Description
Overview:
In this module, you have reviewed theory and curriculum development and how each affects overall child growth and development. For the second component of your portfolio, you will develop a professional philosophy.
When writing, think about what you believe. What is your vision for working with young children in a perfect world?
A philosophy is:
A concise, written description of your beliefs and values specific to teaching and learning
A personal representation or vision of your ideal self and your aspirations
A checkpoint to see if your practices match your beliefs and provide evidence that accurately and authentically reflects your beliefs and practices
Instructions:
Write a personal education philosophy. Include the following components:
Define your role as an early childhood professional. (Standard 6)
Adult/child relationships – facilitator, coach, and/ or encourager
How will you create interest and spark curiosity to initiate the learning process?
Will you encourage child participation in creating the classroom rules?
Relationships with others – colleagues, families, community
How will you partner with parents?
How will you involve the community in the learning process?
Do you value colleagues as supporters, collaborators, and resources?
Do you value teamwork?
E.g., “I believe that the neighborhood is an extension of the classroom and offers many opportunities to enrich learning.”
Describe your role to support children’s learning, growth, and development. (Standard 1)
Motivation for learning, understanding how learning occurs
Why/how do people learn?
E.g., “Children are born with a natural curiosity to experiment with, explore, and investigate their environment.”
Describe how you will address special needs, different learning styles, individuality, and diversity. (Standard 4)
Describe the approach to curriculum you will take and how you will meet DAP. (Standard 4 and 5)
Theoretical – the theories and research used to ground your philosophy
What theorists/theories do you identify with and why?
How do these theorists/theories explain/support what you believe?
E.g., “Consistent with Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, I believe that infants and toddlers learn about the world through their senses and by interacting with their environment.
Philosophy – the nature, purpose, and value of education
What is the basis of early childhood education?
Where does knowledge come from?
What is its value?
E.g., “An integral part of education is to help children become lifelong learners.”
Curriculum methods and models
Describe the methods/models to be used for observation and assessment. (Standard 3)
Describe how you will use positive guidance in your practices. (Standards 1, 3, 4)
Describe how you will engage families. (Standard 2)
Submission Requirements:
Submit a Microsoft Word document with a 2-page philosophy statement.
The Philosophy Statement must be written in your own words.
This version of your educational philosophy is a draft and is not due at this time. Your instructor will provide revisions and feedback on this assignment in Module 04. You will submit a draft of your work (Course Project Assignments Module 01, 02, 03, and 04) in the dropbox in Module 04. The final version will be submitted as part of the mini professional portfolio in Module 06.
Use professional language with correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Additional Resources:
Module 02 Course Project Assignment: Educational Philosophy Draft Rubric
EEC4910_Mod02DraftRubric.pdf
EEC4910 Final Project Overview
EEC4910_FinalProjectOverview.pdf
How do I create a teaching and learning philosophy?
You may wish to use the provided portfolio template to organize your work.
EEC4910_PortfolioTemplatev.2.docx
An alternative to the portfolio template is an electronic portfolio – Hiration. Access this FAQ article to learn how to create an account.
Use the Writing Lab for timely feedback to help you fine-tune your deliverable before you submit it for grading.
Grammarly is available to assist you with proofreading your work.
