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Adrielle Mah

Jacqueline Sgobba

EDU 201

November 10, 2020

Philosophy of Education

Philosophy of education includes perennialism, which is based in the arts and sciences

and human civilization’s achievements. Perennialism curriculum would include studying the

Great Books, reading Shakespeare, and examining Socrates (Parkay 115). Essentialism is fact

based and knowledge of common core knowledge. Essentialism curriculum would include

focusing on STEM activities (117). Progressivism focuses on the child and their interests. This

belief is based in equipping students for their future. Social reconstruction is transformation of

social ideas, based in community teachings. Focusing on field trips or interactions beyond the

classroom are some examples of social reconstruction. Existentialism focuses on the individual

experiences of the student to help discover meaning to their lives. Individualized projects or

writing lessons where they can further investigate themselves are examples of this belief. Post-

modernism is the belief to challenge metaphysical views and other perspectives that are not

inclusive to marginalized peoples, focusing on reality based on interpretations (121).

I am Native American, and I come from a matrilineal culture, all the woman in my family

are educators. This has a large influence in why I was driven to become a teacher myself.

Helping children become the best version of themselves is a teaching that was instilled in me

from the woman in my family. Bettering the world through the minds of children and ensuring
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that each child is aware of their significance and value is particularly of importance to me. I

believe that each child is unique and teaching each child differs in how they learn and what they

learn.

Progressivism is an educational philosophy that I resonate most with. “Childhood is a

self-contained phase of life or a state of its own, and the child’s self is an intrinsic package of

individual talents, personal needs, and interests” (Cuypers 101-116). I strive on ensuring that

each child feels valued and that their ideas matter and are that they understand their

significance. Preparing children for the future via problem solving is a strategy I would

execute in lessons. Each child will have a different background, different cultures and

different challenges and I believe it is essential to understand that because of this, each of

their interests and how they learn will not be similar (Malitowska, Bonecki 185). John Dewey

who began the progressivism explained, “a commonplace that every cultural group possesses, a

set of meanings which are so deeply embedded in its customs, occupations, traditions and ways

of interpreting its physical environment and group life, that they form the basic categories of the

language system by which details are interpreted.” (Dewey, 62) Being a guide to children and

their learning experience is central in my educational philosophy.

Focusing on the experience of the child, and their points of view is how I would like

to go about teaching, allowing children to have an active part in their education

(https://study.com/academy/lesson/progressivism-overview-practical-teaching-examples.html).

Science experiments, allowing students to create a solution to a problem for example can be

useful. Journal entries in a progressive classroom could give the option to the student to type

their journal entry online, write it in a book or draw it out instead. Setting up different
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stations throughout the classroom so that the students can chose which subjects to partake in

daily could be another way that a progressive classroom can thrive.

Based on my personal knowledge of historical events I do not believe that schools

have always been inclusive to all children. It is beneficial that schools and children promote

diversity. Postmodernism focuses on the individual having different perspectives.

Celebrating diversity, the experiences, cultures, and different points of view of the many

people that make up America is crucial. Students can benefit from working in groups and

learning from each other’s different points of view, “Dewey thought that education should be a

journey of experiences, building upon each other to help students create and understand new

experiences” (Kennedy). Group discussions, highlighting the contributions of the many

cultures and people is of major significance in my teaching principles.

My ideology is that each child should be respected, celebrated and that each child

matters. Helping to identify and validating each child’s different "needs, capacities, and

voices"(Kennedy) through creating a progressive based classroom is what I will aim for. The

diversity in the classroom is something that I would like to recognize, we have so much to learn

for each other’s, perspectives, and experiences. Progressivism can aid in allowing students to use

their background and individuality to contribute to the learning culture of the classroom. Helping

students reach their full potential by providing a supportive environment for their minds to

bloom is my goal. I plan on accomplishing this by completing my AA, and then my bachelors,

learning from other great educators and taking all the information needed to become the best

version of myself that I can be for my future students.

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Works Cited

Cuypers S.E. (2018) “Plowden” at 50—R.S. Peters’ Response to Educational

Progressivism.In: Ramaekers S., Hodgson N. (eds) Past, Present, and Future

Possibilities for Philosophy and History of Education. Springer, Cham.

https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.csn.edu/10.1007/978-3-319-94253-7_8

Dewey, J. 1938. Logic. The Theory of Inquiry. New York: Henry Colt & Company pp. 50-73

Kennedy, Robert. "Progressive Education: How Children Learn." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020,

thoughtco.com/progressive-education-how-children-learn-today-2774713.

Malitowska, A., and M. Bonecki. “Common Sense and Scientific Inquiry: Remarks on John

Dewey’s Philosophy of Educational Progressivism”. ETHICS IN PROGRESS, Vol. 7, no. 1,

Sept. 2016, pp. 184-98, https://doi.org/10.14746/eip.2016.1.11

Parkay, Forrest W. “Philosophical Foundations of U.S. Education.” Becoming a Teacher.

Pearson Education, 2020, pp. 101-31.

"Progressivism: Overview & Practical Teaching Examples." Study.com, 19 August 2014,

https://study.com/academy/lesson/progressivism-overview-practical-teaching-

examples.html