Educational Philosophy for Teachers – EDUC 305

Course Description

This course addresses the role of philosophy in the classroom. Emphasis is placed on analysis of current religious and education trends, and major philosophies impacting education. *Please note, this course is not part of a program leading to eligibility of a Virginia state teaching license (or license in any other state). Individuals seeking to obtain a state teaching license should contact soelicensure@liberty.edu for recommended course options.

Rationale

In order to understand and present oneself clearly and consistently in the classroom, it is important to know what one believes about teaching and learning. Every teacher should be able to explain and defend his/her philosophy and explain how it differs from other philosophical positions. It is beneficial, if not imperative, for Christian educators to understand the philosophical and ideological issues that impact education.

Course Assignment

The candidate will read the assigned chapters, other readings and watch the lecture presentations associated with each module. Quizzes will come from this information. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the candidate is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each forum. Each thread must be 200 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge, including required readings, presentations and the Bible. In addition to the thread, the candidate is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply should be 100 words. Threads and replies should be formatted using current APA.

For each thread and reply, the instructions given in the post and reply prompts should be carefully followed. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

The candidate will complete an inventory designed to assist the student in discovering his/her personal views and preferences regarding philosophy of education. (CLO: D, E)

The candidate will be assigned to 1 of 7 educational philosophies. Individually, each candidate will create 1 teaching tool that helps others learn about the core tenets of the educational philosophy chosen. A comparison of the assigned philosophy to Biblical principles should be included. 3 citations from 3 sources in addition to the Bible are required in current APA format. (CLO: A, B, C, D)

The candidate will write a 3-4-page paper to convey his/her understanding of a biblical worldview and a Christian philosophy of education. Also, the implications of these principles in his/her application to educational practice should be discussed. This paper must be in current APA format and include a minimum of 4 references in addition to the Bible.  (CLO: B, C, D, E)

This is the benchmark assignment. The candidate will write a 4-5-page paper (not including the title page, abstract, and references page) describing his/her personal philosophy of education. This paper must be in current APA format and include a minimum of four references in addition to the Bible. (CLO: B, C, D, E)

The candidate will write 5 brief paragraphs (50-100 words each) on evidence to support his/her practice of each of the School of Education SCRIP dispositions (Social Responsibility, Commitment/Work Ethic, Reflection, Integrity, and Professionalism). The candidate will submit the paragraphs through a quiz which will have 5 short answer questions and a time limit of 1 hour. (CLO: B, C, D, E)

SchoolSims Quizzes (6)

The candidate will complete six interactive scenarios. After viewing each scenario, the candidate will generate their Feedback Report from the simulation and then complete a five-question, multiple-choice quiz. The candidate will also be prompted to upload and submit their Feedback Report for the simulation. (CLO: B, D)

The candidate will take a quiz each module throughout the course, covering the assigned text and presentations. Each quiz is open book/open note and has a time limit of 1 hour. Each quiz will consist of 17-20 multiple-choice, true/false, or short answer questions. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)