TEACHING AND LEARNING ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW
The purpose of this assignment is to evaluate the teaching and learning methodologies of early
educational pioneers. Teaching and learning methodologies will be evaluated in light of biblical
worldview principles. Students may choose to analyze the teaching and learning methodologies of one
of the following early educational pioneers: John Dewey, Friedrich Froebel, Maria Montessori, Johann
Heinrich Pestalozzi, Jean Piaget, or Jean-Jacques Rousseau. As students research and conduct the
analysis, they demonstrate knowledge of educational practices of the past, discuss the historical context
surrounding the early educational pioneer and his or her teaching and learning methodology, critically
analyze the early educational pioneer’s teaching and learning method, relate the teaching and learning
methodology to their own educational beliefs and its impact on today’s education, and analyze the
teaching and learning methodology in light of a biblical worldview.
INSTRUCTIONS
This paper is based on the topic you selected from the choices listed in the overview for this assignment
and should be in current APA format. See the Teaching and Learning Analysis Resources provided
with this assignment for assistance in analyzing a biblical worldview.
Length: This paper is to be at least 4 pages in length from the introductory paragraph to the conclusion.
This does not count the title page, abstract, or reference pages.
Citations and References: Cite a minimum of five sources throughout the paper and list them on the
reference page. Of the five sources, one of them is required to be the course textbook. A minimum of
three scholarly sources must be included in the section to critically analyze the early educational
pioneer’s teaching and learning method. Other sources may include academic journal articles, books,
and textbooks from other courses.
Structure: You have a great deal of latitude in how the paper is structured, but it should follow a logical
progression of thought and the guidelines below. See the rubric for required elements.
1. Title Page
Pagination: In APA, all pages are numbered. The title page should be page 1.
Title: The title should not be the name of the assignment (i.e., Teaching and Learning Analysis).
It should be related to the early educational pioneer that you have selected. The first letter of all
words should be capitalized except for articles (e.g. a, an, the), conjunctions (e.g., and, but), and
short prepositions (e.g., of, about), unless they appear as the first word, which is always
capitalized. Center and bold your title and position it near the middle of the page or slightly
above the middle.
Other Information on Title Page: All other information on the title page should comply with
current APA requirements.
2. Abstract: The heading of the abstract should be centered and in bold font.
Place the abstract at the top of a page by itself after the title page.
Do not indent the first line.
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The abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the paper. It should present the
main ideas and main conclusions/implications. Including the main ideas and conclusions in the
abstract is much more important than a simple outline of the structure or headings.
3. Introduction: Do not use the word “Introduction” as a heading for this section.
The purpose of the introductory paragraph is different from that of the abstract. Do not simply
copy the abstract.
In this section, introduce your thesis statement that will be developed throughout the paper. It is
the main idea you are presenting. Save other supporting ideas for the body of the manuscript. Do
not overload the introductory paragraph with too many concepts that distract from the key point
of the thesis statement.
It is best to place the thesis statement at the end of the introductory paragraph. It is typically one
or two sentences that serve as a transition into the rest of the paper. Some writers choose to place
it as the first sentence of the introduction. Either option is acceptable as long as the introduction
is well written and has a logical progression of thought.
4. Summary and Historical Context: Centered in bold with all major words capitalized, enter the first
Level 1 heading of your paper. (Level 2 headings are unnecessary for this short of a paper.) Use the
words “Summary and Historical Context.”
This brief section describes/summarizes the topic you have chosen so the reader understands the
setting in which the topic developed. This is a succinct presentation of events or circumstances
that may have influenced the topic.
Include transitions that build a logical progression from the thesis statement in the introductory
paragraph into the topic and its historical context.
5. Critical Analysis: This Level 1 heading should be formatted the same as the previous one. Use the
words “Critical Analysis.” This section should reflect various perspectives about the topic, including
a biblical worldview lens.
6. Conclusion: Use the same Level 1 formatting as you have done with your other headings above and
enter the word “Conclusion” in centered, bold font. Although your conclusion should include
concepts from the thesis statement in the introduction and should have some alignment with the title
of the paper, you should not simply restate the thesis statement. Wrap up the paper by emphasizing
your main idea and draw a clear conclusion. Typically, a good conclusion does not introduce new
information. The conclusion is where you are to discuss implications about what you have already
shared and relate ideas to current educational issues.
7. References: Starting at the top of the next page after the end of the manuscript, center in bold font
the heading “References.”
Double-space everything throughout your paper, including the reference page. Do not insert
additional extra lines/spaces.
Using a hanging indent, which means that the first line of every reference is left-justified with all
other lines of the reference indented.
Follow the format below for books. Only initials are used for the author’s first and middle
names. See the APA manual for examples of multiple authors, editors, etc.
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Authorlastname, A. B. (2019). Book title in italics with only the first word and proper nouns, like
Christian, capitalized: If there is a subtitle, the first word is capitalized. Publisher.
Follow the format below for journal articles. Both the journal title and the volume number are
italicized. There is no space between the volume and issue numbers. (Sometimes, the source
provides no issue number. If that is the case, simply place a comma after the italicized volume
number.) Page numbers are last without “p.” or “pg.” before them.
Authorlastname, A. B. (2019). Article title in regular font with only the first word and proper nouns, like
European, capitalized: Subtitles may or may not be used. Journal Titles Capitalize All Major
Words Except for the Articles, Conjunctions, and Short Prepositions, 15(2), 41-50. https://URL
(make sure the URL is hyperlinked)
Miscellaneous Tips
First Person Pronouns: Per the APA manual, first-person pronouns are permitted. However, they
should rarely be used and are intended only for conveying an incident about your life story (e.g., “I was
born into poverty”) or explaining the actions you took as a researcher (e.g., “I conducted focus groups
with participants.”) A good writer makes strong declarative statements in third-person plural (e.g.,
teachers, parents, leaders, etc.) in terms of “ought” and “should” rather than overusing redundant
statements such as “I believe that,” “I think that,” “to me,” “for me,” etc. Almost always, sentences are
strengthened by simply omitting references to self.
It is considered poor writing to refer to yourself in third person (e.g., “this author”). It also may confuse
the reader because there are typically multiple authors being discussed within a manuscript.
Academic Integrity: This paper will be screened by plagiarism-checking software, which reports to the
professor the degree to which your paper is similar to other works. The following tips will help you
avoid issues with plagiarism:
Direct Quotes: No more than 15% of your paper should be made up of direct quotes. Therefore,
do more summarizing and paraphrasing than quoting. Short quotes should be in quotation marks
and longer quotes of 40-words or more should be indented. If you do not set off direct quotes in
this manner and/or do not cite them, it is plagiarism.
Ideas and Facts: If the idea or fact is not your own, you must cite its source. When not directly
quoting, summarize, or analyze the idea in your own words.
Teaching and Learning Analysis Resources
What’s a Christian Worldview?Links to an external site.
Foundations for LivingLinks to an external site.
What is a Christian Worldview?Links to an external site.
On EducationLinks to an external site.
International Christian Community of Teacher Education (ICCTE) JournalLinks to an external site.
Christian Education JournalLinks to an external site.
Christian Perspectives in EducationLinks to an external site.
