It is common to be asked to include a statement of your educational philosophy with your application materials when you apply for a position in the educational field. People want to know what you professionally believe with the assumption of what you believe will guide your actions in the educational environment. Having an articulated philosophy is in essence a description of your professional beliefs and advocacy of others.
This assignment is designed to help you formulate a coherent school counseling related philosophy statement. When constructing your statement, you’re not only trying to state what you believe you’re also trying to paint a picture for readers of the kind of school counseling program you will strive to create. With that in mind, a good philosophy statement addresses four main ideas:
□ How students learn social skills and emotional stability
□ What is worth teaching and learning related to the social and emotional development of K-12 learners
□ How best to teach what’s worth learning related to the social and emotional development of K-12 learners
□ Classroom and Campus Management; keep in mind, in many cases the school counselor is third in command on campus
Ask yourself the following questions for each section. Don’t feel obligated to specifically answer each — use the following questions to guide you as necessary. Restrict your statement submission to 3-4 pages.
□ Learning: How do students learn best? What are students doing when they are learning most effectively? What kinds of things need to be in place before high quality learning can occur? Is there a particular metaphor that helps you express what you believe about learning? Why do you believe what you do about learning?
□ Curriculum: What topics/skills are important for students to learn related to the social and emotional development of K-12 learners? Should we be teaching basic skills, subject matter knowledge, higher order thinking skills, metacognition (how to learn)… what knowledge is worth learning? Skills? Attitudes? Beliefs? Why do you believe what you do about curriculum? Is there a particular metaphor that captures what you believe about curriculum?
□ Teaching: How does a teacher best support high quality learning? What metaphors, heuristics, or guidelines should teachers follow? What kinds of things do teachers need to consider when designing instruction? Better yet, who is a teacher? What qualities or dispositions do they need? Is there a particular metaphor that captures your beliefs about good teaching? Why do you believe what you do about teaching?
□ Management: How does an exemplary campus including each classroom function? What is the desired relationship between teacher and student? What should happen when student behavior falls outside the desired boundaries? How will you work to hold all kids to high standards of conduct? Why do you believe what you do about management? Is there a particular metaphor that captures what you believe about it?
