...Philosophy of Education This paper focuses on my personal philosophy of education. Many educators cringe when they hear people ask what their philosophy of education is. This paper offers techniques and strategies that educators can implement when writing their personal philosophies. Also included in this paper are my belief statements on my personal philosophy on education. Lastly, my paper discusses the influences that have helped shaped my philosophy on education. “Your personal philosophy is not just a written statement. It is a perspective that involves your beliefs and values and becomes the basis from which you make decisions about what is important and about your role as an educator” (Armstrong, Henson, & Savage, 2009, p. 278). Through experience and research I wholeheartedly believe that developmentally appropriate practice is the best model for early childhood education. Children learn exceptionally well when in an environment that encourages play and exploration. Being a part of a preschool program it is my goal that the environment should provide experiences that are interactive and engaging for the age levels of the children it serves. Play is a powerful tool that benefits children’s intellectual, social, emotional, physical and language development. Writing a teaching philosophy can be a very daunting task, Montell (2003) suggests, “reflecting on what you don't like can give you insights about what you do like," and that...
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...Learned? Discovering and choosing a online program that fulfills all of my needs was a rigorous yet exciting task. The penn foster clearly emerged as the best choice for me and I, as a great match comparatively with other high school programs. After visiting the website, reading the information pamphlet, and researching the online high school program Web site, I realize that penn foster offers what I hope to gain from my college experience. In return, I will contribute to the penn foster as a person with leadership qualities who takes initiative and enjoys participating in school events. Through this course, I have learned about everything that I need to succeed in my life. Now that I have a clear understanding of the key terms I am ready to answer the question at hand. The knowledge that I have acquired from many different courses dealing with the general cause and principles of things is that I must be clear on my terms. I believe that this is the most important part of succeding. If I attempt to answer this or any other question without a clear understanding of the key terms I might incorrectly analysis the question. I can not deal with the general cause and principles of things if I’m not clear on their exact meaning. I have also acquired knowledge about others personal attitude. I have learned that there are many different Philosophies one can have, and that one should not prejudge on that Philosophy. I have learned that in most people’s minds they are right. There are...
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...Women in Philosophy To start off writing about women in philosophy let me brief out on what philosophy is basically. Philosophy something that it’s a starting line for all the questions that need answers, need critical thinking to solve or trying to solve new concepts, basically humanity’s unanswered questions. Philosophy is a natural and true response of human being’s to the mystery, curiousness, wonder and uncertainly of life. We had seen and heard many male philosophers since ancient times till now. And many of them are very successful in their field and very well recognized. But why women philosophers have not received the same notoriety as male philosophers? I always get disappointed that why there are no importance for women philosophers in our society. If you search internet you cannot find more than hundred names, although women philosophers have also been contributed since ancient times. Even today, there are more men than women who teach philosophy in colleges and universities. Yet, women are, and always been philosophers, even if they don’t get credit for it. For example, Hypatia of Alexandria was the first woman astronomer, mathematician and a philosopher along with Plato and Aristotle. Simone de bouvior, an intellectual, existentialist philosopher and a French writer. Susan Sontag, American writer and a cultural icon and well known political activists. I call them history hidden philosophers because they were in shadows. One of the great philosopher is Agnes Heller...
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...My current teaching philosophy incorporates motivation, commonality, other’s characteristics, making a difference, and relevance, as well as, values, the learning environment, and student/teacher relationship. First, I think the subject that is being taught should motivate the instructor. Knowing what one’s motivation is will enable a continuous cycle of success in student/teacher interaction. A motivated instructor learns as much as possible about the subject and passes it on to the student. In turn, the student is motivated to apply what is learned. A motivated instructor motivates the student. Ultimately, this will be a common occurrence. Teaching should maneuver the learning system in ways that cause students to accept a profound learning approach in an effort to achieve the course's requirements, allowing the desired course learning results (Myers & Nulty, 2008). Additionally, teaching should be designed by collecting information and formulating various decisions about how the course will be taught (Fink, 2003). The characteristics of others tend to spill over into one’s own teaching methods. Various characteristics of instructors from past experience are of significant worth. The traits of simplicity, clarity, supportiveness, and provision help create an environment conducive to effective learning. For instance the use of simple and clear instructions aides the student in efficiently completing assignments. The support and provision of the instructor shows...
