AMPLIFICATION OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Click here to see Course Syllabus Dr. Makedon
Position, Role Play, Personal Philosophy, Article Review
Students choose between 3 types of class presentations:
A. Position Presentation B. Role Play Presentation C. Personal Philosophy Presentation.
Each student is required to deliver only one of these presentations.
No papers are required for the presentations, except for (a) a 1-page summary with proper headlines listing the major areas in your presentation; and (b) a single bibliographic page. These pages must be typed, and distributed to the whole class. Regarding detailed guidelines on how to write these pages, please see instructions, below. Since no full length papers are required for the presentations, students may or may not wish to distribute any other materials of their own to class (such as, pictures of the philosophers they are discussing or role playing). There will be no extra credit assigned for such materials.
In addition to these presentations, all students must present an article review, as described below.
Deadline Dates for Submitting summaries, Bibliographic Pages, and Article Reviews
To receive full credit for a presentation, please make sure that (a) you submit your summary and corresponding bibliography, and article review pages to the instructor on the same day as your presentation (unless you are presenting a personal philosophy, and make no factual claims, in which case you do not need to submit a bibliography); (b) distribute copies to the whole class (before the presentation begins); and (c) your bibliography supports all the factual statements made during your presentation. Students who do not submit any of the corresponding pages during their presentations (see above re: bibliogr. for personal philosophy), lose 1 point per page for each class period they are late in submitting them to the instructor, for up to 10 presentation points. Students who do not distribute pages to the whole class, also lose 1 point per page for each class period they are late in distributing them, for up to 6 presentation points. Revisions of Summary, Bibiliographic, and Article Review Pages
Bibliographic, summary, and article review pages may be revised twice for full credit. The instructor may ask students to revise bibliographies for several reasons, including (a) additional sources that support factual statements made during the presentation; (b) conform to the guidelines on how to write a bibliography, mentioned in "Structure of Bibliographic Page," below. Likewise, students may be asked to revise summaries and article review pages to conform to the required formats, as explained below.
The summary page for each of the presentations is different. They should be written in summary form, with corresponding subheadings (please see format, below). Each summary should be identified at the top as a POSITION, ROLE PLAY, or PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY page.
A. Student's Name B. Student Attendance Number C. Philosopher to be presented D. Student's "thesis" or position regarding the philosopher's ideas: Whether student is for, against, or undecided re: such philosopher's "philosophy" or ideas. E. Argument(s) for your thesis (please see below regarding nature of "argument"). F. Argument(s) against your thesis. G. Your response to argument against your thesis. H. Conclusion.
A. Student's Name B. Student Attendance Number C. Philosopher to be role played D. Educational Issue to be discussed with other "philosopher" E. Your philosopher's view of educational goals (if philosopher is silent about goals in education, please infer what he/she might have maintained based on everything else that you know about his or her philosophy in general) F. Your philosopher's view of teaching method(s) G. Your philosopher's view of curriculum (=subjects to be taught) 3. Personal Philosophy Presentation:
A. Student's Name B. Student Attendance Number C. Title of your Personal Philosophy D. Your View of Human Nature E. Your View of Goals of Humans F. Your View of Goals of Education H. Your View of Teaching Method(s) I. Your View of Curriculum
Each presenter must distribute to the whole class a typed bibliographic page with a list of all the sources for their factual statements, including factual statements made regarding their philosopher. All position and role play presentations require bibliographic pages with at least one reference or source on the philosopher that you (the student) decided to take a position on, or role play. This is so because by definition such presentations are about a philosopher, and therefore require at least one bibliographic reference of where the student found all the facts regarding his or her philosopher. Bibliographic pages must be typed, or else they will be returned to the student ungraded for revision.
Regarding the difference between statements of fact, and statements of value, please see "Distinguishing between Statements of Fact and Statements of Value," below.
In the event a student chooses to discuss his/her personal philosophy, he/she may or may not have to distribute a bibliographic page, depending on whether such student makes any factual statements (=statements of fact regarding something) in his/her presentation. If such student makes no factual claims, then he/she is not required to distribute a bibliographic page. Please make sure that you do not include in your bibliographic page any redundant sources, but only those which back up specific factual claims made in your presentation.
