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Running Head: Philosophy of Education

Philosophy of Education

MacKenzie Hooker

EDU 201; Dr. Haberlin

Wesleyan College
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Running Head: Philosophy of Education
A philosophy of education isn’t something that can be written within a day. In order to

create a foundation of one’s teaching career, one must dive into what they believe as an educator,

what teaching methods they desire to follow, and what kind of educator they want to become.

Some become educators because they want to work with children. Others become educators

because they want to make an impact on a child’s life and help them strive for a successful

future. I want to become an educator in order to help change the future of education and see that

through education, all children can learn and grow to their full potential.

The purpose of this paper is not to explain my reasons for wanting to become an

educator, but instead to explain what I believe should be implemented within classrooms from a

philosophical standpoint. There are four main philosophical perspectives in education including

Perennialism, Essentialism, Progressivism, and Reconstructionism. All educators are going to

have their views on what they believe should be practiced within their classrooms and therefore I

must have my own opinion when it comes to the perspective(s) that I want to use in the future.

An excerpt from the Oregon State School of Education states the differences between each

perspective and what each of the four focus on what an educator should teach in a curriculum

aspect. After carefully reading over each of the philosophical approaches, I believe that a mixture

of two of the perspectives should be used in the classroom. These include Essentialism and

Progressivism. Even though the two philosophies are opposites of each other, I believe that the

classroom learning environment can be focused on both the importance of common core

knowledge and the importance of focusing on the whole child, creating a balance between the

two. The excerpt states that in an essentialist way of teaching the core curriculum is essential

knowledge and skills in academic rigor, schooling should be practical, and that students should

be taught hard work, respect for authority, and discipline while a progressivist way of teaching
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believes that education should focus on the whole child, rather than on the content or the teacher,

curriculum content is derived from student interests and questions, and that the learner is a

problem solver and thinker who learns through his/her individual experience (Cohen, 1999, p. 3).

I believe that a classroom should involve both an emphasis on the curriculum but also

opportunities for students to learn from themselves. I think the best way for a student to learn

through trial-and-error, this way the student can understand the material in a way that’s

appropriate for them. Youki Terada stated in an article that when students try to answer questions

on their own they engage in productive struggle, which helps them make sense of what they are

learning (Edutopia, 2018). Students should be able to take what they have learned and apply it to

questions related to the curriculum. Letting students figure out an answer based on what they

know through trial-and-error is a technique that I would apply in my classroom to allow the

students to thoroughly understand what they have been taught.

One of the educational institutions that come to mind when thinking of both an

essentialist and progressivist way of teaching is the Ron Clark Academy located in Atlanta,

Georgia. Quoted below is the mission of the academy and what the academy believes education

should look like in each of its classrooms: “To deliver the highest quality educational experience

where the global citizen are born through advanced rigor, engaging teaching methods, and a

passionate climate and culture. The Ron Clark Academy will foster an atmosphere where

students, parents, staff, and community members work together to create a family environment

for our learners, be a school that inspires academic excellence, leadership, collaboration, and a

world-class education for our students, teach in ways that promote creativity, innovation,

wonder, joy, and a passion for learning, cultivate students who will become global leaders and

citizens by teaching them about the world and by traveling with them to see it firsthand, and
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demand academic rigor and set high expectations for every learner.” (The Ron Clark Academy,

2020). I believe that the ways of teaching throughout this educational institution focus on both

the academic rigor and curriculum while also providing students with teaching methods that

allow them to learn outside of the curriculum by traveling the world and learning from their own

experiences. Both Ron Clark and Kim Bearden, founders of the academy, wanted to open a

school that was unlike any other, in which they held their first inaugural class in the spring of

2007 (The Ron Clark Academy, 2020). Both Clark and Bearden changed the way education is

viewed and inspired other educators to think out of the box when it came to creativity in the

classroom. From what I have witnessed in past classrooms, music has become a large part of

teaching practices. To use innovative methods of teaching within my classroom, I think that it

would be useful to add musical aspects to the learning process. Creating jingles, songs, and tunes

help young children to memorize and connect with what is being taught. During assignments and

assessments, students can refer back to what they have learned if the material is taught creatively

and innovatively.

