RUNNING HEAD: Educational Philosophy

Educational Philosophy

Isabella Henkel

College of Southern Nevada

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Education, much like many aspects of life, follows its own philosophies that all have their

own dedicated followers. As a profession, education is also considered a labor of love to many;

something of low return for high efforts can be seen as an undesirable career path, but to many

aspiring teachers, is something that they are willing to go through for the sake of educating the

next generation. Many teachers have their own goals in mind and have their own set style of

teaching, which can be categorized in different “philosophies” of education,

For me, I am choosing this profession simply because I want to make a positive impact

on the lives of my future students. After meeting a few teachers in my time as a student who

inspired me to work harder, I had wanted to influence others like they had influenced me. My

personal knowledge of what students may feel like and how to connect a student to what they’re

learning personally will hopefully help me in this journey. The teaching environment is often

stressful, but can be very rewarding for both the student and the teacher.

The educational philosophy I personally connect with the strongest is the philosophy of

Social Reconstructionism. I think that education should focus more on having students grow as

people and also be positive influences themselves, and have a learning environment that benefits

them both socially and mentally. I know that in the past that having students only learn from a

curriculum that focuses on mental knowledge doesn’t help them in the long-run when it comes to

being members of society, and I want schools and children to be better equipped to deal with

their future.

The types of strategies I plan to implement to teach students these ways are to ensure

students have a diverse curriculum that can allow them to open their mindset and allow them to

discuss their world between one another. Students all learn in different ways and there can be

many different approaches that make this appealing to them, such as having more hands-on
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activities of community service or class projects, or more social ones such as group activities and

discussions, and even one on one assignments that require more research and give students a way

to share their personal opinions and thoughts more privately.

To move forward in this career, I need to stay mindful of what other students may need

from my class, and I must stay determined and understand that my goal is to educate. To achieve

my goals, I know I have to go through a long process of earning my bachelors degree in

education and work hard to become a teacher myself.

Though Social Reconstructionism is a philosophy of education that I agree with most,

there are also other philosophies of education that cannot be ignored. All five philosophies of

education are all important and provide students a large selection of different types of ways to

learn. These philosophies of education all have their role in the education system, as they are all

different and have their own benefits for a student.

Progressivism is an educational philosophy that focuses more on what a student

personally can benefit from through their learning, and is centered around the student

themselves. John Dewey and Nel Noddings are both important people that have to do with

Progressivism. Two different types of activities that can help students with Progressivism are

ones that include their own thoughts and way of learning, but also make them more engaging.

This includes having them experience what they are learning about through group activities or

lessons, and giving them a way to experience what they are learning outside of the classroom.

Social Reconstructionism is a type of philosophy that focuses more on how a student can

be more mindful of the world around them and teach them what they can do to benefit it. George

S. Counts and Bell Hooks are both people who were behind Social Reconstructionism in

education. Types of activities that can help students with Social Reconstructionism are having
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them do community service to help their community or learn more about more diverse cultures

outside of what they may have learned in their usual school curriculum.

Essentialism is what we most commonly see today in our everyday classroom, which is

an educational philosophy that focuses on teaching the most important parts of a curriculum

which are considered the usual standard for what students have to learn in school in America.

William Bagley and E.D Hirsch Jr.are two people who are important figures that are sometimes

mentioned when discussing the educational philosophy of Essentialism. Two types of activities

that can teach students through the philosophy of Essentialism are worksheets that can focus on

reviewing information they should know, and tests that can see how well they learned this

information.

Perennialism is a philosophy that focuses on having students work on their analytical

skills and wants them to benefit from learning more from the past. This educational philosophy

believes that an important source of knowledge comes from what past educators of knowledge-

seekers have shared that still hold relevance today. Two people who back the educational

philosophy of Perennialism are Robert M. Hutchins and Mortimer Adler. Two types of activities

that are based on the educational philosophy of Perennialism are reading and discussing classic

pieces of literature as a class, and doing research for an assignment or paper that includes using a

source from an important historic text.

Existentialism is the fifth philosophy of education to be mentioned, and this philosophy

of education has the idea that students should be able to take charge of their own learning instead

of following a curriculum or guidelines set by a school or teacher. Two people who considered

Existentialism an important philosophy of education were A. S. Neil and Maxine Greene. Two

different activities that can teach students using the educational philosophy of Existentialism are
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implementing self-led projects that teach students about the subject or letting them choose how

to complete an assignment through different methods that a student feels they can complete.

All five philosophies of education all have their important role in the field of education,

and though teachers may have their way of teaching set in one specific philosophy, it’s important

to know why we believe in the way we want to teach and what the other philosophies of

education have to offer to students as a whole.

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References

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP3.html.

Inventory of Philosophies of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2019, from

https://www.fergusonhs.org/ourpages/auto/2012/10/15/54318686/Inventory of Philosophies of

Education.pdf.

Sadker, D. M., Zittleman, K. R., & Sadker, D. M. (2018). Teachers, schools, and society: a brief

introduction to education. NY, NY: McGraw-Hill Education Create.

Siegel, H., Phillips, D. C., & Callan, E. (2018, October 7). Philosophy of Education. Retrieved

from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/education-philosophy/.