Structure of Bibliographic Page
Include all identifying information on the top of the page, incl. your name, attendance number, course, section, term, year, and type of presentation this page corresponds to (position, role play, personal philosophy). Please DO NOT INCLUDE A COVER PAGE, BINDER, OR COVER for your bibliographic page. The list of sources itself should follow the guidelines for writing bibliographies in such "standard" manuals as Kate L. Tarubian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. At a minimum, please list your sources in alphabetical order, and include the following information:
For articles found in journals, give author, title of journal article (in quotation marks), name of journal (underlined), issue number, year, and page numbers.
For books, give author, title of book (Underlined), publisher, year of publication, and page numbers.
For articles in encyclopaedias, give the encyclopaedia editors (mentioned on the front cover of the encycl.), name of encyclopaedia (underlined), publisher, year of publication, title of article (in quotation marks), and author of article (if indicated in article). Article Reviews and Presentations
Each student reviews an article on any topic on the philosophy of education (=another philosopher's views on education, or philosophy of education issue), and writes a one page review. Such issues or additional philosophers may be found on the Internet (see class syllabus for web site addresses). No two students may review the same article, although they may review different articles about the same topic or philosopher. This is different from the position and role play presentations, for which no two students may use the same philosopher for such presentations.
Students write a one page review (=single spaced, typed); make copies for the whole class; and present their review during a 2-minute presentation. Following the presentation, there will be a 2-minute question period from the class (max. 4 min/student).
The structure of the one page article review should be as follows:
A. ARTICLE REVIEW B. Student's Name & Attendance Number C. Full bibliographic reference of the article being reviewed, incl. author, title of article, periodical or ERIC ED number, http or Internet address (if any), date, and page numbers. D. Brief summary of the article (=must not be identical to any such summaries already published at the top or elsewhere in the article, otherwise it is considered "plagiarism") E. Possible reaction to the article by one of the philosophers studied in class, incl. reasons why. F. Your personal reaction, incl. reasons why. Brief Description of Position, Role Play, and Personal Philosophy Presentations:
A. For the position presentation, students take a position vis a vis a certain philosopher, and present arguments for and against the philosopher's ideas, and their response to the argument(s) against their position. Position presentations are delivered in panels of three.
B. For the role play presentation, students pretend they are a philosopher reacting to a certain educational issue (delivered in pairs).
C. For the personal philosophy presentation, students present their personal philosophy (incl. philosophy of education). The personal philosophy presentation is delivered individually.
There are strict guidelines that students must follow in their presentations. Regarding these guidelines, including criteria for grading the presentations, please see relevant sections, below. What constitutes an "argument?"
All presentations require that students use arguments. Arguments are the "bread and butter" of philosophical thinking. It is therefore important that students have a basic understanding of what constitutes an "argument." By the term "argument" here, we do not mean the popular conception of something "disagreeable" or "argumentative," but of something well supported with convincing reasons or claims. For our purposes here, an argument is not merely an opinion, let alone a "feeling" or emotional disposition toward something or someone. An argument is an opinion, feeling, or view backed up by one or more reasons. In other words, it is not enough that you merely state what you like or dislike something or someone, you must also explain why. Your reason(s) must make sense, and be convincing. Please make sure that you distinguish between statements of value, and statements of fact, and that you back up your factual claims with credible evidence (see below, "Distinguishing Between Statements of Fact and Statements of Value"). Be prepared to point to the sources in your bibliographic page that correspond to, or support your factual statements in your presentation. Regarding the distinction between these types of statements, please see the section "Distinguishing between Statements of Fact and Statements of Value," below. Distinguishing Between Statements of Fact and Statements of Value:
There are two types of statements: statements of fact, where you are stating that something is a fact (for example: "Chicago Public Schools have 300,000 students"); and statements of value, where you inform the reader of your values (e.g., "Chicago Public Schools should have 300,000 students"). If you make factual statements which you would like to use as reasons for or against something or someone, then be prepared to show the exact source of your facts, be it a research study, a book, an article, an official document, or an interview. Your sources must be credible, or else they may not constitute a legitimate source or "reason." For example, quoting a fictional character in a science fiction movie about, say, the impending invasion of the earth by extraterrestrials does not constitute a credible source to support a claim that the earth will in fact be invaded by such extraterrestrials. Avoid using as sources such discredited books or magazines as are known for fraudulent or "untrue" claims, such as, any number of supermarket tabloids, unless you are prepared to use further evidence to back up your claims. If the instructor requests it, then you should be able to show him exactly which sources in your bibliography correspond to which statements of fact in your presentation. You need not give references for statements of value. Metaphorically speaking, you are the "reference" for such statements: your values are your own, except you must also give reasons for your values.