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...head: PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 1 Philosophy of Education Exploring Different Aspects of My Philosophy of Education Brenda Jo Stone Western Kentucky University Author Note This paper was prepared for Teacher Leader 530, A70, taught by Professor Huss. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 2 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to define my educational philosophy so I may better understand the direction I take as an educator. The three educational philosophies I will investigate are essentialism, perennialism, and progressivism. The revelations I hope to disclose by this pursuit of fully comprehending my own personal philosophy of education will help me become a better teacher. It is through recognizing what compels my teaching methods that will allow me to see clearly the path I am taking as a teacher. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 3 Exploring Different Aspects of My Philosophy of Education There are three educational philosophies that I would like to explore deeper to better grasp where my own philosophy of education is rooted. I took the Inventory of Philosophies of Education and found that my responses to the questions lead me to determine that my philosophy of education is a combination of essentialism, perennialism, and progressivism (Sadker & Zittleman, 2009, p.186). These philosophies shape how I approach teaching, classroom management, group dynamics, and curriculum development. It is essential for me as an educator to understand what drives my teaching...
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...Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper Author: Jim Pryor, Princeton University [pic] Philosophical writing is different from the writing you'll be asked to do in other courses. Most of the strategies described below will also serve you well when writing for other courses, but don't automatically assume that they all will. Nor should you assume that every writing guideline you've been given by other teachers is important when you're writing a philosophy paper. Some of those guidelines are routinely violated in good philosophical prose (e.g., see the guidelines on grammar, below). Contents • What Does One Do in a Philosophy Paper? • Three Stages of Writing o Early Stages o Write a Draft o Rewrite, and Keep Rewriting • Minor Points • How You'll Be Graded What Does One Do in a Philosophy Paper? 1. A philosophy paper consists of the reasoned defense of some claim Your paper must offer an argument. It can't consist in the mere report of your opinions, nor in a mere report of the opinions of the philosophers we discuss. You have to defend the claims you make. You have to offer reasons to believe them. So you can't just say: My view is that P. You must say something like: My view is that P. I believe this because... or: I find that the following considerations...provide a convincing argument for P. Similarly, don't just say: Descartes says that Q. Instead...
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...sudden flash of inspiration. I already knew that I enjoyed Baldwin's works more than any others we have read in class so far: Rodriguez's writing I found to be dull and victimized; Jacobs's was precisely an explanation of how bad slaves lives were and nothing more; and although Virginia Woolf's writings were not painful to read the overall style left me feeling dreamy and disconcerted (after a while all those semicolons got to me). Baldwin's writing had not only content, but a reflection upon it that I found interesting to read. He offered a fresh perspective, analyzing the social history of America and its causes. It is very interesting to read the sections discussing the concept of fighting poison by using poison, and the section discussing the choice of amputation or gangrene. Rather than throw up his hands in despair and say, "Life's not fair that I must choose between amputation and gangrene," he analyzes the benefits and trade-offs. All this I knew before reading his Autobiographical Notes, but while I read them I was suddenly struck with a very powerful revelation. I realized that I liked his writings because I found in him the same philosophy I have adopted. I immediately wondered if there was a connection between our philosophies and the fact that we were both minorities. I'm curious as to how much of the similarities in our philosophies can be attributed to being minorities, and how many differences can be explained by the fact that we are from two different minorities...
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...My name is Amanda Beckford I am a Poet and a Writer. I was born in Homerton Hospital in Hackney on the 15th of December 1987. I’ve lived in East London all my life. I went to three different Primary schools. I remember always finishing my work before the others, and then becoming bored and making trouble. Even now, I never sit still, I’m always multi-tasking. I didn’t speak perfect English but Jamaican patois, and being of mixed ethnicity seemed to cause conflict. I didn’t look or sound, like the regular black-British girl. I was taunted at school. I’ve been included in every ‘coolie’ joke under the sun. Being sensitive, I found that these comments began to affect my behaviour over the next few years. At home, and back home, I was a Jamaican-Indian, not a hard-working Indian slave or an ‘unskilled labourer’ as the word suggests. My parents reassured me that it was just people hadn’t come across people that looked like me, that I was no different. Yet I felt different, and had little real friends. This made me want to research my family history and my ancestors. I wanted to know who I really was, and where my people came from, and why I looked different. At secondary school I became very active. I was a member of the student council, l and became the president for three years. I also got into youth parliament and debated at Cambridge University. I began to explore human rights, and learnt how to argue and fight for a good cause, to make change. I felt I had the skills from...
