Semester Project 1 Title: Personal Learning Theory Purpose:
This activity is designed to help students think and reflect about their personal
philosophy of teaching and learning. Students will reflect on what type of experiences
affected their philosophy and will be encouraged to make connections between
their own beliefs and Educational Psychology research.
Objectives:
- Develop a personal philosophy of teaching and learning
- Develop an understanding of how a personal philosophy of teaching and
learning affects future teaching
- Make connections between personal beliefs and class content
Student Activity:
Identify and articulate your personal theory of learning and teaching! Your
personal theory should be the culmination of (1) your own experience as a student,
(2) your insights from field experiences, and (3) the content and activities
introduced in this course. This theory paper should be developed as an ongoing
process during the semester. You should arrange with your instructor so he/she
will look at your outline and rough drafts mid-semester. At the end of the semester,
your instructor will assess your paper according to the following rubrics:
Rubrics for Judging Theory Paper:
| | A lot | None |
| Reflects on personal belief about teaching-learning process | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Articulates how personal belief would shape future classroom
teaching | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Connects personal belief to experiences in classroom situations
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Connects personal belief to class content | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Overall flow of the paper | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Assessment:
What were the strengths and weaknesses of your paper according to the rubrics
above?
Variations:
- Conduct a peer conference on drafts of your personal philosophy paper.
- Form small group publishing teams of three to six members. Publish your
theory papers as a group in a format like a journal or teacher magazine with
a journal Title, table of contents, journal purpose, review guidelines, etc.