All three types of presentations are delivered during the same time period. The order in which the three types of presentations are presented is as follows: position-role play-personal philosophy. For specific presentation dates, please see Schedule of Readings and Requirements, which is distributed in class. Number of days required for presentations varies with size of each class. Time allotted to each presenter:
For all three types of presentations each presenter has 2-5 minutes for the presentation, and 2-5 minutes for answering questions from the class. Time allotted will depend on size of class. Total=4-10 minutes per presenter. Limitations regarding Position and Role Play Presentations:
There are 2 limitations regarding the choices students have in making a position presentation:
First Limitation: As mentioned earlier, no two students can make a position or role play presentation on the same philosopher. Students indicate early in the term their choice, so that no one else in the class may make a position or role play presentation on that philosopher.
Second Limitation: Students may deliver a position or role play presentation only on philosophers that we do not cover in depth, in our textbook readings, or lectures.
The instructor distributes in class a lengthy list of people who were either philosophers, or at least "philosophized" about something, from which students may select a person for either their position or role play presentations. This list is intended only as a starting point. Students may choose a "philosopher" who is not on this list. Furthermore, many of the people on this list are not known strictly as "philosophers," but are included here only because they "philosophized: about something. For our purposes here, anyone who "philosophized" sufficiently to have a certain philosophy of his or her own, counts as a philosopher, even if he or she is not widely recognized as such. For additional lists of philosophers that are available through the Internet, with links to secondary and primary sources about them, please see the class syllabus (where the web addresses of a few of such lists are also mentioned).
Detailed Guidelines for Making Presentations
Structure of Position Presentation:
1. Before beginning the presentation, each student presenting writes on the board the following information:
A. Student's Name B. Student Attendance Number C. Philosopher to be presented D. Student's "thesis" or position regarding the philosopher's ideas: Whether student is for, against, or undecided (regarding the philosopher's ideas)
2. Students present individually. The amount of time each student is allowed for the presentation varies with the size of the class, but is generally between 2 and 5 minutes. Each student is allowed the same amount of time for the discussion period. Students must present at least one argument for their position; one argument against their position; and their response to the argument against their position. If a student's position is against a certain philosopher's ideas, then they must respond to an argument for the philosopher's ideas.
3. How to receive full credit for the position presentation:
To receive full credit for the presentation, each student should briefly cover the following:
(a) their position: what they are for, against, or undecided about. (b) if student is for a certain philosopher's ideas, then at least one argument for (more, if time permits), including reason(s) for being for; if student is against a philosopher's ideas, then at least one argument against, including reason(s) for being against
(c) anticipate opposing view: if student is for a philosopher's ideas, then at least one argument against the philosopher's ideas that another student, or someone else, might have (including reason(s) for being against); if student is against a philosopher's ideas, then at least one argument for the philosopher's ideas that another student, or someone else, might have for (including reason(s) for being for)
(d) student's response to the opposing view: if student is for the philosopher's ideas, then student's response to the argument against, above (in c); if student is against the philosopher's ideas, then student's response to the argument for, above (in c); otherwise explain why you are undecided about the philosopher's ideas.
Students who did not cover a-d during their presentation, or during the class discussion that followed the presentations, will be asked to do so by the instructor during, or immediately following the class discussion. The instructor may also request that presenter indicate which sources in his or her bibliography correspond to certain factual statements in his/her presentation. Regarding the writing and distribution of a bibliographic page, see the general guidelines, above.
4. Class discussion: Following the presentations, there will be a 2-5 minute question/discussion period. If presenting in "groups" of two or more, class should make an effort to address questions to each one of the presenters in the group.
