Draft An Essay Highlighting" Nature And Purpose Of Education"

1.0 Task Description

This task provides an opportunity to think critically about, and reflect on, the nature and purpose of education, based on your learning in this unit (Modules 1-6).

You will use the thesis statement, My philosophy of the purpose of education is …, as the focal point of your reflective essay, and the position from which you will develop your supporting arguments.

You should include evidence of:

• Understanding of the unit content,
• academic reading/research, and
• critical observations of your lived experiences, including writings from your Reflective Journal and

Assessment One Portfolio

You will need to demonstrate:

• critical thinking about, and
• critical reflection on,

the nature and purpose of education and demonstrate your understanding of key concepts presented in this unit.

2.0 Task Instructions

What you need to do:

1. Write your thesis statement using the stem provided: My philosophy of the purpose of education is… . Your thesis statement must:
   • Be debatable, specific, interesting, well-worded, and
   • incorporate at least three key concepts learned through this unit.
2. Your reflective essay must develop arguments that support the thesis statement - see Section 3.0 Additional information – Reflective essay (1).
3. The essay must be well planned in order present a cohesive and logical structure. The essay structure will be discussed in the Workshops. Also note:
   • Do not use sub-headings within the essay.
   • Use APA 7 formatting throughout the essay - see Section 4.0 Resources and Section 5.0 Referencing Style.
4. Your reflective essay will be comprised of 5 paragraphs: an introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
   1. Introduction should:
      • Include a thesis statement (first sentence) and an explanation of your argument (3 points, each referring to one of the 3 body paragraphs).
      • Not include in-text citations or quotes.
   2. Body paragraphs should include:
      • A topic sentence for each paragraph - see section 3.0 Additional information – PEEL (3).
      • In-text citations, drawing on scholarly (peer-reviewed) sources, AND critical observations of your lived experiences should be used to support your point of view and your arguments - see section 3.0 Additional information – Synthesis (2).
      • In-text citations referenced using the APA 7 style guide (see Section 4.0 Referencing style).
      • Paraphrasing (with appropriate degree of citation and referencing), avoiding an over reliance on direct quotations.
      • Evidence of critical reflective thinking, by moving your discussion and evidence from the ‘what’ to the ‘so what’ and then to the ‘now what’. This will be explained in the Workshops.
      • Explanations of the implications of your position for you and/or the field of education in a broader context.

3.0 Additional information

1. A reflective essay includes:
   • A well-developed thesis statement.
   • Thinking that moves beyond mere descriptions to the development of cohesive arguments.
   • Evidence of ‘so what’ and ‘now what’ discussion.
   • Considers practices/policies/pedagogic and future implications.
   • Identifies and reflects on issues within the broader context of education.
2. Synthesis of unit content and lived experiences must:
   • Reflect an understanding of the key concepts, but is unlikely to include all the topics covered in the unit. Select only those that support your argument.
   • Informed by unit content, wider readings, and lived experiences.
   • Show an understanding of teaching and learning practices.
3. You are strongly encouraged to PEEL when writing each of the body paragraphs:
   • Make your point in the first sentence of the paragraph (topic sentence), that tells the reader what this paragraph is arguing.
   • Provide an explanation (elaboration) of your argument, that addresses the ‘so what’ of your thesis. Include academic reading/research.
   • Include evidence (examples), drawing on your personal reflection of your lived experiences. This section might also include academic reading/research.
   • Link to the next aspect of your argument, where you incorporate the ‘now what’ of your thesis.