1. Complete on-line worksheet
2. Define the philosophy you most closely identify with
3. Write a brief statement (approximately one page) of your philosophy
of education. 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
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
_____ 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.
_____ 2. The curriculum of the schools should focus on the great thinkers of the past.
_____ 3. Many students learn best by engaging in real-world activities rather than reading.
_____ 4. The students should be permitted to determine their own curriculum.
_____ 5. Material is taught effectively when it is broken down into small parts.
_____ 6. The curriculum of a school should be determined by information
that is essential for all
students to know.
_____ 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.
_____ 8. Schools should prepare students for analyzing and solving the
types of problems they
will face outside the classroom.
_____ 9. Reality is determined by each individual's perceptions. There
is no objective and
universal reality.
_____10. People are shaped much more by their environment than by their
genetic dispositions or
the exercise of their free will.
_____11. Students should not be promoted from one grade to the next
until they have read and
mastered certain key material.
_____12. An effective education is not aimed at the immediate needs of the students or society.
_____13. The curriculum of a school should be built around the personal
experiences and needs
of the students.
_____14. Students who do not want to study much should not be required to do so.
_____15. Programmed learning is an effective method of teaching information.
_____16. Academic rigor is an essential component of education. I
_____17. All students, regardless of ability, should study more or less the same curriculum.
_____18. Art classes should focus primarily on individual expression and creativity.
_____19. Effective learning is unstructured and informal.
_____20. Students learn best through reinforcement.
_____21. Effective schools assign a substantial amount of homework.
_____22. Education should focus on the discussion of tuneless questions
such as "What is
beauty?" or "What is truth?"
_____23. Since students learn effectively through social interaction,
schools should plan for
substantial social interaction in their curricula.
_____24. The purpose of school is to help students understand and find
the meaning of their
existence.
_____25. Frequent objective testing is the best way to determine what students know.
_____26. America must become more competitive economically with countries
such as Japan, and
schools have an affirmative obligation to bolster their academic requirements
in order to
facilitate such competition.
_____27. Students must be taught to appreciate learning primarily for
its own sake, rather than
because it will help them in their careers.
_____28. Schools must place more emphasis on teaching about the concerns
of minorities and
women.
_____29. Each person has free will to develop as he or she sees fit.
_____30. Reward students well for learning and they will remember and
be able to apply what
they learned, even if they were not led to understand why the information
is worth
knowing.
_____31. American schools should attempt to instill traditional American values in students.
_____32. Teacher-guided discovery of profound truths is a key method of teaching students.
_____33. Students should be active participants in the learning process.
_____34. There are no external standards of beauty. Beauty is what an individual decides it to be.
_____35. We can place a lot of faith in our schools and teachers to
determine which student
behaviors are acceptable and which are not.
_____36. Schools must provide students with a firm grasp of basic facts
regarding the books,
people, and events that have shaped the American heritage.
_____37. Philosophy is ultimately at least as practical a subject to study as is computer science.
_____38. Teachers must stress for students the relevance of what they
are learning to their lives
outside, as well as inside, the classroom.
_____39. It is more important for a student to develop a positive self-concept
than to learn
specific subject matter.
_____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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1. ________ | 2. ________ | 3. ________ | 4. ________ | 5. ________ |
| 6. ________ | 7. ________ | 8. ________ | 9. ________ | 10. _______ |
| 11. _______ | 12. _______ | 13. _______ | 14. _______ | 15. _______ |
| 16. _______ | 17. _______ | 18. _______ | 19. _______ | 20. _______ |
| 21. _______ | 22. _______ | 23. _______ | 24. _______ | 25. _______ |
| 26. _______ | 27. _______ | 28. _______ | 29. _______ | 30. _______ |
| 31. _______ | 32. _______ | 33. _______ | 34. _______ | 35. _______ |
| 36. _______ | 37. _______ | 38. _______ | 39. _______ | 40. _______ |