Further explanation of certain parts of the position presentation:
Explanation of Arguments For Your Position or "Thesis"
State the argument(s) that support your position, or "thesis," and give reasons why, in your view, they support your thesis. You should offer at least 1 argument for. You must give reasons why you think as you do. If others have the same view as you do, then, however well known or "important" the others may be, you must still state why you agree with the "others" (what reasons do you have for agreeing with them other than the fact that these others happen to be well known or "important" people).
Explanation of Arguments Against Thesis
Every presenter should include at least 1 argument against his/her thesis. These are arguments that people who may disagree with your thesis may raise. For example, if you are for (pro) the views of a certain philosopher, then state at least 1 argument against the views of your philosopher. You do not have to be personally against the philosopher, or feel emotionally divided between your arguments for, and the arguments against your thesis. Simply think of an argument that someone else might have against the philosopher's views with which you personally may or may not agree with (you'll get your chance to respond to that argument against, in step d, as explained earlier). . It is important that you also state what reasons those who are against the philosopher may have for being against (it is not enough that you merely state that someone may disagree with such and so, but also offer reasons in support of those objections). Such reasons must make sense, and cannot be the mere expression of emotion (e.g., "x dislikes y because x hated the views about equality by y"). Knowing that x dislikes y does not constitute an argument against any of y's ideas.
Explanation of your Response to the Argument(s) Against Your Thesis
Discuss what your response is to the objection to your thesis. State whether you agree or disagree with the opposing argument, and why. It is important that you don't simply state whether you agree or disagree, but that you also state your reasons why you agree or disagree with the objection.
If your Position is Undecided
If you are undecided about your topic (neither pro nor con), the argument against becomes, together with the argument for, the reason why you are undecided (that is, such arguments for and against weigh about equally in your mind). In your presentation, state why you are undecided, including the reasons why you like certain ideas in your philosopher's philosophy, dislike others, and why these arguments for and against the ideas of your philosopher weigh about equally in your mind.
II. Role Play Presentation:
Students who choose the role play presentation, must role-play a philosopher of their choice. Students can choose to role play any philosopher, except one that has already been selected by someone else in the class for either his or her position or role play presentation. Students may also not choose any philosopher that we covered in some depth in class, or someone who is discussed in depth in our textbook or Internet readings. Please see "Limitations regarding Position and Role Play Presentations, " above.
Structure of the Presentation:
A. Students role-play in pairs. B. No two students in class can role-play the same philosopher, or a philosopher that was selected for a position presentation. Please see "Limitations regarding Position and Role Play Presentations," above. C. The pair write separately their names on the board, attendance numbers, and philosophers they represent or "pretend to be," and the common education topic they will be discussing/debating about. Students must choose to discuss the same topic, instead of having each philosopher they represent discuss something different. This is so students will engage in a discussion with each other, instead of in a monologue each about a different topic. For further details on which topic they can choose to discuss (or, more accurately, discuss in their respective roles as two different "philosophers"), please see D-a, below. D. If the two philosophers in a role play presentation hold widely different views about the selected education topic, the role play presentation may take the form of a debate. On the other hand, if they do not, then it may take the form of a discussion or "mild" debate, depending on the degree of difference between the two philosophers' views. Students do not have to find partners for the role play presentation whose philosophers necessarily disagree about certain educational issues with the views of their own philosophers, although if they do so they might certainly make the role presentation a little more dramatic or interesting to watch. Nevertheless, the grading of the presentation has nothing to do with the degree to which the philosophers the students represent disagree with each other (please see below regarding such "grading" or evaluation of the role play presentation).
The format for the role play presentation is as follows:
Choosing an Educational Topic to Discuss
(a) Each pair of philosophers selects an educational topic to discuss or debate about. Students are free to choose any education topic they like, so long as the topic is indeed educational. Education topics may include any topic that the pair selects, from school reform issues, to controversial topics in education, to administrative, curricular, methodological, historical, or economic concerns in education. The instructor will present examples of such concerns in class. Please make sure that both students in a pair discuss/debate the SAME educational topic. As mentioned earlier, they should not each discuss a different topic, since in that case there is a risk they may not be talking to each other, or fail to meet the requirements for receiving full credit for their presentations. It is strongly recommended that students in a pair practice/rehearse their presentation several times prior to their actual presentation, including their respective philosophers' reaction to the education topic.
