Eight Philosophies

When discussing education we find ideas and influences that include the four major philosophies of idealism, realism, pragmatism, and existentialism. With each of these categories we can further group them into teacher-centered and student-centered philosophies. Discussing the teacher-centered approaches we find the educational philosophies of essentialism, behaviorism, and positivism. On the other hand we find the student-centered approaches which include progressivism, humanism, and constructivism.

Essentialism believes that those who are to be educated must have a core of information and skills, organized by schools centered on the most essential and effective material. Here, having a core of information, hard work and mental discipline as well as teacher-centered instruction is found to produce a productive life for the student. Essentialism believes that information can and will change, therefore developing and refining basic skills is crucial to the student whose role is that of a learner. Formal discipline, lectures, repetition and examination are all used in this philosophical view.

Behaviorism believes that one’s own behavior can be determined and changed by the environment and is not hereditary. The school environment must be organized and the curriculum is based on goals or objectives focused from students’ behavior. Using positive and negative reinforcements, teachers can promote or extinguish particular behaviors. Behavior is in the past and is not important here, rather the behavior at hand is the focus, which can be molded and changed through the teacher’s spotlight on the current environment.

Positivism is centered on positive knowledge which rejects essences, intuition, and inner causes that cannot be measured. Reality here can be explained by laws of matter and motion, meaning that student and teacher are limited to the observable and the measureable. Teachers here use direct instruction, clear statements and goals as well as precise expectations on the part of the teacher. Reciting, restating, writing, and other media are used when learning, requiring that all students learn the same knowledge. Positivism believes that schools need to develop standards and content for all students to develop their own set of skills of observation, classification, and logical analysis.

Progressivism, as closely related and partially evolving from pragmatism, the meaning or value of ideas is tested by experimenting and learning is based upon questions that are posed by the learner, the student. Ideas are found as practical results and experience here is important to emphasize learning “how” to think not “what” to think. The process of learning is more important here than the end result, making education a process and helping to improve society. Socialization is crucial here, managing change and developing visions for a new and better world, students take on their ideas and facts through questioning and experimentation.

Humanism holds that the individual is innately good, that they are born free and only due to institutions are people enslaved. Education here is a process that develops a free, self-actualizing person focused on the students’ feelings or the individual self. The individual is crucial and education should continue here without coercion or prescription, emphasizing testing and teaching through the students’ interests, wants and needs, making choice very important. The environment is the foundation for education, and personalization is important to understanding the individual and aiding in the growth of the individual.

Constructivism believes that personal meaning is crucial and can be attained through hands-on activities as well as activity based teaching and learning. Students here are encouraged to develop their own thinking and answer their own questions through promotion of critical thinking and the understanding of big ideas. Problem-based learning is an approach that constructivism uses which centers activities on tackling current social problems and fostering student discovery of knowledge.

The other two philosophies that were not in the book are perennialism and reconstructionism. Perennialism believes that education should focus on ideas that have lasted over time which are still meaningful and relevant to our society and educational system. Education here would stem from the “classics” and when learning from these past intellects, students should appreciate their learning. Perennialism is a teacher-centered philosophy and is not concerned with students’ experiences or individual interests. Here, all students possess the same essential nature and are encouraged to think on a deeper level. Reconstructionism believes that examining the history and issues of society as well as being dedicated to bringing about change will create good citizens and students. The focus of the curriculum is on social issues, or life issues as students are products and pieces of society. Education on cultural diversity and history here is important.

When I begin to contemplate the various philosophies of which I can relate to for my teaching career, I find myself centered not on the teacher, but the student. With my classroom being student centered, I find a couple of philosophies that I can most relate to which are progressivism and constructivism. Within progressivism, I find myself steering towards a philosophy that emphasizes ideas being tested by experimentation and learning rooted in questions developed by my students. I want my students to be able to question the world around them and to discover the path of experiments that leads them towards knowledge. Learning how to think versus what to think is important. I don’t want to teach my students merely material at hand but rather knowledge applicable to the rest of their lives, giving them the tools to continue on in life. In addition, constructivism allows me to further emphasize hands-on learning and activity-based teaching where students can develop their own thoughts. Developing critical thinking and allowing my students to really understand themselves, leading them to discover knowledge for themselves is important to me. I want to be not just a teacher, but an educator, a guide, a coach, a person to whom my students can turn to, to help foster the individual through a classroom community that encompasses a safe, respectful, caring environment.