Running head: EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY 1

Educational Philosophy

Christina Hill

College of Southern Nevada

Dr. Asherian
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Educational Philosophy

Education is one of the greatest privileges we have in this world, especially in the United

States. Our access to education is unparalleled, but of course there is room to grow concerning

our success in teaching and learning in schools. It is the duty of upcoming educators to improve

our students’ success and facilitate the growth into readiness for the world outside of the

classroom.

I decided to become a teacher because I am not particularly a “school person” myself. I

started out loving school and I was actually pretty good at it. As I grew older, however, my

disinterest grew with the often unnecessary workload. Once I transitioned into high school, I

dreaded going every day. It was my teachers who showed genuine interest in getting to know

their students, understood the teenage mindset, and showed compassion to the students and their

other responsibilities in other classes and at home that made me want to come to school. My

twelfth grade philosophy teacher, specifically, truly inspired me. She did not necessarily

encourage me to become an educator, but she always made me feel welcome in the classroom

and showed genuine interest in what I had to contribute to class discussions. She taught me

patience and demonstrated what a good mentor looks like. These are the skills I will carry with

me into my teaching career. I actually observed at the same high school that I attended and the

experience exposed the difference in what I believed an ideal classroom was versus the reality of

a classroom. Students don’t always care about the environment they are in and do not pay

attention to the lessons being given a lot of the time. I learned that if the teacher keeps the

students engaged with their personality, with a more hands-on lesson, or with a real-world

approach to the lesson, the students will be much more receptive and even more respectful.
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I believe the main purpose of education is to gain more knowledge of the world around

you. This includes culture, people, places, languages, and history. A well as this, education

should successfully prepare students for their futures, whether that be in college, a trade, or

jumping straight into their career. My beliefs about education most closely align with

Progressivism and Social Reconstructionism. Progressivism is defined as the idea that “organizes

schools around the concerns, curiosity, and real-world experiences of students.” Social

Reconstructionism means it “creates lessons that both intellectually inform and emotionally stir

students about the inequities that surround them” (Sadker and Zittleman, 2018).

In 1986 when Professor Dewey founded the Laboratory school, he found that having facilities,

such as a science laboratory, an art room, a woodworking shop, and a kitchen allowed students to

be creative and learn through their own experiments in those labs. Dewey discovered that

students were less likely to learn through isolated exercises and drills because they found them to

be irrelevant. As a student, I can concur that sitting through lectures with no hands-on

experiences on my own slowed down my ability to grasp concepts. Going hand in hand with this,

a social reconstructionist classroom where field trips to learn about the history of culture and

different types of people would give students a first hand experience of the importance of

diversity and how to make a change for the better in the world.

As a teacher, I want to implement group activities where students have the opportunity to

work with their peers in order to get new perspectives aside from my own. I understand that just

because I am the teacher, I do not know everything and students always have something valuable

to contribute to every discussion. This is why student diversity is extremely important. Different

races, genders, and disabilities all have separate perspectives that are all special. Making sure
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students who need extra help feel included in the class will be one of my main priorities as a

teacher. If I need an assistant to sit with those students in class to either translate, go more in

depth, or explain it in a new way to students who have difficulty understanding the lesson then so

be it. Not all students are great test-takers, and I believe exams truly just test a student’s memory

rather than their knowledge. So as an assessment, instead of big exams at the end of each chapter

and semester, I would rather have them do presentations on what they have learned. I want them

to teach the class what they know in order to gain communication skills, as well as how to

properly articulate their ideas. I feel that giving daily in-class assignments and having the

students finish what they did not complete in class as homework will encourage them to work

diligently in the classroom so that they do not have an extra workload once they arrive at home.

To become a successful teacher I need excellent classroom management skills, most

importantly. To achieve this, I plan on substitute teaching. It is more difficult to be a guest

teacher, because I have not gained the students’ respect yet. Adolescents usually see substitutes

as an opportunity to take advantage of their lack of knowledge of the classroom. By successfully

managing an environment such as this, I would be well prepared once I am a full-time teacher for

students who are my own and who have known me since the first day. As well as fine classroom

management skills, I will need a strong sense of preparedness. Students sense when their teacher

is flustered and unprepared and they will use that to their advantage. By being prepared for the

class on a daily basis, respect will come hand in hand. Respect is the basis of every prosperous

classroom, and anywhere in general.

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The five educational philosophies are Essentialism, Perennialism, Progressivism, Social

Reconstructionism, and Existentialism. Each philosophy has their own unique way of

teaching--from a rigorous schedule of the basic subjects of school to teaching the students how

they want to be taught.

