Social and Cultural Foundations of American Education/Chapter 1/Why are they important to education? 3
From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection
THE IMPORTANCE OF PHILOSOPHIES IN EDUCATION
WRITTEN BY: ADRIENNE WHALEN
The philosophy of education is an aspect that all teachers, schools, and administrators mold themselves to, whether intentionally or not. Philosophy in the learning process gives learners and educators a basis on which to build knowledge. However, which one should society adhere to? The question may not have a right or wrong response. Some educators follow one philosphy, while others combine multiple theories and develop a derived philosophy. There are many differences in the five main philosophies. However, the ultimate goals in education are to learn and apply knowledge, as well as become lifelong learners. Knowledge and education are both key aspects in producing and maintaining society.
Contents |
[edit] Essentialism
The education philosophy that has been dominant in the United States' education system has been that of Essentialism. The underlying basis of this approach is to provide the basic essential skills and instill the traditional American virtues of respect for authority, perserverance, consideration and practicality in students(Shaw). This translates into a classroom where procedures with role skills and memorization are key aspects in learning.
Essentialism tends to require students to follow routines where they are repeatedly practicing and applying educational standards in order to gain mastery. Then, to determine a student's achievement or mastery, they are given standardized tests, with the end result being a student who is "culturally literate" because they have achieved mastery in the traditional disciplines(Shaw). The upside to this system is that continual practice can help with retention and one can demonstrate mastery in a standardized test.
There are pitfalls to Essentialism, however. Those pitfalls include no emphasis on student interests or vocational learning. This may not give all learners the most effective way to gain knowledge. Also, little is said about comprehension or inquired into how one test on one day could be the key to progression. The launch of Sputnik caused a resurgence in Essentialism.
[edit] Progressivism
Another philosophy is Progressivism. It's creator, John Dewey, thought it vitally important that education not be the teaching of mere dead facts, but that the skills and knowledge which students learned should be integrated fully into their lives as persons, citizens, and human beings (wikibooks).
| "Education is life itself." -John Dewey |
One of the most important aspects of Progressivism is to base education on the needs of the students. Dewey taught that people are social animals who learn well through active interplay with others and that our learning increases when we are engaged in activities that have meaning for us (Shaw). One of the negatives to Progressivism is that it takes up more time and the teacher can't cover all of the required material. Some positive aspects are that it adapts to all learning styles and requires that a teacher focus on overall learning with less focus on rigorous standards while showing an application of knowledge.
[edit] Perennialism
Perennialism teaches concepts and focuses on knoweldge and its meaningfulness. This leads a classroom towards the traditional philosophy where a teacher answers questions and inquires from the students in order for them to gain an understanding.
| ""textbooks have probably done as much to degrade the American intelligence as any single face."--Robert Hutchings |
This allows students to gain the ability to develop a full range of rational powers (Shaw). While students learn the "profound and enduring" ideas present throughout time, there is little emphasis on those who learn discipline by using textbooks. Robert Hutchings, a Perennialism advocate, says, "textbooks have probably done as much to degrade the American intelligence as any single face." While some may agree that students pursuing knowledge through a teacher may provide for a variety of avenues in which to educate the substance found within a textbook, it could help to reinforce knowledge gained in a classroom. The downside to this approach is that there is no emphasis or importance placed on the new science. The argument being that the science may change and therefore should not be taught.
[edit] Existentialism
Existentialism gives students options to choose from and allows them to explore their interests. The teacher's role is to help students define their own essence by exposing them to various paths they may take in life and creating an environment in which they may freely choose their own preferred way (Shaw). In the Existential classroom, subject matter takes second place to helping the students understand and appreciate themselves as unique individuals who accept complete responsibility for their thoughts, feelings, and actions (Shaw). This is a great way to learn interactively and would work well with younger students. Though the public schools have not agreed with this philosophy because of the problems faced when educational goals cannot be met , private schools have accepted this philosophy.
[edit] Behaviorism
The final educational philosophy to look at is Behaviorism, one that will become, in my opinion, more prevalent as our society seems to be changing in terms of moral and family values. Behaviorism started out as a science investigation by Pavlov and B.F. Skinner, into the study of environmental effects and stimuli on animals (wikibooks). We can apply this to a classroom setting by realizing that many students are coming from non-traditional homes and without the structure and support optimal for classrooms that operate under Essentialism. Behaviorism allows students to have positive reinforcement and to teach children who many feel are unteachable. One man who employs this philosophy is Ron Clark. He took on New York's worst, the unteachables, and transformed them into a functioning class who learned and demonstrated achievement on standardized testing. The goal was not to turn these students into Pavlov's dogs but to provide procedures and positive reinforcement that helped to counter their lack of structure at home. The downside to this approach is that a teacher can lose valuable time trying to understand and adapt to what's lacking in a student's homelife in order to provide the appropriate reinforcement. This cut in teaching time can be crucial especially when there is limited time and such a volume of students to teach.
In the overall investigation of the different philosophies one goal ultimately stands out: to produce life long learners who, through their cultural literacy, strive to make society better. There is no answer or philosophy that is applicable for all students, which is why it is important for educators to combine the aspects of different philosophies in order for students to maximize their learning potential. What educators must keep in mind is that educational philosophy is meant to create the optimum learning environment, but students and their learning styles must also play a role. Therefore it is open to new ideas and learn, as that is the goal in education regardless of philosophy.
ESSAY QUESTION
What type of philosophy would you apply and why in an alternative setting where students are originating from a poverty shaken, drug infested area?
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Mrs. Terry, a high school teacher, is teaching more concepts to her students and how meaningful these concepts really are. She
is applying which philosophy of education?
A. Essentialism
B. Existentialism
C. Perennialism
D. Behaviorism
2. What historical event caused a resurgence in Essentialism?
A. launch of Sputnik
B. Berlin wall coming down
C. end of cold war
D. beginning of Korean War
3. The teacher Ron Clark took on New Yorks worst the "unteachables" and turned them into a functioning class. What philosophy
of education is he applying?
A. Essentialism
B. Behaviorism
C. Existentialism
D. Perennialism
4. A third grade teacher, Mrs. Reese, wants her students to answer arithmetic questions about objects found at their school
and plans to incorporate other activities that are meaningful in the students lives. Which philosophy is she applying?
A. Existentialism
B. Behaviorism
C. Perennialism
D. Progressivism
5. In the classroom Mrs. Mowrey acts more like a guide rather than a knowledgable instructor with longer days and a longer academic year reflects what philosophy?
A. Behaviorism
B. Essentialism
C. Perrenialism
D. Progressivism
WORKS CITED
Granada America and MAGNA Global Entertainment (Producers). (2006 August 26). The Ron Clark Story. [Johnson and Johnson Spotlight Presentation] New York: TNT.
Neill, James. "John Dewey:Philosophy of Education." http://www.wilderdom.com/experiential/JohnDeweyPhilosophyEducation.html (Janruary 26, 2005).
Shaw, Larry J. "Five Educational Philosophies." <http://edweb.sdsu.edu/LShaw/f95syll/philos/phprogr.html (September 13,2006).
Wikipedia. "John Dewey." <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dewey> (June 20, 2006).
Wikipedia. "Philosophy of Education." <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_education> (June 16, 2006).
MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWERS
1. C
2. A
3. B
4. D
5. B
