How to Write a Philosophy of Education

A Philosophy of Education is an informative document that describes your own personal ideas and goals for teaching and education. Writing a clear and concise Philosophy of Education is vital if you seek employment in the education industry as a teacher or administrator. Outline your main educational views, and remember to structure your ideas in an easy-to-understand manner. See the resource section for an example of a well-structured Philosophy of Education.

Write a brief introduction--three or four sentences. Introduce yourself to the reader, detail your experience so far and give some other background information about yourself. Only include relevant information, such as your qualifications and teaching history. The person reviewing your Philosophy of Education has no interest in your favorite color or preferred breed of dog.

Create a list of ideas that you think make the ideal teaching environment. Use these ideas to form the structure of the first paragraph for the body of your Philosophy of Education. These notes might include: your opinions on the societal need for education and the roles of teacher and student in a classroom setting. At this stage, simply include quick notes or bullet points. Expand upon them later in the writing process.

Describe your personal influences relating to your desire to teach. In this section, focus on why you wish to be in the education field and what you feel you can contribute to it. Highlight some of your goals and personal preferences regarding the type of teaching you wish to pursue.

Type up your Philosophy of Education on the computer. You will always need a typed document ready to send to potential employers. When writing your document, keep in mind that it needs to be easy to understand, grammatically correct and must contain information that sheds a positive light upon your teaching philosophies. The reader will not want to hear how bad you think the education system is.

Create a conclusion that underlines and reviews your main points. This section is perhaps the most important, in that it will show the reader that you are logical and succinct in your teaching philosophies.

Save back-up copies of your Philosophy of Education in printed and electronic formats. Add the document to your teaching portfolio. It will more than likely be one of the first pieces of information that a potential employer will read.