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...Reading Philosophies Tammie Johnson Grand Canyon University: EED 470 December 12, 2012 Reading Philosophies One of the biggest issues that teachers continue to face in public schools is teaching students how to read. With the No Child Left Behind act in place, teachers are being required to use different approaches to get the students more involved in their learning process. In this essay we will discuss two philosophies that are being used in schools today, and those philosophies are Constructivism and Explicit Instruction. Teaching strategies have long generated debate and ideological controversy, especially as to ‘best practice’. Two clear orientations have provided the basis for this controversy: direct (or explicit) instruction, and student-centered constructivist approaches ((Rowe, 2006, p. 1). In order to develop good reading skills, the teacher must first determine which philosophy will benefit his or her students in the classroom. From a constructivist view, the teacher would use a student-centered approach and the students would learn by constructing their own knowledge and meaning through the use of hands-on and problem solving activities. Also from a constructivist standpoint the classroom environment would consist of open discussion about various topics that would build a foundation for reading on what the students already know by sharing their personal experiences through writing personal journals and narratives. Also in a constructivist classroom the student...
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...Personal Educational Philosophy One’s personal educational philosophy reflects one’s beliefs about instruction and curriculum. Those beliefs are the result of personal preference, level of training, and individual understandings about how children learn. Additionally, the teaching environment influences one’s philosophy; there are certain non-negotiable aspects of both curriculum and instruction that are under the control of district, state and federal administrations. My own philosophy is no different, my beliefs and understandings have grown and changed as I gained experience. Certain requirements of my school and public schools in general have affected my philosophy; I have adapted and modified for what is, to make my philosophy compatible with reality. The results of my philosophy assessment, as seen on the chart below, did not surprise me. My beliefs fit into pattern four (Wiles, Bondi, & Sowell, 2002) which in my case is an inverted “U” shape. That I appear to have strong beliefs in different systems is consistent with my own understandings of philosophy. Perennialism is the weakest strand of my philosophy, closely followed by idealism, which suggests that I do not agree with highly structured teacher directed learning. Interestingly, my beliefs regarding realism and existentialism nearly equally flank my strongest beliefs which fall into the experimentalism category. Since I view experimentalism as a combination of realism and existentialism, the pattern seems to...
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...HARVARD COLLEGE Writing Center WRITING CENTER BRIEF GUIDE SERIES A Brief Guide to Writing the Philosophy Paper The Challenges of Philosophical Writing The aim of the assignments in your philosophy classes is to get you doing philosophy. But what is philosophy, and how is it to be done? The answer is complicated. Philosophers are often motivated by one or more of what we might call the “Big Questions,” such as: How should we live? Is there free will? How do we know anything? or, What is truth? While philosophers do not agree among themselves on either the range of proper philosophical questions or the proper methods of answering them, they do agree that merely expressing one’s personal opinions on controversial topics like these is not doing philosophy. Rather, philosophers insist on the method of first attaining clarity about the exact question being asked, and then providing answers supported by clear, logically structured arguments. An ideal philosophical argument should lead the reader in undeniable logical steps from obviously true premises to an unobvious conclusion. A negative argument is an objection that tries to show that a claim, theory, or argument is mistaken; if it does so successfully, we say that it refutes it. A positive argument tries to support a claim or theory, for example, the view that there is genuine free will, or the view that we should never eat animals. Positive philosophical arguments about the Big Questions that are ideal are extremely hard to construct...
