and beliefs and come from diverse backgrounds (e.g., different
familial, ethnic, racial, class, political). The three-page educational
philosophy paper—a statement about your role as an educator in a pluralistic
society—is an important step towards your development as a professional
educator. Your educational philosophy paper will be composed of three
sections: Vision, Values, and
Venue. |
| Word count:
900-1200 words. |
| This is a
Key Assessment,
which means that you must upload it to your portfolio in addition to
submitting it through Blackboard. Either give me permission to see it (my
userID is sidorki), or provide other evidence that it has been uploaded. Your
grade for this paper is provisional until you prove that it has been entered
in your portfolio. Don't know how to use instructions on the upload can be
found in two places: here are the
short
directions. |
Personal Philosophy of Education Paper Framework
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The Central Question:
What should be the role of an educator in a pluralistic society?
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Vision:
What should be the role of schools in American society?
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Explain the role of schools in American
society. Choose one concept (e.g., equal opportunity, equity, democracy,
responsibility, accountability, autonomy, freedom, social justice or other) to
capture your vision of the role that schools should play in the United States.
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Values:
What are your professional values?
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Based on your vision, state your convictions/beliefs/principles
about teaching and learning in a pluralistic society. Identify and discuss your
professional values about teaching and learning and why those values are
important to you as an educator in a pluralistic society.
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Venue:
What will you do to enact your professional values?
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Based on your professional values, explain the kind of teaching
and learning environment you will create. What kind of environment (venue) and
instruction will facilitate the kind of learning and student achievement you
seek? What kind of classroom and school culture will demonstrate and support
your professional values? What kind of interactions will be valued in your
classroom? Considering your students’ needs, what academic, social, and physical
environment will help to support your vision of schooling in American society
and enable you to accomplish your specific goals as an educator?
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Personal Philosophy of Education Paper Assessment Criteria
Please
write, at the top of your paper, the
key concept you have chosen as the focus
for your paper.
50 pts. possible
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