A personal reflective statement about your philosophy of education

DESCRIPTION OF TASK – Even if we are not consciously aware of it, every teacher practitioner has their own version of a philosophy of education of practical theory that influences every decision they make. Usually these statements are personal, contextual, dynamic and context driven, and based on a unique mixture of beliefs, values, principles, rules, theories, research and so on. As a result your task is to develop and write a personal reflective statement about your own philosophy of education that is informed – as much as possible – by the following: the contribution of well-known educational philosophers and thinkers, relevant theories found within literature that may have been adopted and adapted, your own personal experiences and reflections from placement in a school.

 

 

There are two criteria’s that must be addressed

Criteria 1 – Statement of personal philosophy of education (worth 20 marks)

Develop a personal reflective statement about your philosophy of education that engages with the authors own beliefs, values, principles, rules, theories and so on that will inform future teaching.

 

 

Criteria 2 – Examination and defence of personal philosophical stance (worth 10 marks)

An original, thorough and insightful personal reflective statement about your philosophy of education which demonstrates the ability to make critical connections between theory and practice by use of relevant theories found within the literature that may have been adopted and adapted as well as experiences from your own work experience practicum from earlier this year (you can make this up or leave me a message and I can provide you with information)

 

 

Useful resourses for the completion of this task –

 

Beatty, J. E., Leigh, J. S. A., & Dean, K. L. (2009). Philosophy rediscovered: Exploring the connection between teaching philosophies, educational philosophies, and philosophy. Journal of Management Education, 33(1), 99–114.

 

Dewey, J. (1966). My Pedagogic Creed. In F. W. Garforth (Ed.), John Dewey Selected Educational Writings (pp. 43–59). London: Heinemann. (Originally published in 1897).

 

Goodyear, G., & Allchin, D. (1998). Statements of teaching philosophy. In M. Kaplan & D. Lieberman (Eds.), To improve the academy: Resources for faculty, instructional, and organizational development (pp. 103-122). Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press.

 

Van Note Chism, N. (1997-1998). Developing a philosophy of teaching statement. Essays on Teaching Excellence, 9(3), 1-2.

 

 

Winch, C. (2012). For philosophy of education in teacher education. Oxford Review of Education, 38(3), 305–322.

 

Winch, C., Oancea, A., & Orchard, J. (2015). The contribution of educational research to teachers’ professional learning: philosophical understandings. Oxford Review of Education, 41(2), 202–216.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Save a copy of this template to your computer and work on your statement as frequently as possible. Just remember that this is a dynamic document and will constantly change as you attend lectures and tutorials, complete professional placement (practicum), read things, speak to teachers, and so on.

 

Start developing your philosophy of education by reflecting on some of the following questions:

 

• How do your beliefs and values influence your understanding of education and teaching practice?

 

• How does knowledge of well-known educational philosophers and thinkers, relevant theories found within the literature, educational research, your own personal experiences from your placement, and so on help shape your understanding of education and inform your practice of teaching?

 

• How does knowledge of learners and learning theories help inform an understanding of education and informs your teaching practice?

 

 

Some suggested components:

• Conceptualisation of learning

 

• Conceptualisation of teaching

 

• Grounded in a tradition of educational philosophical and theory

 

• Personally meaningful to the author