Accuracy of Representation
Students should be careful to represent their philosophers' views accurately. Avoid the temptation of inserting your own views in a philosopher's mouth, since then you risk losing presentation points as a result of making an inaccurate representation. Although students are free to choose a philosopher of their liking (or even one they don't particularly like, but would like to role play), it is important that during the presentation students represent accurately their chosen philosopher's views. In other words, try to "stay in character," meaning, role play accurately a philosopher even if you, personally, disagree with all or some of your chosen philosopher's views. Of course to role play a philosopher, you must also have a sufficient understanding of his/her ideas, and know enough about his/her views, to be able to infer from what your philosopher actually did say or write about, what he/she might have said about the specific education topic in question. Students are not required to actually emulate their philosophers "tone of voice," or dress, or the like, as actors sometimes do, but only that they represent their philosophers' ideas accurately.
(b) Each pair has a total of 4-10 minutes for the presentation (=2-5 min. per student), depending on the size of the class; and the same amount of time for the question and discussion period.
General Comment regarding the Question & Answer Period:
The class should make an effort to address questions to both of the presenters in a role play presentation. The audience should avoid identifying the person presenting a philosopher, with that particular philosopher's views. Students who are role playing philosophers are merely doing their best to represent accurately a philosopher's views so they can receive full credit for their presentations, instead of offering us their own personal reactions to the topic at hand. It is not inconceivable that occasionally a student role playing philosopher x may personally dislike philosopher x, and disagree with such philosopher's views, but does such an excellent job representing x during the role play presentation that the audience begins to feel, incorrectly, that such student also himself or herself agrees with the views of the philosopher that he or she represents. Consequently, the class should not direct its disagreement, disappointment or even "anger" with a certain philosopher's views (or, alternatively, agreement or sympathy) against the student personally. The student is merely the "messenger" of his or her philosopher's views, and in fact should be congratulated for a job well done even if the audience happens to disagree vehemently with the views of the philosopher such student represented. in a role play presentation. The class should try, instead, to deal with the philosophical issues at hand, remembering all along that the presenter himself or herself may not totally agree (or disagree) with the philosopher he or she is role playing.
(E) The format of the exchange between the 2 philosophers should be as follows:
1) Philosophers A, B briefly introduce themselves. Prior to your presentation, please write on the board your names, attendance numbers, and philosophers, and the common education topic that you will be discussing/debating about. 2) Philosopher A states his or her opinion about the selected topic 3) Philosopher B states his or her opinion about the selected topic, and asks a question of philosopher A 4) Philosopher A responds, and asks a question of philosopher B 5) Philosopher B responds 6) Philosophers A + B discuss/debate the topic
7) When presentation minutes are up, the audience asks questions from each of the two philosophers for the same number of minutes. Following questions by the audience, the instructor may ask questions of the pair.
(F) Bibliographic Page: Each student prepares and distributes a bibliographic page to the whole class prior to his/her presentation. Regarding the structure of the bibliographic page, please see relevant guidelines, above.
(G) Evaluation of the Role Play Presentation: Students participating in the role-play exercise will be evaluated on the basis of the following 5 criteria:
1) Accurate: student accurately represents philosopher's views 2) Discusses education topic: Discusses topic, and responds to other philosopher (see items 3-6 in E, above) 3) Articulate: Communicates ideas in an articulate/flawless manner 4) Logical: Makes reasonable inferences, avoids contradictions, etc. 5) Bibliographic Page: Has distributed to the whole class typed bibliographic page supporting all relevant statements of fact
III. Personal Philosophy Presentation
Students who choose to make a personal philosophy presentation, present their own philosophy, and philosophy of education to the class. In order to receive full credit for your presentation, there are strict guidelines on how to present your personal philosophy, and what to include in your presentation, that must be followed.
