Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read Chapters 2, 3 and 6 in Introduction to education: Choosing to teach, by Krogh. The readings in all three chapters will support your answers to the sections in this paper on views on teaching and learning, educational experience, goals for students and professional growth plans.

In your paper,

• Examine how a teacher comes to develop his/her own personal teaching philosophy.
• Compare which philosophy/philosophies align with your personal philosophy of teaching and learning.
• Explain goals you will set for your students and how they will be achieved.
• Develop a professional growth plan which will help you to remain innovative and effective throughout your career.

You have two options in completing this task: You pick

1. Write a 2 to 3-page paper (not including the title page or reference page).
2. Develop a 10- to 12-slide PowerPoint presentation (not including the title slide or reference slide).

If choosing options b or c, it is strongly encouraged that you provide audio support.  Consider using the resource Presentation Tips (Links to an external site.) located in the Ashford Writing Center.

Cite a minimum of one scholarly source in addition to your textbook, and consider using the resource Introduction to APA (Links to an external site.) in the Ashford Writing Center to support your formatting.  Be sure that your assignment includes the following elements:

• Introductory Paragraph: Begin with an attention getter – a powerful statement, an intriguing question, or a general overview of how a teacher might form his/her philosophy. Consider developing your introduction using the Introductions and Conclusions (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center.  Develop your thesis using the Thesis Generator (Links to an external site.)resource in the Ashford Writing Center. Your thesis will convey your personal teaching philosophy is and how it will positively impact student learning.
• Body Paragraphs: (Fully develop four paragraphs containing five to seven sentences each)
• Views on Teaching and Learning: Examine Chapter 2 of your text and determine which educational philosophy or philosophies are most aligned with your views of teaching and learning (i.e., progressivism, perennialism, essentialism, social reconstructionism, existentialism). Describe your views on teaching and learning and provide evidence from the text to support your assertions. In addition to the text, include a minimum of one additional scholarly source.
• Educational Experience: Provide examples from your own educational experience that have influenced your teaching philosophy. How do these examples reflect or contradict your views of teaching and learning?
• Goals for Students: Explain three to five goals you will set, what you will expect from your students, and how you will achieve these goals. Discuss what you want students to learn as a result of your teaching (i.e. problem solving, critical thinking, content knowledge, etc.). Examine Chapter 3 of your text and determine which learning theories (i.e., behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, multiple intelligences) will help you to meet the diverse needs of your students. Support your views with text-based evidence.
• Professional Growth Plan: Explain the professional development goals you will set for yourself as a teacher and how you plan to remain a lifelong learner. How will you continue to learn new trends and strategies which help you to remain innovative in the classroom? Discuss ways in which lifelong learning relates to qualities of an effective teacher.
• Conclusion Paragraph: Return to your most important points from your paper and how they have combined to form your Personal Teaching Philosophy. Emphasize your thesis statement again and bring your paper to a powerful close by leaving the reader with more to ponder or consider. Do not simply restate the Introductory Paragraph here. The conclusion should reframe your thoughts in a different way.

Please visit your Ashford Writing Center for more guidance on writing powerful Introductions and Conclusions (Links to an external site.). For help in planning and organizing your assignment, please use this link: Week 2 Assignment Template.