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Philosophy of Education Quiz or Survey

  • 1.  Philosophy of Education Quiz or Survey

    Posted 07-09-2021 11:46 AM

    I am looking for a "quiz" or survey that asks questions about one's philosophies about working with children and then at the end tells you which of the traditional philosophies of education most closely matches your own philosophy. It does not need to be complex. I want to use it with staff at our August in-service training to see if we are all on the same page.

    I've looked online and been unsuccessful. Can anyone help me or tell me what they with new staff or when hiring? I'm not sure that al of our aides would be able to describe their philosophy without taking a quiz of some type.



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    [Amanda] Flagel]
    [Pre-K Counts]
    [PA]
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  • 2.  RE: Philosophy of Education Quiz or Survey

    Posted 07-10-2021 10:57 AM
    Amanda, I haven't seen anything like what you described. How about making up your own. Here's a starter:
         Do you think there is any behavior in a child that needs punishment?
         What would you do if you saw a child push another child down?
         What needs to be done when a child is always quiet and not participating in activities?
         What would you do if a child refuses to eat anything but fruits and sweets?
         What would be your response to a child who can't sit still in group?
    I'm sure you can add many more.

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    Jack Wright
    Child Development Consultant
    Success With Children
    St Ignatius MT
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  • 3.  RE: Philosophy of Education Quiz or Survey

    Posted 07-11-2021 07:32 AM
    Rather than a quiz on abstract philosophies, think about the principles underlying Developmentally Appropriate Practice in a culturally relevant, inclusive classroom practice.  Structure the discussion. using Think/Pair/Share.  What does the standard mean?  What does it look like in the classroom?  How to I modify my behavior as a teacher to respect the children in my care? What do I do with my feelings of frustration when my practice does not work?  Teaching is about relationships filtered through our experiences and learning.

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    Gayle Mindes
    Chicago IL
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  • 4.  RE: Philosophy of Education Quiz or Survey

    Posted 07-12-2021 06:52 AM
    This would be an excellent start! I do think there would be an opportunity to align philosophies with the standards, too.

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    Elizabeth Huber
    Director
    ETSU Little Buccaneers Early Childhood Laboratory Program
    Johnson City TN
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  • 5.  RE: Philosophy of Education Quiz or Survey

    Posted 07-12-2021 06:49 PM
    Hi Amanda,
    I have not seen anything matching the specific information you are requesting, however, I would suggest you make up your own questions. In that way you will get several ideas and perspectives from your staff. I remembered my professor telling us that he could not determine what our philosophy is, so he had us write our own philosophy of education using different sub-headings. For example: What is philosophy of Education? What do you believe about education? How would you convey your teaching values, beliefs and goals to your target audience? What is your philosophical mission/ statement as a teacher in your specific subject/content area? How would you incorporate your techniques, activities, curriculum and technology in your classroom to be effective as you assist your students to reach their highest potential? I do hope some of these ideas are helpful.
    Have a blessed day.
    Shirlet

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    Shirlet Halliday
    Master of Science in Health Psychology
    Santa Maria CA
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  • 6.  RE: Philosophy of Education Quiz or Survey

    Posted 07-10-2021 02:30 PM

    Excellent idea!  When you say philosophies do you mean like Montessori, Vygotsky, Piaget, Froebel or Reggio Emilia?  That would be a fun survey to make up. The basic tenets of each, scrambled in a list, choose 5 that align with your thoughts and that's your philosophy (although I'm guessing there could be overlap).  

    You might spend some time talking about each teacher's "Image of the child". Loris Malaguzzi (Reggio Emilia scholar) coined the phrase but I think it is key for any teacher. Ask yourself - are boys and girls very different? (if so, you will treat them very differently), are children naturally happy, social, well behaved, ready to learn? is something wrong with those who aren't? is it your job to "fix" them? is the child's learning dependent on you or are children curious and competent on their own? does learning enhanced by interacting with others? are these others same age/older/younger? does the environment (home, nature, communal) matter? does learning follow a common path and/or time table? etc. Each answer will effect your approach to teaching.  