Rafe Esquith was an educator in the Los Angeles Public school district, who helped to

encourage other educators to use his methods to be a successful educator. NPR published an

article on Esquith which includes an excerpt from his book Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire: The

Methods and Madness Inside Room 56. In his prologue, Esquith (2007) states that he also fails as

an educator at times and that being a teacher can be painful. However, there are heavy statements

made throughout the prologue that explain who Esquith was as an educator such as “…we have

created a different world in Room 56. It’s a world where character matters, hard work is

respected, humility is valued, and support for one another is unconditional” and “I thought to

myself that if I could care so much about teaching that I didn’t even realize my hair was burning,
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I was moving in the right direction” (Esquith, 2007, pp. X, XII). Esquith not only put his

students first in his classroom, but he would arrive at the campus before any other facility and

stay later in the day to dedicate extra time to teach students material that would be on a

standardized test and also topics that he was passionate about. He also held a high expectation in

his classroom that his students must follow. This goes back to the focus of both Essentialism and

Progressivism, in the way that he devoted his time focusing on the curriculum but also devoting

his time to creating content based on his own and his students’ interests. His methods of teaching

not only influenced many educators throughout the country but also influences myself to believe

that I can focus on both the rigor curriculum and the interests of my students to feel fulfilled that

I completed my job as an educator at the end of each year. Devoting my time to my students

helps to build a positive relationship with them and show that I am not just at the school for my

job, but that I care about the success of each one of my students.

Contrary to what each different philosophical approach states, every educator is going to

have his/her thoughts about what should be taught behind their classroom door. The chosen

philosophy(s) should always be followed to maintain the foundation of educators teaching

methods, however, modifications can also be made to accompany all of one’s personal beliefs.

No matter the age of a student, the majority of children aged between 4 and 19 attend

school daily. Some come to the campus because they are required to. Others come to campus to

learn and grow as individuals. However, there are a select few of students in each grade that

attend school to escape their lives outside of school hours whether the school is a safe space for

them or school is an escape from the real world or the school environment takes the pressure off

of drug use and gang violence. According to a site on educational leadership, a school in Edina,

Minnesota uses the method of the “Three Cs of Safe Schools”, including cooperation, conflict
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resolution, and civic values to keep the school environment free from physical aggression,

property damage, and incivility (ASCD, 1997). A school building can have more meaning to a

student than any educator could ever understand. That is why each classroom should have a

welcoming and positive learning environment so that all students can prosper and feel comforted

between four cinderblock walls.

I believe that all students can learn in a classroom but at different levels of

comprehension and understanding. Many students in the classroom suffer from a learning

disability that may alter their ability to learn and these numbers continue to grow. Losing focus

and becoming discouraged are different ways that a student’s ability to learn may be altered.

However, I also believe that if a student applies themselves, even under such circumstances, they

can learn just the same as a student that does not have a learning disability. Especially in early

years of development, students learn how to apply themselves in the ways that they can and

adapt to the situation they may be in. For instance in a previous class, Child and Adolescent

Exceptionalities, I learned ways to teach children who had a visual disability. If a student may

be blind, they would need to learn braille to be able to read and write. There were other methods

of teaching students braille such as braille typewriters, digital talking books and book players,

and screen readers with braille displays. Students with a disability such as this one can learn just

as well as other students, but there may be additional resources needed to accompany the student.