Presentation Guidelines:
A. Students present individually. Each student has 2-5 minutes for the presentation itself, depending on the class size; and 2-5 minutes for questions from the class. B. Bibliographic Page: If students make factual statements in their personal philosophy presentations, then they must also distribute a typed bibliographic page to the whole class prior to their presentation. Regarding structure of the bibliographic page, please see relevant guidelines, above. C. Before beginning the presentation, presenter writes on the board his/her name, attendance number, and title of his/her philosophy. Presenters are free to give any title they wish to their personal philosophy, so long as the title somehow represents the contents of their philosophy. D. During the presentation, you must address the following issues:
1. Your view of Human Nature 2. Your view of the Goals for Humans 3. Your view of the Goals of Education 4. Your view of Teaching Methods 5. Your view of Curriculum
E. Explanation of items 1-5 in D, above:
Your view of Nature of Humans:
In your view, what are humans by nature like? Your view of human nature will also limit what humans can do, and therefore what types of goals anyone can reasonably expect humans to be able to accomplish (or, for that matter, to have). For example, since humans are incapable by nature to fly on their own, one cannot possibly have as a goal to teach humans how to fly faster, take care of their wings, human wing physiology, or the like (all of which would amount to so much nonsense). Be careful that in selecting goals for humans, you take into account your view of human nature, so that your goals do not seem to be impossible or "unrealizable."
Your view of Goals for Humans:
In your view, what should be the purpose or "goals" of human beings? These are the goals that you think humans should have, even if they don't have them now. Make sure that humans are "by nature" capable of achieving these goals, as you defined human nature to be like. Alternatively, your goals for humans imply that you hold certain assumptions regarding human nature, otherwise it may be impossible for anyone to realize your goals.
Your views regarding human nature and goals form the foundation on the basis of which you can build your "philosophy of education," including educational goals, methods, and curriculum (=subjects). This is so because what we wish our students to learn, and how, is based on what we think humans should be able to accomplish (=your views of the goals of humans). In other words, make sure that your views regarding education are consistent with your broader views about humans, otherwise you may not have a "philosophy." A philosophy should have a common core, defined by your goals for humans, with which everything else you espouse about life, society, or education should be consistent (or even derived from).
Your Goals of Education:
In your view, what should be the purpose or "goals" of education? What would you like education to espouse, so that by fulfilling your educational goals, at the same time you advance your goals for humans? Please make sure that whatever your goals of education may be, they are consistent with, or similar to your goals for humans. Otherwise, you risk falling into a contradiction, or having disparate views about humans and education that do not constitute a "philosophy" (as earlier explained).
Teaching Methods:
Teaching methods describe HOW to teach something (the technique used). Methods may be contrasted to the curriculum, which describes WHAT to teach (such as, what subjects; please see "Curriculum," below). One may use a single method, say, lecture, to teach a variety of subjects (e.g., math, history, physics, etc.). Alternatively, one may use a variety of methods (lecture, project approach, socratic method, field trips, hands-on, cooperative learning, tutoring, and the like) to teach a single subject.
Helpful Hints in Thinking about Teaching Methods:
Given your goals of education, you should ask yourself "what methods would I like to adopt in order to fulfill my educational goals?" Your methods should relate directly to your goals, or else you may not have a philosophical system that "hangs together." This is why you should explain during your presentation, or be prepared to show, the connection between your educational goals, and your educational methods. Explain how each one of your methods eventually fulfills one or more of your educational goals, and why. Avoid including methods simply because they are "popular," or impressive, or even "effective." Although some methods may be the best in bringing about certain educational goals, these may not be YOUR goals, and therefore may be irrelevant in showing how they can be effectively used to promote YOUR philosophy in educational practice. Make sure, in other words, that the methods you choose can be shown to be the best ones to bring about your goals of education. Otherwise, your methods may be seen as "desirable for their own sake," in which case, they might constitute a hidden set of goals that may contradict, or be inconsistent with, your explicitly pronounced goals of education.
Curriculum:
As mentioned in the section on "Teaching methods," above, by the term "curriculum" we shall refer to WHAT is being taught, or the content of the information being conveyed (=subjects). This usually includes such subjects as art, chemistry, philosophy, and the like, as you may deem best in the fulfillment of your educational goals.