In an Essentialist classroom it is urged that “traditional disciplines such as math, science,

history, foreign language, and literature form the foundation of the curriculum, which is referred

to as the core curriculum. Essentialists disagree with electives that “water-down” academic

content” (Sadker and Zittleman, 2018). Even in creative classes, such as art and music, students

are given basic techniques and information to master. American educator William Bagley

popularized “essentialism” in the 1930s. Essentialism has been a huge part of the American

education since World War II. Historical events, like the launching of Sputnik in 1957,

standardized testing mandated by No Child Left Behind under President Bush, and increased

immigration into the United States have all kept essentialism extremely significant. An

essentialist classroom activity would most likely look like rows of students facing the front of the

classroom where the teacher lectures every day. Students sit and take notes and after they have

completed this course, they will take the next level course and apply what they have learned

previously (“Essentialism”). Once they have mastered the mandatory classes, usually by passing

an exam, then students are promoted to the next level.

Perennialism believe that the goal of education should be to develop rational thought and

to discipline minds to think rigorously. Mortimer Adler proposed in his Paideia Proposal (1982),

an elementary and secondary curriculum for all students, with no electives except for a second

language (Sadker and Zittleman, 2018). A perennialist classroom would consist of students
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studying a great work, such as The Odyssey by Homer and writing a paper explaining what they

read and why it is significant. ​Perennialists believe that education should guide students’ thought

processes toward the understanding and appreciation of the great works of literature written by

history’s finest thinkers that transcend time and never become outdated (“​Philosophies Of

Education: 2 Types Of Teacher-Centered Philosophies,” 2016).

As defined earlier in the paper, Progressivism ​is the idea that organizes schools around

the concerns, curiosity, and real-world experiences of students. John Dewey was a reformer and

advocate for progressive classrooms. Dewey viewed education to serve the purpose of learning

how to apply previous experiences in new ways. He believed it was important for students to

master the scientific method: (1) become aware of a problem, (2) define it, (3) propose various

hypotheses to solve it, (4) examine the consequences of each hypothesis in the light of previous

experience, and (5) test the most likely solution (Sadker and Zittleman, 2018). Progressivism

focuses on solving problems by doing. An activity that might be done in a classroom such as this

might consist of students working with their classmates on a science experiment, using books as

a secondary tool. The students would then create a poster or presentation displaying to the class

what they have discovered and the process they used in order to come to a solution.

Also defined earlier, Social Reconstructionism means it “creates lessons that both

intellectually inform and emotionally stir students about the inequities that surround them.”

George Counts, one of Dewey’s students wrote a book influenced by the Great Depression. He

believed that schools focus on reforming society because social challenges “provide a natural

(and moral) direction for curricular and instructional activities” (Sadker and Zittleman, 2018). It

is the teacher’s duty to inform their students about social issues happening in the world because
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ignorance is where things turn ugly. In a Social Reconstructionist classroom there would most

likely be discussions and debates where each student shared their perspective and experience

around race, sex, gender, poverty, and climate change. The teacher would pick the students’

brains in order for them to recognize their ignorance--which is not a negative thing-- and

facilitate the students’ growth in ideals. As well as in-depth discussions, field trips to natural

history museums might be common so that the students’ get to see history front and center.

Finally, an Existentialist approach states the “purpose of education is to help children find

the meaning and direction in their lives, and it rejects the notion that adults should direct

meaningful learning for children” (Sadker and Zittleman, 2018). Jean Paul Sartre, a French

Philosopher found that for young people, “the existential moment arises when they realize for

the first time that choice is theirs, that they are responsible for themselves. Their question

becomes "Who am I and what should I do?” (“Section III - Philosophical Perspectives in

Education”). In an Existentialist classroom, it is the teacher’s duty to expose students to their

different paths in life. Math and science are less emphasized than creativity, as math and science

do not unlock a person’s self-awareness. Activities in a classroom such as this would consist of

art projects where students can have full creative control in expressing themselves in an attempt

to discover what their strengths and weaknesses are.

I believe a successful classroom incorporates all five educational philosophies because

each one has its own importance. Life outside of the classroom requires extreme discipline,

creativity, self-awareness, social awareness, and knowledge of basic concepts, such as math,

science, english, and literature. As a teacher, I hope to effectively blend each philosophy into my

teaching style to ensure the greatest success for my future students.

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References

Cohen, L. M. (n.d.). Section III - Philosophical Perspectives in Education. Retrieved October 21,

2018, from https://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP2.html

Essentialism. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2018, from

https://www.siue.edu/~ptheodo/foundations/essentialism.html

Lynch, M. (2016, August 05). Philosophies of Education: 2 Types of Teacher-Centered

Philosophies. Retrieved October 20, 2018, from

https://www.theedadvocate.org/philosophies-education-2-types-teacher-centered-philoso

phies/

Sadker, D. M., & Zittleman, K. R. (2018). ​Teachers, schools, and society: A brief introduction to

education​ (4th ed.). Retrieved October 20, 2018, from

https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780077773663/cfi/180!/4/4@0.00:0.00