5 Philosophies of Education

“Philosophy begins with wonder.”

~ Socrates

By Joanna Stiner

Bible References from KJV

 2 Greek words: philos + sophos = love of
wisdom
 Helps teachers reflect on key issues and
concepts in education
 Usually uses questions:
 What is being educated?
 What should be learned?
 Your educational philosophy:
 Why you teach
 What and how you teach
 Whom you teach
 The nature of learning
 “In spite of itself, any movement that thinks and acts in
terms of an „ism becomes so involved in reaction against
other „isms that it is unwittingly controlled by them.”
~ John Dewey

Believe nothing because a so-called wise man said it.

Believe nothing because a belief is generally held.
Believe nothing because it is written in ancient books.
Believe nothing because it is said to be of divine origin.
Believe nothing because someone else believes it.
Believe only what you yourself judge to be true.
~ Gautama Buddha

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen
with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the
Word of life; that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you…”
~ 1 John 1:1, 3a ~
 Focuses on 7 liberal arts
(grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry,
music, astronomy)
 The foundation of western education since the
Middle Ages and still dominate the secondary
education curriculum to some extent.
Reflects Plato‟s belief that Truth
(capitalized to reflect eternal
nature) and values are
absolute, timeless, and universal
I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.
~ John 14:6b ~
 Goal of Education: to help all students discover
and understand these Truths
 Accomplish goal by studying mankind‟s
accumulated knowledge
 Concerned with curricular integration
(interdisciplinary studies)
 Proponents of Perennialism:
 Robert Maynard Hutchins – Great Books (1963)
 Mortimer Adler – 100 great books of Western Civ.
 Distinguishing Characteristics in its Pure Form:
1) Role of Education: to help students
understand perennial Truth rather than
contemporary, transitory needs
2) A single curriculum should exist for all
students
3) Curriculum should consist of separate courses
but emphasize the integration of knowledge
4) Curriculum should include study of original
sources
 Philosophy which underlies most of today‟s secondary
school education
 Traditional = Essential to most people
 One of the main goals: pass on the cultural and
historical heritage to each new generation of
learners, beginning with the “basics”
 “And these words, which I command thee this
day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them
diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them
when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou
walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and
when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a
sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets
between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon
the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” ~ Deut. 6:6-9
 Primarily subject-centered
 Teacher is the master of the subject field
 1st :Emphasizes clear, measurable goals
 One is to ensure students develop a strong
knowledge base (English, math, history, science)
 Students build on what others learned (not
trial/error)
 Students must trust elders because of their lack of
experience
 2nd: Competition is inherent in humans
 Prepare students to compete in global economy
 Therefore cooperative learning not highlighted
 Must study a certain number of
history, math, English, and science courses to
graduate
 Leading Proponents:
 William Bagley: 1934 anti-progressivist journal
 H.G. Rickover: Polish Jew; Admiral; founded Center
for Excellence in Education in 1983
 Arthur Bestor: Educational Wastelands, 1953
 Distinguishing Characteristics:
1) Roles of Ed to perpetuate culture and teach
children basics so they become contributors
2) Subject-centered curriculum learning what is
known and then exploring unknown via
scientific investigation
3) Non-academic subjects (PE, fine
arts, vocational) excluded or at least very
minor
4) Measurable progress and use of standardized
tests
 Most often cited as contrast to Perennialism
and Essentialism
 John Dewey – Students have innate desire to
learn & grow; give them tasks and materials
they see as relevant to their needs.
Interdisciplinary curriculum. Students solve
relevant problems.
 Curriculum STUDENT-CENTERED
 Distinguishing Characteristics:
1) Role of Ed is to prepare students to live in a
democratic society
2) Curriculum should be interdisciplinary &
structured so students work at solving
relevant problems, acquiring skills &
understandings while learning HOW vs.
WHAT to think
3) Textbooks, memorization, & other traditional
tools/techniques replaced with actual
experiences and problem-solving
 Built on Protragoras‟s idea that man is the
measure of all things
 All people are individual and must define &
find happiness for themselves
 Ivan Illich – (Deschooling Society) Education
should take place in society vs. schools
 John Holt – “School should be a great
smorgasbord of
intellectual, artistic, creative, and athletic
activities, from which each child could take
whatever he wanted, and as much as he
wanted, or as little.”
 Distinguishing Characteristics:
1) Each person should have freedom &
responsibility to choose what, when, and how
to learn
2) Any planned curriculum will infringe on
individuals‟ freedom to make choices
 Gestalt psychology – making wholes of bits
and pieces of what is known about the world
 Meaning = construction in the brain of patterns
from the pieces
 Motivation to learn = experiencing conflict
with what is known
 Piaget – intelligent behavior = adaptation
 Vygotsky – emphasized shared, social
construction of knowledge
Distinguishing Characteristics:
1) Students construct understanding of reality
through interaction with objects, people, or
events in the environment and reflecting on
these interactions
2) Learning occurs by conflicting with what is
already known; previous experiences
determine what is learned
3) Teachers act as facilitators in a social learning
environment in which students interact with
experts (teachers) to facilitate learning
 Your beliefs about what students should learn
and be able to do, and how they can be best
helped to learn, will largely determine what
you do in your classroom
 By understanding philosophic starting
points, you can better understand where
educators are headed & if you want to join
them
 Ultimately, you must determine what you
want your students to know, be able to do, &
have a valid way of determining if they know
and can do what you teach them