Falling back onto the essentialist and progressivist ways of teaching, I believe that the

most important topic that students should learn in school is the required curriculum. But it is also

important for students to learn communication skills, manners, how to work well with others,

and life lessons that can influence life in the real world. Classrooms are a place where students

should begin to develop who they are and learn about their strengths and weaknesses.
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Along with the philosophies of teaching, there are also eight different ways that a student

can learn best. These ways were proposed by Howard Gardner (1983) and are named the

multiple intelligences. Gardner created each intelligence and created a description of each type of

learning. The eight different types of multiple intelligences are described as verbal-linguistic,

logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, musical, naturalistic bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal, and

interpersonal. Since each student learns in an unique way, I believe that the teaching methods

should not only be tailored towards the learning abilities of the class but should be alternated to

accompany the learning styles of each student. Scholastic (2020) provides educators with

descriptions and examples of what each intelligence entails. The article suggests that when

students are strong with words, such as verbal-linguistic learners, it could benefit the student by

having them create crossword and word searches. If a student is strong in math, they can record

information on graphs and establish timelines. Other ideas of incorporating all eight of the

intelligences within a classroom include letting students demonstrate understanding through

drawing, painting, and sculpting, allowing movement breaks throughout the day, allowing the

students to create songs to explain a concept, creating time throughout the school day in which

students can reflect on what they have learned, allowing interaction with other students, and

conducting lessons outside of the classroom such as the playground or field. Altering the

learning styles that are presented daily within a classroom allows each student’s needs to be met

while also exposing them to other learning styles.

Many different techniques that can be used while managing a classroom of students. I

think the most important factor in a classroom is trust between the teacher and his/her students.

Establishing a trusting relationship creates a respectful and manageable environment. I do not

believe that a teacher should raise their voice at a student nor disrespect a student. Setting
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standards at the beginning of the school year allows the students to understand what is expected

and holds them responsible for their actions. If disrespectful behavior is shown within the

classroom, I believe that the student should be addressed in private to maintain the respect of that

student. Dr. LaKimbre Brown (2014) states that the purpose of a school is to develop a place

where all students learn at high levels and to achieve this goal, teachers and staff must establish

meaningful relationships between their peers and students. She also includes that to build trust,

one must plan it like you plan a lesson so that the relationship is not overlooked, focus on

students as individuals, and establish a peer support group. Creating a trusting relationship with

all students and faculty within a school not only builds comfort while being present in front of

those individuals but also maintains a productive and supportive school environment.

Along with many different teaching and management techniques, there are various

teaching methods in which an educator can determine if a student has learned material or not.

The most common way that students can be assessed is through testing and according to

Edutopia, almost every school district now administers state-mandated standardized tests (n.d.,

2008). However, testing can be stressful for students and create anxiety. Other methods that

could be used include explaining their thinking, group work, worksheets, discussions, etc. Each

student has a way of learning within the classroom and they must have multiple ways to

demonstrate what they have learned.

As I grow as an educator, my beliefs and philosophies of education should also grow and

increase in-depth, even possibly changing throughout my experience. Everything listed in this

paper is what I believe in as an educator at the moment. New teaching methods and influences

will continue to introduce themselves in the education community in the hope to help encourage

educators to break the norm of teaching. I do believe that the curriculum is important to teach,
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but also believe that students should learn outside of the book as well. Essentialism and

Progressivism are both strong philosophies of education in which influence how a classroom is

taught. I hope to look back upon this document and add to my beliefs while also referring back to

my original thoughts. Every philosophy of education is different and to each their own. This is

how we create unique teachers that help to educate generations of students.

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References

Adapting Instruction to Multiple Intelligences. (2020). Retrieved from

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/adapting-instruction-

multiple-intelligences/

ASCD. (n.d.). Perspectives / Schools as Safe Havens. Retrieved from

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct97/vol55/num02/Schools-as-

Safe-Havens.aspx

Brown, D. L. K. (2014). The Importance of Trust. Retrieved from

https://teachforall.org/news/importance-trust

Cohen, L. N. M. (1999). Educational Philosophies. Retrieved from

https://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP3.html

Norris, M., & Esquith, R. (2007, January 22). Rafe Esquith offers his fiery teaching methods.

Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6939776

Our History. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ronclarkacademy.com/our-history/

N.d. (2008, July 15). What Are Some Types of Assessment? Retrieved from

https://www.edutopia.org/assessment-guide-description

N.d. (2016, July 20). Multiple Intelligences: What Does the Research Say? Retrieved from

https://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-research

Terada, Y. (2018, August 14). How Mistakes Help Students Learn. Retrieved from

https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-mistakes-help-students-learn