This scene shows Ms.

Johnson delving deeper into the constructivist framework in the ways she
approaches her students. To encourage them to read poetry, she creates a contest. In this way, her aim
to facilitate learning was successful. Her students started to connect, research, analyze and justify their
ideas. From having no regard for learning, they are seen to start taking initiative and ownership for their
own learning.

Illustrations of collaborative learning were apparent as the students are seen working together in teams
on this project. According to Nyikos and Hashimoto, “Constructivists believe that through interactions
with others or their context, learners must individually discover and transform complex information if
they are to make it their own”. Ms. Johnson acted as a facilitator, through her teaching she showed how
she gave importance in empowering the students. Through this cooperative teamwork, her students got
into the process of self-discovery. They engaged in critical thinking and developed the ability to apply in
their real life what they learned inside the classroom.

The film Dangerous minds shows the philosophy existentialism, where it is believed that people are free
and have control over their choices and actions. Educators who believe in this see learners as individuals
with different backgrounds, personalities, and desires. And that society should not restrict an
individual's life or actions and hinder that person's potential.

As portrayed in the film, where the teacher heavily stresses how all of the students have a choice in
how their life will turn out to be. This is manifested through the educational philosophy constructivism
where learners construct knowledge rather than just passively take in information given to them. As
these learners go through experiences, they build their own understanding of a subject matter add new
information into knowledge that already exists.

We have seen how the philosophy of existentialism and educational philosophy of constructivism is
portrayed, but we should also keep in mind that all the other philosophies bear the same importance.
Each of them helps us to understand and improve the educational process we currently have. By closely
learning and observing different types of philosophies, teachers and learners alike will be able to view
and analyze learning from different perspectives.