Helpful Hints:
Like the helpful tips mentioned in the section regarding methods, so here you should show how your chosen curriculum will help bring about the fulfillment of your educational goals (which in turn lead to the fulfillment of your goals for humans, which is the core of your personal philosophy). Again avoid including certain content areas simply because they are "popular," or impressive. Although some subjects may be the best in bringing about certain educational goals, these may not be YOUR goals, and therefore may be irrelevant in showing how they can be effectively employed to promote YOUR philosophy in educational practice. Make sure, in other words, that the curriculum you choose is no more than a "means" of bringing about the fulfillment of your goals of education, instead of being seen as "desirable for its own sake." If it is not shown how your curriculum will help bring about your educational goals, then it may constitute another type of "goal" that may contradict, or be inconsistent with, your pronounced goals in education.
F. Questions by the Instructor:
If student did not address during his/her presentation, or during the question period by the student audience, any of above elements in his/her philosophy (see 1-5 in D, above), including: nature of humans, goals of humans, goals of education, teaching methods, curriculum); or did not clearly explain the connection between goals of humans and goals of education; or goals of education, and methods or curriculum; or in some other way left something unanswered in his or her philosophy, then the Instructor may ask additional questions following the 2 minute question period by the whole class. The reasons for these additional questions by the Instructor are (a) to allow the presenter to receive full credit for his/her presentation; and (b) to further help the presenter understand the problems associated with building a consistent philosophy of education, or ultimately formulate a thoroughly analyzed, or "philosophical," personal philosophy.
Grading Policy:
Each presentation will be graded on the basis of whether the presenter:
(a) addressed all appropriate issues in his/her philosophy during the presentation, or during the discussion period (1-5 in D, above). (b) answered satisfactorily all questions posed by the Instructor (c) gave reasons for all aspects of his/her philosophy (d) showed clearly the interconnectedness between nature and goals of humans, and all other aspects of his/her personal philosophy (incl. goals of education, teaching methods, and curriculum). (e) in the event he/she made factual statements, distributed a typed bibliographic page to the whole class whose references support all relevant statements of fact.
There will be a total of 10 quiz questions worth 2 points each. Quizzes will be distributed at the beginning of class time. Quizzes include only multiple choice questions. For example, a quiz question may ask you to identify all the correct answers to a specific question regarding a philosopher's views, a historical event discussed in class, or a passage from the textbook. Students are expected to read all reading assignments carefully. Students are also held responsible for all lectures and discussions in class, and should be prepared to answer relevant quiz questions. Each quiz will be announced at least one class session in advance. All quiz questions, except those that refer to textbook passages, are closed book.
There may be more than one correct answer to each quiz question:
Each question will have five lettered responses. For each question, there may be 1 or more correct responses. Students should clearly indicate in their answers which lettered responses are correct. Students who do not indicate clearly their responses, including the specific letters that correspond to each question, will have their answers marked "incorrect." If students are unsure about an answer, they may explain next to their answer why they answered as they did. Occasionally, the instructor may give credit even to an incorrect response, if the explanation makes sense, and shows clearly that the student knew the answer, but possibly had a different (but correct) interpretation. The instructor allows this in order to encourage creativity in students, but also as an acknowldgement that it is not impossible that a quiz question may have a correct answer that is not among those listed in the quiz. Of course, that does not guarantee that every explanation that a student offers on the quiz is a correct one, or that such student will receive credit. In fact, based on prior experience by the instructor in grading quizzes, it is very rare for students to receive credit for an incorrect response even if they write in some type of explanation for such response. The reason for that is because students rarely find an explanation that the quiz itself did not sufficiently address, and therefore should have been answered correctly.
Preparation for the Final Examination
Quizzes not only test a student's knowledge of the material covered in class, and in the textbooks, but also prepare students for the final examination (please see "Final Examination," below). This is so because the final exam consists of multiple choice questions of the same type as the quiz questions.
Importance of Punctuality
Students should be prepared to come to class on time on the day of the quiz, so they don't miss the distribution of the quiz question. If a student misses a quiz, he/she also loses the corresponding quiz points. Quizzes cannot be made up for any reason, except excused absences. Students should also be aware of the fact that three "tardies" are equal to one absence point. Please see "Attendance," below.
