Here you'll find specifics on the Professional Goals Essay, the Statement of Educational Philosophy, and the Performance-Based Evaluation mentioned in your program's admission requirements:
Professional Goals Essay
Prepare a well-organized, focused essay of 300 to 500 words (double spaced and typed) describing why you want to pursue graduate education. Include in the essay a reflection on:
- Your experiences, skills and lifelong learning, which makes your pursuit of graduate study a sound choice for you.
- Your level of preparation for graduate study, knowledge in your chosen field and professional activities.
- Your professional goals and how these goals will prepare you to serve individuals and families from diverse backgrounds.
- Your reasons for choosing RIC's graduate program.
Please Note: This essay should demonstrate your best writing. It will be scored on its content (understanding of the goal of graduate study and its effective use of personal experience to discuss preparation and dispositions) and writing conventions.
Statement of Educational Philosophy
Prepare a well-organized and focused essay describing why you want to become a teacher and the personal characteristics and skills you would bring to a career in teaching. The content of this essay is very important; however, command of effective and correct written communication skills will also be evaluated. The essay should not exceed 850 words. Include the following elements in your essay. They need not appear in the same order as presented below.
- Discuss your reasons for applying to a specific teacher preparation program and your commitment to teaching as a career.
- Use examples of your experiences that are related to a potential career in teaching. Discuss your beliefs about each of the following:
- Individual and cultural diversity
- The potential for all children to learn
- Professional collaboration
- Teacher as a lifelong learner
- Reflect on one of the above areas which you believe you need to alter or improve to become an effective teacher. Using specific examples, explain how your attitudes or behaviors need to change and why. Discuss how you might begin to work toward that change.
Performance-Based Evaluation
As part of your application, you are required to submit a performance-based evaluation, which reflects a recent assessment of your professional work and skills. The performance-based evaluation may include, but is not limited to, any of the following:
- personal copy, or parts thereof, of a recent employee or teaching evaluation that addresses your professional skills
- an evaluation of your performance during a specific professional activity (e.g., student teaching final evaluation, conducting a workshop/seminar, intake interview, conducting a therapy group)
- a classroom performance-based evaluation demonstrating your professional skills (e.g., your instructor's evaluation of your performance-based class project, teaching demonstration or counseling simulations)
