RecaEDUC 601 PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION PAPER

Write a paper that explains your educational philosophy. It might help you write if you consider
this paper as a potential source to use when you apply for work, explain your position to parents
and students during the opening of the school year, and/or a paper that helps you examine your
own professional development.

Your paper should be succinct - about five pages in length (1.5 line spacing). It should have an
introduction and conclusion. Use a 12 point font.

You should have a title page that includes your name, date, and information about your teaching
assignment and location (city and state). Provide a graphic that conveys some aspect of your
philosophy on the title page. The graphic could be an image, picture or symbol that represents
the theme of your paper.

The challenge is to effectively convey your beliefs and adequately develop and support them.
Your paper should be more than a “laundry list” of what you believe; rather, it should be a
compelling narrative that convinces the reader that you are clear about your philosophical
perspective on teaching and learning. Things you may want to address are your vision of
education, the purpose of education, why you teach, how education is best delivered,
management, discipline, motivation, what should be taught, where and when teaching and
learning should happen, teacher preparation, and needed resources. Review what you wrote in
earlier assignments that addressed philosophical issues and incorporate some of those ideas if
you still like them. You may want to consider how the Circle of Courage™ or Schools That
Matter and the key concepts and core values of those models find a place in your personal
philosophy of education. You may want to consider how you might incorporate Augustana
University’s key values of Christian, Liberal Arts, Excellence, Community and Service. There
are other philosophical models that you might use to help you frame your thoughts.

You are required to reference at least four sources as you write your philosophy. You may find it
useful to refer to the primary source readings, the textbooks used in this and other classes,
articles that help you think about your identified philosophy (i.e., progressivism,
reconstructionism, existentialism, perennialism, behaviorism, ). Use the American Psychological
Association (APA) style in citing your sources. Recall that you have access to Academic Writer.

I’ll be happy to address any questions you might have about this assignment.

Note scoring rubrics below:

 PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION PAPER SCORING GUIDE

Organization 0 to 10
points X 2
The paper adheres to the expected format that includes a title page with identifying information (course, date, =
name of writer, school name, city, state).
There is a graphic that promotes the theme of the paper.
There is an introduction and conclusion to the paper. The paper meets the length (approximately 5 pages) and
formatting expectations (1.5 spacing).
Content & Supportive Ideas 0 to 10
points X 5
The paper is clear and holds the reader’s attention all the way through. =
The writer uses the right amount of detail to make his/her important ideas clear.
The writer cites pertinent examples from his/her own personal and professional experiences.
The paper provides a compelling articulation of the writer’s philosophy.
The development of the ideas is inspiring.
The narrative is more than a mere listing of ideas or points.
The writer references at least four supportive resources.
There is a clear indication that the writer has incorporated ideas and readings from the course.
Sentence Fluency, Word Choice, Voice & Writing Conventions 0 to 10
points X 3
The paper is easy to read and understand. =
The sentence structure is varied.
The writing is natural, concise & professional.
The writer has carefully selected words to make the message clear in a sincere, individual, honest, and
professional manner—no slang or unprofessional language.
The paper is a “good read” with no glaring errors in writing conventions: punctuation, spelling, grammar,
capitalization and paragraphing.
The writer avoids creating a list of “I think” or “I believe” statements.
The APA style is correctly used in the paper and when citing the references.