The midterm examination counts for a maximum of 20 points. The exam consists of two essay questions (no multiple choice questions). Students are required to answer only one of the these. Students should carefully consider which one they think they can give a better answer for, since that will be the question on the basis of which their midterm examination points will be determined. The midterm examination takes place in class, and is closed book. Once the exam begins, students will not be allowed to use any of their notes, or readings, or any other reading material or collection of notes. Please note that students are not allowed to use dictionaries during the midterm examination. All students should include their names and attendance numbers in their answer sheets, and number each page on their midterm exam pages with page numbers, beginning with "1" for the first page, and so on. Regarding how to record your answers, please see next section, below.
How to Mark Down the Answers to the Midterm Exam Questions
Please make sure that you clearly identify which essay question you chose to respond to (such as, "Question #1," or "Question #2"). This will avoid the possibility of ever mismatching your answer, with the question that you actually intended to answer.
No extra points given for answering both essay questions:
Students who answer both essay questions on the midterm exam will have only the first one that appears on their exam papers graded, while the second one will not be graded or reviewed (no additional points will be given for answering both questions).
Nature of Essay Questions:
The essay questions are hypothetical, asking you to imagine how a certain philosopher that was covered in class may react to another philosopher's views on certain issues, and explain why.
Examples of Midterm Exam Questions, Useful Tips
As mentioned earlier, the midterm exam consists of two essay questions. For example, the question may ask you how John Dewey may react to Robert Maynard Hutchins' view of the university, and explain why. John Dewey may, or may not have ever said or wrote anything about Hutchins' views. Where a philosopher did not actually say or write anything about another philosopher, students are supposed to infer (extrapolate, deduce) from what such philosopher actually did say or write about, to how he or she might have reacted to another philosopher (or event or historical period covered in class).
To continue with our earlier example (Dewey's reaction to Hutchins), it is recommended, although not required, that first you briefly state Hutchins' views on the university. Next, state how might Dewey react to Hutchins' views, and explain why. Please make sure that you: (a) do not simply write about Dewey and Hutchins in isolation from each other, but that you also write how might Dewey react to Hutchins' views on the university (i.e., respond to the exam question); (b) do not simply list what you think Dewey's reactions may be, but that you also offer reasons why Dewey may react as you stated he might, on the basis of Dewey's philosophy; (c) do not confuse your own ideas, with those of either Dewey or Hutchins (you should represent the philosophers accurately); and (d) know enough about both Hutchins' and Dewey's views to be able to write about both. To underline or repeat one of the suggestions made here, please remember not to spend too much time describing each philosopher, without also answering the exam question, which is about a particular philosopher's reaction to another philosopher, or educational issue. In other words, make an effort to "bridge" the ideological gap between the two philosophers, or the philosopher and the issue, and to do it correctly (="bridge method").
The final examination is worth 20 points. It includes only multiple choice questions. There will be a total of 10 multiple choice questions, of the same type as the quiz questions (please see "Quizzes," above). The final exam may or may not include a few additional extra credit mutltiple choice questions. Students are allowed up to 2 hours to complete their final examination. The final exam takes place in class, during the final examination period (please see "Schedule of Readings and Requirements" for the exact date). The exam is closed book. Once the exam begins, students will not be allowed to use any of their notes, or readings, or any other reading material or collection of notes. Please note that dictionaries will NOT be allowed. Regarding how to record your answers, please see next section, below.
How to Mark Down the Answers to the Final Exam Questions
As was the case with the quiz questions, each question on the final exam will have five lettered responses. For each question, there may be 1 or more correct responses. Students should clearly indicate in their answers which lettered responses they think are correct. Students should match each question number (1, 2, etc.) with the corresponding correct answer(s) (a-e). Students who do not indicate clearly their responses, including the specific letters that correspond to each question, will have their answers marked "incorrect."
Distribution of Final Exam Questions Packet
On the day of the final examination, the multiple choice questions will be distributed in class as a separate packet. Students should not mark on any of the answers inside the packet, or otherwise write on the questions packet that will be distributed in class by the instructor. The packet may be used again during another final exam, and should be returned intact to the Instructor at the end of the examination.
Final Examination Questions
Although of the same type as the quiz questions, the actual final exam questions may, or may not have the same content as any of the quiz questions that were earlier administered in class. |
Alexander Makedon
Chicago State University
Copyright © 1999 A. Makedon
visits since 09/01/1999