Foundations of Education – EDUC 604

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

This course is a comprehensive survey of the historical development of education. Emphasis is placed on American education and the emergence of the Christian School Movement.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

Professional educators should have an understanding of the historical and philosophical foundations of education so that they can evaluate educational trends, articulate their own personal philosophies of education in context of existing theories, and practice the profession with intentionality.

Course Assignment

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

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the candidate must provide a thread for each discussion, presenting a thought-provoking question for the rest of the class. In addition to the thread, the candidate must reply to 2 classmates’ threads. Replies must go beyond simple agreement by extending discussion of the topic. Each thread must be a minimum of 200 words, and each reply must be a minimum of 100 words. All writing must comply with current APA format, including in-text citations and references. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H)

There are 2 pre-writing submissions in this course. They are to be at least 300 words each and are portions of two papers: (1) the Biblical Worldview Paper and (2) the Educational Philosophy Paper. Each submission will be peer-reviewed in Discussions. The candidate must reply to 2 classmates’ posts with a response of at least 100 words for each. Replies are to be in the form of a meaningful peer review. Comment on strengths of the content and the mechanical structure of the paragraph.  Be specific. Also, make constructive suggestions. If a point is unclear, kindly point out how it might be made clearer. If the paragraph goes off topic, state how it does so. Research indicates that participating in peer reviews helps both the writer and the reviewer improve, so please receive the peer reviews with a teachable spirit. (CLO: B, F)

After receiving an e-mail from ProEthica with access information, the candidate must complete the online scenarios. ProEthica is not a required product purchase, but is already included in the course fee for this course. The candidate will be registered for ProEthica by Liberty University through Educational Testing Services. The candidate will receive an e-mail notification of the access information. The candidate must complete 7 different scenarios and submit a Certificate of Completion; these requirements are divided up between 2 separate assignment submissions. (CLO: F)

The candidate must write a 4-page paper in current APA format that conveys their understanding of what is meant by a biblical worldview and a Christian philosophy of education. Also, the candidate is to discuss the implications of these principles in their application to educational practice. Page length requirement begins with the introductory paragraph and ends with the conclusion; it includes neither the title page nor the reference page. The font must be 10-12 points in size and in Times New Roman with no extra lines or spaces throughout. In addition to the Bible, cite a minimum of 4 references that represent the body of literature supporting and explaining biblical worldview and Christian philosophy of education. No more than 10% of the paper is to include direct quotes; therefore, the candidate must do much more summarizing and paraphrasing than quoting. Citations are required both for direct quotes and for summarized ideas drawn from references. (CLO: B)

The candidate must write 5 statements on each of the School of Education SCRIP dispositions: Social Responsibility, Commitment/Work Ethic, Reflection, Integrity, and Professionalism. The instructor’s assessment will include a review of the assignment submission and also consideration of how the candidate displayed the dispositions throughout the course.  (CLO: F)

This paper is to be 5 pages long from the introductory paragraph to the conclusion, which does not count the title page, abstract, or reference pages. This paper is a statement of the candidate's personal philosophy of education. The candidate's stated purpose of education is to emphasize the long-range impact that education should have on individuals and on society—the outcome of education. When conveying the philosophy, the student is to focus on its outcome rather than on the methods, practices, instruction, or classroom activities. As an academic paper, it is to be supported by the body of knowledge in the field, which is to include references to the literature from educational philosophy, psychology, curriculum, and learning theory. Treat this as a position statement, a persuasive paper. Make declarative statements of “ought” and “should.” Use current APA format, and include a minimum of 4 references. (CLO: A, B, C, H)

The candidate must take 8 quizzes corresponding to Topics 1–8 in the Faith, Freedom, and Public Schools Online Module. Each quiz will consist of 5 questions and have a 10-minute time limit. The quizzes will be open-book/open-note. (CLO: D, G, H)

Five open-book/open-notes quizzes are assigned during this course. Each quiz will contain 30 multiple-choice questions. The candidate will have 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete each quiz. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H)

The candidate will have 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete the Final Exam. There will be 2 essay questions and 20 multiple-choice questions. The exam does permit the use of the textbooks or notes. (CLO: A, B, C, H)