My Personal Philosophy of Education

My Personal Philosophy of Education
Jurna Pierre
EDF1005
Professor McNair











Progressivism is based around real-world experiences. It focuses on providing students with the skills and knowledge necessary not only to survive but also to succeed in a modern and competitive society. Essentialism is based on the theory that children should learn the traditional basic subjects and that these should be learned thoroughly and rigorously. Perennialism is based on the theory that believes that one should teach the things of everlasting importance to all people everywhere. They believe that the most important topics develop a person. These three philosophies were demonstrated as the highest amongst the others on my Personal Philosophy of Education Survey; with a score of 75% for progressivism, 70% for essentialism and a 65% for Perennialsm.
As the name suggests, progressivism is a philosophy that is adaptable for society’s current state (Slippery Rock University, 2003a). It focuses on educating students in a manner that leads them to become productive adults that skillfully functions in an ever-changing world (Slippery Rock University, 2003b). William James and John Dewey are credited for developing this characteristically American philosophy of education. The Progressive education philosophy was established in America from the mid 1920s through the mid 1950s (Leonora M. Cohen, OSU - School of Education, 1999a). It was not so much an organized movement as it was a general spirit of reform embraced by Americans with diverse goals and backgrounds during the early twentieth century (Dr. Harold D. Tallant, Department of History, and Georgetown College, 2001). Before its initiation, the philosophy of education was viewed passively more than it was actively. Education was an object seen visibly, through text books and on white boards, but never was it acted upon or sought out hands-on. John Dewey was progressivism’s foremost proponent. One of his tenets was that the school should improve the way of life of our citizens through experiencing freedom and democracy in schools. Shared decision making, planning of teachers with students, student-selected topics are all aspects. Books are tools, rather than authority (LeoNora M. Cohen, OSU - School of Education, 1999b). John Dewey became famous for pointing out that the authoritarian, strict, pre-ordained knowledge approach of modern traditional education was too concerned with delivering knowledge, and not enough with understanding students' actual experiences (James Neil, 2005). Progressivism curriculum has a strong emphasis on problem solving and analysis. These skills are important in today’s society. Without problem solving abilities, a student or any individual is lost and alone in the bewildering maze of the society that characterizes the world today. Progressivism curriculum is centered on activities and instructions that challenge a students’ problem solving and analysis ability, in attempt to strengthen these skills. Progressivism sought advancement through the liberation of human energies and potential from both the fading restraints of past ages and the new restraints imposed by modern industrialism. Progressivism was, thus, both forward-looking and backward-looking in its outlook (Dr. Harold D. Tallant, Department of History, and Georgetown College, 2001).
Essentialism refers to the "traditional" or "Back to the Basics" approach to education. It is so named because it strives to instill students with the "essentials" of academic knowledge and character development. The term essentialism as an educational philosophy was originally popularized in the 1930s by the American educator William Bagley (1874 -1946). The philosophy itself, however, had been the dominant approach to education in America from the beginnings of American history. Early in the twentieth century, essentialism was criticized as being too rigid to prepare students adequately for adult life. Today Essentialists believe that children should learn traditional basic subjects. They also believe that these should be learned thoroughly and rigorously. An essentialist program normally teaches children progressively, from less complex skills to more rigorously built ones. They usually teach some set subjects similar to Reading, Writing, Literature, Foreign Languages, History, Math, Science, Art, and Music. The students learn passively by sitting in their desks and listening to the teacher. An example of essentialism would be lecture based introduction classes taught at universities. Students sit and take notes in a classroom which holds over one hundred students. They take introductory level courses in order to introduce them to the content. After they have completed this course, they will take the next level course and apply what they have learned previously (Foundation of Education Web, 2008).
Perennialists believe that one should teach the things of everlasting importance to all people everywhere. They believe that the most important topics develop a person. Since details of fact change constantly, these cannot be the most important. Therefore, one should teach principles, not facts. Since people are human, one should teach first about humans, not machines or techniques. A particular strategy with modern perennialists is to teach scientific reasoning, not facts. They may illustrate the reasoning with original accounts of famous experiments. This gives the students a human side to the science, and shows the reasoning in action. Most importantly, it shows the uncertainty and false steps of real science. Although perennialism may seem similar to essentialism, perennialism focuses first on personal development, while essentialism focuses first on essential skills. Perennialism has been supported by Mortimer Adler and Robert Hutchins.