A comprehensive survey of the historical, philosophical, psychological, and sociological foundations of American education. Emphasis is placed upon the educational foundations as found in the Scriptures, and the applicability of these to both the Christian School Movement and the public school system. Candidates will be expected to articulate their personal philosophy of education as a result of this course.

The purpose of this course is to expand the candidate’s awareness of how one’s own personal beliefs about education compare to those in the knowledge base of the field.

(CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

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 is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt. The threads for the discussions must be a minimum of 300 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the candidate is required to reply to two other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 100 words. Each thread must be supported by at least 2 scholarly sources and each reply must be supported by at least 1 scholarly source. All sources must be cited in APA format. Any sources used must have been published within the last five years. Acceptable sources include the textbook, the Bible, books, and scholarly journals. The student should refer to the assignment instructions for more specific source requirements related to the Discussion Thread: Modern Educational Trends and the Discussion Thread: Cultural Competence in Education. (CLO: A, B, C)

The candidate will complete research and application in understanding the historical influence of an individual’s life and influence on educational theory and practice. The candidate will first choose a person from a provided list of historical figures and research the thinker’s educational ideas and influences on education. From the research, the candidate will produce a handout that includes brief biographical information and the thinker’s ideas and influences. The handout be in a creative format for the student to present his/her information as a Word document (i.e., a social media page, pamphlet, news article, resume, etc.). A minimum of three current APA formatted sources are required. One of the three sources must be from a credible academic source. Each of the required content segments (biographical information, educational ideas, educational impact) must be 100-200 words in length. All citations and references must be formatted according to current APA standards for this assignment.  (CLO: C)

The candidate will complete two assignments to assist in building a personal biblical worldview with application to educational theory and teaching practices.

Biblical Worldview: Initial Assignment

Using the provided Biblical Worldview: Initial Template in Canvas, the candidate will, in preparation for writing the biblical worldview paper, write four paragraphs of 100 words each in response to four provided question prompts. The candidate’s responses to these questions must be supported by Scripture. Then, the candidate will apply his/her replies to the completion of an included educational philosophy chart. Current APA format must be adhered to for the title page, citations, and references included within this assignment. (CLO: E)

Biblical Worldview: Paper Assignment

The candidate will write a 3–4 content page paper to convey understanding of a biblical worldview and a Christian philosophy of education, applying the implications of this view to educational practice. The title page and reference page are not counted as content pages. An abstract is not required. The document must be written in current APA format and include, in addition to the Bible, a minimum of 4 references. (CLO: E)

The candidate will complete three assignments to assist building a personal philosophy of education.  First, the candidate will take an online survey designed to assist the candidate in understanding his/her personal philosophical leanings. Second, the candidate will complete a video response to a typical interview question, “What is your philosophy of education?” Finally, the candidate will develop a full philosophy of education paper. 

Philosophy of Education: Survey and Reflection Assignment

The candidate will complete an online philosophy survey and reflect on the results. After completing the survey, the candidate will copy and paste the survey results into a provided Word document template. The reflection will include a minimum 100-word paragraph describing what was learned about the candidate’s personal philosophical leanings that would impact methodological choices in future lesson planning preparation and teaching style. The candidate should include this reflection at the end of the same document as his/her survey results. This document will contain a title page and references (to cite the survey website and any other resources the student uses) formatted according to current APA stye. (CLO: B, D, F)

Philosophy of Education: Video Assignment

The video must be 1–3 minutes and is to be a recording providing a verbal response that the candidate might give in a job interview when asked, “What is your philosophy of education?” The candidate’s position should be integrated with evidence as to how the personal philosophy would be used as a foundation to teaching practice. The student must submit this assignment in Canvas. The video will be graded based on professionalism and clarity of the presentation. (CLO: B, D, F)

Philosophy of Education: Paper Assignment

The candidate will write a 3–4-page persuasive paper (not including the title page, abstract, and reference page) describing his/her personal philosophy of education. 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 theory, philosophy, and research. The paper should include a title page, an abstract, an introduction, a section on the philosophy of schools and learning, a section on instructional practice, a section on teacher-learner relationships, a section on diversity, a conclusion, and a reference page. This paper must be in current APA format and include a minimum of 4 references in addition to the Bible. (CLO: B, D, F)

Using the SCRIP Assessment Template provided in the assignment, the candidate will write five brief paragraphs (50 words each) providing evidence to support personal practices that, as a future practicing teacher, would demonstrate each of the School of Education SCRIP dispositions (Social Responsibility, Commitment/Work Ethic, Reflection, Integrity, and Professionalism). Any sources the candidate opts to use for this assignment (including the Bible) should follow current APA formatting for citations and references. (CLO: B)

This eight-topic online module, developed by Gateways to Better Education must be purchased by the student. After purchasing the modules from the bookstore, an enrollment key will be emailed to the student. For each module, the candidate will watch the video for the week and take the module quiz in Canvas. Each quiz will be open-notes/open-book, contain five questions (of which the questions can be multiple-choice, true/false, and multiple answer), allow for one attempt, have a 15-minute time limit. (CLO: B)

Quizzes: SchoolSims (6)

The candidate will complete six interactive scenarios. After viewing each scenario, the candidate will generate his/her Feedback Report from the simulation and then complete a five-question, multiple-choice quiz. Each quiz will be open-notes/open-book, have no time limit, and allow for three (3) attempts with the highest attempt counting towards the grade. The candidate will also be prompted in each quiz to upload and submit his/her Feedback Report for the simulation in a file upload question. (CLO: E)