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...Teaching Philosophy for Business Teaching especially in Business, I am always strain to move forward the simple expressing of facts and knowledge or even the training of certain skills. Instead, teachers in a liberal arts environment have the broad responsibility of serving as guide and mentor on an intellectual journey, opening and extending curious minds by exposing them to new thoughts and ideas. As education helps expand the students’ horizon and forces them to critically examine their values, goals, and ideals, they learn to sympathize and empathize with others of different backgrounds. This enables them to come fully into their own as human beings who can share the common secure of humanity with other world citizens as they retain and value their prominent and separate identities. Students can afford the opportunity to confront new ideas and different points of views in classroom, all the while increasing their abilities to discuss and defend their own positions both in discussions and in writing. In my composition class this translates into an interactive, group-oriented classroom that focuses in equal amounts on the three components of critical thinking, reading, and writing. “It is now generally conceded that the art of thinking critically is a major missing link in education today, and that effective communication and problem-solving skills, as well as mastery of content, require critical thinking. It is also generally recognized that the ability to think critically...
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...Philosophy of Education As a high schooler, I can remember numerous times asking my literature and writing teacher “Why do I need to learn this?” She would just laugh and tell me again that in the future I would need good, efficient writing skills. She was right. She was lecturing and educating me on proper nouns and sentence structure. Sometimes I would say, “This is so boring!” but today I realize she was preparing me for the future. I believe that my philosophy of education is a mix of essentialism and progressivism. Students need the basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic and should be tested on these essential skills but I think that they learn best in a progressive environment where learning these skills are through problem solving and guided discovery. In my hypothetical American History class, I want students to not just methodically memorize material but to question why certain events happened and how they may have shaped today’s society? How did the past influence the future? Rather than just reading material and lecturing on it, I want students to apply the material to their everyday lives. One way would be assigning small groups a certain time period in American History and giving them a list of questions that they would have to search for the answers. Then they would be required to present their findings to the class where a question and answer session would be available afterward. Engaging students in learning essential skills would be my focus....
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...Karl Heinrich Marx Week 10 Final Assignment Strayer University SOC 300 Sociology of Developing Countries Professor Muhammad Terry Cheek 6/13/2013 I have decided to write a paper on Karl Marx because I think some of his views were interesting and had some truth to it but only to a certain degree. I am just voicing my opinion on his views and I think when reading about his ideals and philosophies you have to keep in mind that the world was a different place at that time also. I do believe he was a brilliant man and had a huge amount of courage to continue to write what he believed in even though it brought a great deal of hardships into his life. I will briefly discuss his upbringings, his education, philosophies, and some of the literature he wrote. I urge anyone to read his works and learn more about him as a person before passing judgment on him. Karl Heinrich Marx was one of nine children born to Heinrich and Henrietta Marx in Trier, Prussia. His father was a successful lawyer who revered Kant and Voltaire, and was a passionate activist for Prussian reform. Although both parents were Jewish with rabbinical ancestry, Karl’s father converted to Christianity in 1816 at the age of 35. This was likely a professional concession in response to an 1815 law banning Jews from high society. He was baptized a Lutheran, rather than a Catholic, which was the predominant faith in Trier, because he “equated Protestantism with intellectual freedom.” When he was 6, Karl was baptized...
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...Intro to Philosophy. Essay 1 What am I doing in this class? And how if at all. Do I think studying philosophy might benefit me. An introduction to Western Philosophy by Donald Palmer. I will attempt to answer three basic questions with this essay. What is Philosophy, What are the origins of Philosophy and why am I studying Philosophy today. Therefore my main reason for studying philosophy is to expand my knowledge and live the good life. What is philosophy? Philosophy, the Greek Word for "love of wisdom," has been defined in a variety of ways, one of which is the notion that philosophy is the rational attempt to formulate, understand, and answer fundamental questions (Voices of Wisdom). What makes people partake in philosophy. It is philosophy that we turn to when we have the need to seek out a guiding principle for our lives. Therefore, philosophy holds a prominent place in society and in the world. Basically, everyone is a philosopher, but it takes the creative genius and reasoning of brilliant thinkers to bring about earth-shattering concepts. Like Thales,Socrates,Plato and Aristotle to name a few. What are the origins of Philosophy? Philosophy started when human beings started to ask questions, about how and what things are actually, due to curiosity. The things that caused these questions to come about were the people started to realize that everything is not exactly what it appears to be. Philosophy started...
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