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    Vicki Knauerhase M.Ed.
    Child Development Specialist (retired)
    Weston OH
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  • 7.  RE: Philosophy of Education Quiz or Survey

    Posted 07-11-2021 07:55 AM
    Hi Amanda,
    I usually share Episode 5 of the Napcast Podcast on the "Image of the Child" with my practicum students: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/episodes/Napcast-Ep-5---Image-of-the-Child-eelg8q  
    Then I ask them: What do you believe children are capable of? What do you believe they need? 
    They pair share and get to hear other's beliefs in comparison to their own with the invitation to get a better understanding of their own philosophy. It seem to be productive for people who are teaching for the first time as well as experienced teachers.
    It might help your staff to be able to talk about their philosophies with each other and with you.
    Sincerely,
    Lauren

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    Lauren Stauble
    Consultant/Faculty/ECE Admin
    Boston, MA
    feelthinkconnect.com
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  • 8.  RE: Philosophy of Education Quiz or Survey

    Posted 07-11-2021 08:07 AM
    To add to what Jack Wright said, perhaps you can create a few "scenarios" based on actual events and have participants reply.  For example, "Johnny is playing in the block area.  Mary comes over and knocks over Johnny's building.  Johnny begins to cry and yell at Mary.  What will you do?"  If you think of the hundreds of vignettes that play out in a classroom throughout the day I am sure you will be able to come up with quite a few.  You can also add a typical response such as "The teacher calmly reminds Mary you should not knock over another's creation and consoles Johnny.  All seems fine and the teacher walks away.  Mary does it again.  What will you do?"  I would have questions that address a few areas: parents, classroom behavior, colleagues, etc.

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    Gina James
    Teacher
    NYCDOE
    Williston Pk NY
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  • 9.  RE: Philosophy of Education Quiz or Survey

    Posted 07-11-2021 12:03 PM
    I didn't find anything on the web either. I did find a couple websites that might help direct your thinking about what to ask as you create your own quiz. Keep in mind that both websites were created for purposes quite different from yours. Choose the ideas, philosophies, etc.. that are most relevant to your purpose. There is not need to include all the esoteric philosophies mentioned. 

    https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/how-to-develop-a-philosophy-of-teaching-for-early-childhood-education/


    https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-hostos-childdevelopment/chapter/what-are-education-philosophies/

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    Loraine Dunn
    Provider
    Only Toddlers
    Norman OK
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  • 10.  RE: Philosophy of Education Quiz or Survey

    Posted 07-12-2021 05:28 PM
    Hi Amanda, You might want to try to have your staff identify the difference between a "teaching philosophy" and a "learning theory". The latter describes how students receive, process, and retain knowledge during learning experiences (informal and formal). These theories have been tested vigorously and, for the most, describe accurately how humans learn. The teaching philosophy encompasses personal beliefs and values about teaching and learning and conceptualizes the teacher's and student's roles in learning, assessment, and interactions. Furthermore, it spells out and justifies ethical standards, goals for learning, environment design, methods and materials, etc. A teacher who incorporates a play-based philosophy with the use of play centers in the classroom is probably influenced by constructivist learning and multiple intelligence theories. 

    To help new teachers develop a teaching philosophy, you might consider asking them questions about their own educational experiences. Which ones were the most memorable and why, what did the teachers do or say, how did they learn best, what role did the environment and/or friends play in their learning, how was their learning evaluated, how were they rewarded or punished? Next, ask what kind of teachers do they want to be. Then, ask: if the children were able to describe their time in their classrooms after moving on to kindergarten and beyond, what would they say? Have them write down their answers in bullet or list form (short answers). Afterward, they can explore through reading, videos, articles, etc., the five main learning theories and then they can match up their philosophy with the learning theory, pointing out that they can be influenced by more than one learning theory. 



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    Alberto Mares
    Santa Fe NM
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  • 11.  RE: Philosophy of Education Quiz or Survey

    Posted 07-14-2021 02:18 PM
    Here is an exercise I learned about at a session designed for administrators at the Love and Logic Educators Conference!  I don't know that it is exactly what you're wanting, but I found it to be a very powerful exercise to get staff REALLY thinking about what they believe!

    Here's the website where that info is located: Love and Logic Classroom
    (You have to scroll down toward the bottom of the page to find this exercise.)

    Here is a link to the .pdf file with the list to use with this process:

    CREATING YOUR SCHOOL'S CORE BELIEFS

    You probably could modify this activity and make a list that is more "instructional approach" based, if you wanted to!  You might not use a list like that to form "school-wide core beliefs," but it could be VERY informative in getting to know where everyone lands and where they might need development, which I'm assuming is your goal.

    Hope this is helpful!!



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    Shelby Irwin
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    1st Grade
    The Beacon School
    Edmond, Ok
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