Offered by the University of Chicago Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP), this syllabus for the course (UTEP 35506) titled Philosophy of Education is a part of a three-quarter sequence called the Foundations of Education Seminar. The seminar is composed of three integrated pedagogical strands that are key to the development of teaching and learning: Academic, Soul, and Fieldwork. The strands emphasize content, social-emotional learning, culturally responsive practice, and Chicago communities and schools.

This course examines the “purpose” of teaching from a variety of perspectives by engaging with various educational philosophers, theorists, pedagogues, and practitioners to think about how they approach teaching and learning in the context of Chicago. Students are expected to articulate their own motivations, intentions, and underpinnings that inform their curricular and pedagogical decision-making. In the learning portfolio final project, students submit a series of documents (a philosophy of education, a professional development reflection, short-term goals, and a dialogic relationship reflection) that they develop as a personal accountability system.