ANDREA A.

ARMENIO BEED-II THE TEACHING PROFESSION

7 PHILOSOPHIES OF EDUCATION

ESSENTIALISM

- Essentialist program are academically rigorous. The emphasis is on academic

content for student to learn the basic skill or the fundamental r’s – reading, riting,
rithmetic, right conduct – as these are essential to the acquisition of higher or
morecomplex skills needed in preparation for adult life. The essentialist
curriculum includes the “traditional disciplines such as math, natural science,
history, foreign language, and literature. Essentialist frown upon vocational
courses. Or other courses with watered down academic content. The teachers
and administrator decide what is most important for the student to learn and
place little emphasis on student interests, particularly when they divert time and
attention from the academic curriculum.”

PROGRESSIVISM

- The progressivists are identified with need – based and relevant curriculum. This
is a curriculum that “responds to students” needs and that relates to students’
personal lives and experiences.”

PERENNIALISM

- The Perennialist curriculum is a universal one on the view that all human beings
possess the same essential nature. It is heavy on the humanities, on general
education. It is not a specialist curriculum but rather a general one. There is less
emphasis on vocational and technical education. Philosopher Mortimer Adler
claims that the “Great Books of ancient and medieval as well as modern times
are a repository of knowledge and wisdom, a tradition of culture which must
initiate each generation”. What the Perennialist teachers teach are lifted from the
Great Books.

EXISTENTIALISM

- In an existentialist curriculum, students are given a wide variety of options from

which to choose.” Students are afforded great latitude in their choice of subject
matter. The humanities, however are given tremendous emphasis to “provide
students with vicarious experiences that will help unleash their own creativity and
self-expression. For example, rather than emphasizing historical events,
ANDREA A. ARMENIO BEED-II THE TEACHING PROFESSION

existentialist focus upon the actions of historical individuals, each of whom

provide possible models for the students’ own behaviour.

BEHAVIORISM

- Behaviourists look at “people and other animals… as complex combinations of

matter that act only in response to internally or externally generated physical
stimuli”, behaviourist teachers teach students to respond favourably to various
stimuli in the environment.

LINGUISTIC

- Learners should be taught to communicate clearly – how to send clear – concise

messages and how to receive and correctly understand messages sent.
Communication takes place in three (3) ways – verbal nonverbal, and paraverbal.
Verbal component refers to the content of our message, the choice and
arrangement of our words. This can be oral or written. Nonverbal component
refers to the message we send through our body languages while paraverbal
component refers to how we say what we say – the tone, pacing and volume of
our voices.

CONSTRUCTIVISM

- The learners are taught how to learn. They are taught learning processes and
skill such as searching, critiquing and evaluating information, relating these
pieces  of information, reflecting on the same, making meaning out of them,
drawing insights, posing questions, researching and constructing new knowledge
out of these bits of information learned.