Week 5 Final Assignment

Personal Philosophy of Education

Focus of the Final PaperUsing your five chapter summaries (i.e., your journals which synthesized the key points of each chapter) as a point of departure, generate a seven paragraph essay encompassing your personal philosophy of education. This should represent a culmination of your learning in this course and a synthesis of your current knowledge as an educator. Your final paper must include:

1. An introduction in which you reflect on your learning and the major focus points of the course
2. Five body paragraphs comprising each of your chapter summaries
3. A conclusion that encompasses the essence of your foundational beliefs as an educator and how they will inform your teaching and learning in the future

For support in writing a capstone essay, use this 

sample

 as a reference.
  Writing the Final Paper The Final Paper

1. Must be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
2. Must include a title page with the following:Title of paperStudent’s nameCourse name and numberInstructor’s nameDate submitted
3. Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
4. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
5. Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
6. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
7. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Discuss a time when a teacher made the lesson more interesting with their body language and/or reached out to you by praising you as an individual. Explain how that made you feel and describe what similar teaching strategies you will use in the future.

It has been so long ago since I attended school that I really had to think about this question. I do remember though my sixth grade

Math teacher, her name was Mrs. Ellison. She was so funny and always dancing in front of the classroom as she would teach. She

also had a way of singing what she was teaching which made it more fun. We could remember the songs as she was teaching

Math it really stuck in my head. I have even shared this with my children. Anytime a teacher makes things fun in the classroom the

children can remember easier. I guess the thing that sticks in my mind the most is she always made things fun helping us to

remember things in the most positive way. One example is when she was teaching to divide decimals, when we had to carry over a

zero she would always refer to that as bringing in super zero and decimal dude. Another example of her teaching was when she

was trying to show us how to use proportions she called that the butterfly method. We had to circle the two fractions in a butterfly

shape then she would add eyes and antennas, the class would also laugh at her because she was not a very good artist.

Mrs. Ellison always seemed to use my work in front of the class because she always liked how neat I kept my papers. Of course that

made me feel extra special being in the sixth grade. I was very proud of her setting me as an example which taught me that children

love to be recognized. If I ever have the honor of having my own classroom I will use these methods in my teaching. The more you

involve your students and praise them the better chance they are of remembering that in years to come.

Webster’s dictionary defines synthesis as: “The combining of separate elements or substances to form a coherent whole”. Throughout the journals in this course you will have the opportunity to synthesize each chapter, or, as Webster would say, combine elements of the chapter you think were especially poignant to form a short paragraph that captures it as a whole. Your synthesis of Chapter Two should be between 200-300 words, be written in only your words (i.e., no quotes, paraphrase, etc.), and capture the essence (essential points) of the chapter concepts. 

After reading Chapter 2, I am more aware of how important it is to make sure that all children

have the opportunity to learn in all the different categories of styles. All children are different

and come from different backgrounds and lifestyles therefore it is up to the teacher to really get

to know who he/she is teaching so that lesson plans can be completed to fit every student. Even

though students learn at different levels they can all finish a school year in the same place if the

teacher stays on top of things. Part of planning lessons is to know what interests your students

and then plan from there. The curriculum is set at the beginning of the year for the grade levels

but the teacher can change things around to make it more interesting for the students and keep

them focused. In am big on students working in groups reason being is that they can excel in

groups. The children that are ready to move ahead in certain areas can do so and the children that

need a little additional help can also get that.

This week in reading Chapter 3 I learned a lot about the different behaviors of children and actually what makes up these behaviors. I got some good information reading all the postings on discussion 1. In my opinion it takes a special person to become a teacher because of all the different types of students that you are faced with in a career as a teacher. It is all trial and error in my book. You have to come up with ways to earn the respect of all your students so that you can work well with them. It is important for your students to know just how much you really do care about them and their feelings. Children come from such different backgrounds that it is crucial that you learn how to relate to them. I learned a lot about being a Constructivist Teacher. This chapter taught me things that I had never really thought about before. I never really realized that how something is learned is sometimes more important than what is learned. This goes back to again knowing your students and what they are capable of when they enter your classroom. This helps the teacher know which direction to take the students. Group working here is helpful because as some students are ready to move on to another subject they can while others can stay on the same subject until they are more confident and are ready to move forward.