powerpoint presentation

PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT

A philosophy is a set of beliefs that regulates actions. Because our brains are programmed to make decisions quickly, over time our experiences create an “automatic pilot” which influences the things we do. When you get in a car you do not ask yourself which side of the road to drive on. Because you were socialized to drive on the right-hand side, you do it automatically. But if you tried to drive that way in England you would get a ticket. Is one-side of the road better than another? No. It’s simply the way you were taught. The same phenomenon underlies our beliefs about teaching and learning. Should teachers focus on students or subject matter? Should students have a say in what they learn? Which subjects should be emphasized? To be an effective teacher/counselor, your beliefs about teaching and learning and assisting must be based on an explicit set of values. Identifying these “programmed” beliefs is important because they will affect decisions you make in your future classroom/schools.

Purpose. The purpose of the Philosophy of Teaching presentation is to help you identify and articulate the purpose of education as the first-step in becoming a Reflective Professional. It will also give you practice in thinking like a teacher because questions about your philosophy of teaching and learning are always part of the job application process—often in writing before you even get an interview.

What to DO:

���Begin with an introduction that identifies the school of philosophy to which you belong AND an explanation of why the school you selected matches your personal perspective. An easy way to begin is to state “I am a . . . .” and then explain why this is an appropriate match for your personal ideas about education. There are multiple ways to organize a philosophy of teaching and you should think about how you want to organize your presentation as you craft your introduction. One way is to connect it to your experiences as a student. Another way is to tell a story based on a skill, hobby, or activity with which you are familiar. A third way is to use a metaphor, an aphorism, or a saying. For example, “To educate is not to fill a vase but to light a fire” (Montaigne) could be used as an aphorism or a metaphor to tie the parts of your presentation together. Use your own voice AND refer to the information in the readings (e.g., Dewey) to support your ideas about which school of philosophy best matches your personal perspective.

Next, talk about your teaching & learning beliefs. Address questions such as: What is the goal of education? On what should the curriculum focus? What is my role as the teacher/counselor? What instructional methods are most appropriate? What should the classroom learning environment look like? How should assessment be handled? If these questions aren’t appropriate for your ideas about teaching and learning or counseling, look through your Reading Guides and class notes and identify other questions or topics. Be sure to connect your ideas to your philosophical perspective.���

End your presentation by explaining your current level of commitment (or non-commitment) to a career in teaching. Suggestions for starting the conclusion include: “I am more committed to becoming a teacher than I was at the beginning of the semester because . . . .” or “My Service Learning experience helped me see that teaching is not the career for me given that . . . .”���

Note. You should limit your presentation to 10-15 minutes, or about 10-15 PowerPoint Slides.

As with all formally written work, you will need to use APA (6th Edition) format for your references page and in-text citations.

Please email me ([email protected]) if you have questions about this assignment.