Philosophy of Education Assignment Directions

Philosophy of Education Assignment Directions (100 points) 1. First, you will complete the activity below. This will assist you in determining your educational philosophy. What Is Your Philosophy of Education? Each of us has a philosophy of education or a set of fundamental beliefs regarding how we think schools should be run. What is your philosophy of education? To find out, read each of the following statements about the nature of education. Decide whether you agree or disagree with each statement. Use the following numbers to express your response :   5 Agree Strongly   4 Agree   3 Neutral   2 Disagree   1 Disagree Strongly __4___ 1. The curriculum of the schools should be subject-centered. In particular, student learning should be centered around basic subjects such as reading, writing, history, math, and science. ___3__ 2. The curriculum of the schools should focus on the great thinkers of the past. ___5__ 3. Many students learn best by engaging in real-world activities rather than reading. __4___ 4. The students should be permitted to determine their own curriculum. ___5__ 5. Material is taught effectively when it is broken down into small parts. ___5__ 6. The curriculum of a school should be determined by the information that is essential for all students to know. ___2__ 7. Schools, above all, should develop students' abilities to think deeply, analytically, and creatively; this is more important than developing their social skills or providing them with a useful body of knowledge about our ever-changing world. ___4__ 8. Schools should prepare students for analyzing and solving the types of problems they will face outside the classroom.

___5__ 9. Reality is determined by each individual's perceptions. There is no objective and universal reality. ___4__10. People are shaped much more by their environment than by their genetic dispositions or the exercise of their free will. __3___11. Students should not be promoted from one grade to the next until they have read and mastered certain key material. ___5__12. An effective education is not aimed at the immediate needs of the students or society. ___5__13. The curriculum of a school should be built around the personal experiences and needs of the students. ___2__14. Students who do not want to study much should not be required to do so. ___2__15. Programmed learning is an effective method of teaching information. __3___16. Academic rigor is an essential component of education.           I ___3__17. All students, regardless of ability, should study more or less the same curriculum. ___5__18. Art classes should focus primarily on individual expression and creativity. ___4__19. Effective learning is unstructured and informal. __4___20. Students learn best through reinforcement. __1___21. Effective schools assign a substantial amount of homework.   __2___22. Education should focus on the discussion of tuneless questions such as "What is beauty?" or "What is truth?" __5___23. Since students learn effectively through social interaction, schools should plan for substantial social interaction in their curricula. __3___24. The purpose of school is to help students understand and find the meaning of their existence. ___1__25. Frequent objective testing is the best way to determine what students know.

___1__40. Learning is more effective when students are given frequent tests to determine what they have learned. Now that you have responded to all 40 items, write the number of your response to each statement in the spaces below. Add the numbers in each column to determine your attitudes toward key educational philosophies. A Essentialism B Perennialism C Progressivism D Existentialism E Behaviorism 1. ____4____ 2. ____3____ 3. ___5_____ 4. __4______ 5. ____5____ 6. ___5_____ 7. ___2_____ 8. ___4_____ 9. ___5_____ 10. ___4____ 11. ___3____ 12. ___5____ 13. __5_____ 14. ____2___ 15. ___2____ 16. ___3____  17. ___3____ 18. ___5____ 19. ____4___ 20. ___4____ 21. ____1___ 22. __2_____ 23. ___5____ 24. __3_____ 25. ___1____ 26. __3_____ 27. ____4___ 28. ___2____ 29. ___5____ 30. ___2____ 31. __4_____ 32. ___3____ 33. ___5____ 34. ___5____ 35. ___3____ 36. ____4___ 37. __4_____ 38. ___4____ 39. __4_____ 40. ___1____ These scores, in columns A through E respectively, represent how much you agree or disagree with the beliefs of five major educational philosophies : essentialism, perennialism, progressivism, existentialism, and behaviorism.  The higher your score, the more you agree with philosophers who represent that viewpoint. The highest possible score in any one area is 40, and the lowest possible score is 8.  Scores in the mid to high 30s indicate strong agreement, and scores below 20 indicate disagreement with the tenets of a particular philosophy. Compare your five scores. What is your highest?  What is your lowest? Essentialism – 27, Perennialism – 29, Progressivism – 35, Existentialism – 32, Behaviorism - 22 2. Define the philosophy (above) you most closely identify with ( You may find the definition online ). Progressivism is a student-centered philosophy that believes that ideas should be tested by experimentation, and learning comes from finding answers from questions . 3. Using the required template, write a brief paper (approximately two to three double-spaced pages) on your philosophy of education. Be sure to write in Times New

Roman Font, size 12, and do a spell and grammar check before submitting paper in the required dropbox. You may use person-first language, meaning, “I”. Be sure to include your ideas on: behavior objectives/outcomes discipline/classroom management creating a learning environment grading lesson plans homework learning styles of students curriculum parent-teacher relationships teaching methods 4. Submit your paper in the required dropbox by the due date. Due dates are on syllabus calendar.