A philosophy of education is a statement of your beliefs as an educator. The philosophy of education answers questions like those posed by Mark Bailey (2003):

1. What is knowledge and understanding?
2. What is worth knowing?
3. What does it mean to learn?
4. How do you know that learning has taken place?
5. What should be the role of a teacher?
6. What should be a role of the student?
7. What is the ultimate purpose of education?
8. What are our core educational values?

In this assignment you are going to develop a teaching philosophy focusing on the core educational values you hold in relation to how children learn in general, how children with speech or language disabilities learn in particular and the role(s) of the teacher in supporting all learning.

This assignment is organized into three parts:

Part 1: Personal Learning History (10 Points)

Part 2: Reflections on Philosophical Orientations to Teaching and Learning (10 Points)

Part 3: Philosophy of Teaching (30 Points)

Part 1. Personal Learning History (10 points)

To begin to explore your personal teaching philosophy, you will first briefly map your educational history from preschool through higher education. Complete the chart below by briefly describing the types of schools you attended and how your experiences negatively or positively affect your view of the teaching profession. Once you have completed the chart, write a 1-2 paragraph response to the following prompt:

Prompt: Think about the experiences you have documented in the chart and what you read in chapter 4 of your textbook about how the social context of teaching informs what happens in schools. Briefly describe one or two of the social factors identified in the chapter that played a role in your learning and influenced your views of teachers.

Part 2. Reflections of Philosophical Orientations to Teaching and Learning (10 points)

You are going to read about different philosophical perspectives that influence teaching and learning by reading Chapter 7 of your textbook. Respond to the following two prompts:

1. Discuss which of the perspectives you read about align most closely with what you believe. You might find that there are elements of more than one philosophical orientation that aligns with your beliefs, but which orientation most represents your thinking?
2. In the chapter, you are presented with two differing views of teaching and learning that incorporate contrasting philosophical orientations: teacher-focused classrooms and student focused classrooms. You have been observing in a classroom and documented some of what you observed. Explain whether you believe the teacher in the classroom in which you observed has adopted a teacher focused or a student focused orientation, and provide specific evidence from your observations to support your position.

Part 3. Personal Philosophy of Teaching (30 points)

In part 3, you will write a 3-4 page, single spaced, philosophy of teaching. On page 186 of Introduction to Teaching,you will see an example of the personal philosophy of teaching of a second-grade teacher. You will include specific examples of teaching to support your philosophy statements – specific examples can be drawn from observations you have made in the field, examples from your online viewing of videos, and your text and its accompanying resources. Supporting your views with those of experts gives strength to your argument. It is appropriate to use the personal pronoun “I” in your philosophy e.g. “I believe…” or “I feel…”

Below are some questions to help guide your thinking before you begin to write. You do not need to answer all of the questions, and your philosophy statement should be a narrative and not a list of responses to questions. Use the philosophy statement on page 186 as a guide for how you might format your final philosophy statement.

• What are the core values & principles that guide my view of teaching?
• What do I believe children need to succeed in school and in life?
• What do I see as the role of a speech teacher in supporting student learning?

• As a speech teacher, how will I work with classroom teachers to support learners with speech and language disorders?
• What will be my role as a speech educator in communicating with families?
• What are my thoughts as a speech and language teacher on teaching content knowledge, i.e. literacy, math etc.?
• What are the teacher qualities that are important for me to possess?

Evaluation Criteria for Part 1: Personal Learning History

(10 Possible Points)

An exemplary Learning History contains all of the following:

1. A complete time line of schooling is provided.
2. Brief descriptions of the school provide a picture for the reader of the school population and school culture
3. Brief descriptions of experiences (negative and or positive) offer a clear picture of how the writer experienced his/her education across time and in different settings
4. Response to prompt demonstrates writer has made connections between his/her own experiences and the factors cited in the text.
5. Writing is free from errors.

Evaluation Criteria for Part 2: Reflections of Philosophical Orientations to Teaching and Learning

(10 Possible Points)

An exemplary reflection contains all of the following:

1. Writer includes substantive responses to both prompts 1 & 2.
2. The response to Prompt 1 conveys to the reader a clear idea of which philosophical orientation described in the text is aligned with the writer’s beliefs.
3. The response to Prompt 2 provides an accurate assessment of the focus (teacher or student) of the classroom that was observed in fieldwork.
4. Responses to Prompts 1 & 2 are grounded in convincing evidence that support the writer’s claims.
5. Writing is free from errors.

Evaluation Rubric for Section 3: Teaching Philosophy (30 Possible Points)

Types of philosophies found in the textbook

Progressivism, idealism, realism, pragmatism