Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching Prof Ed 105

WRITTEN REPORT

NAME: YEAR & SECTION:

I. TOPIC: Perennialism ( Unit 1 - Learner-Centered Teaching: Foundations and

Characteristics)

II. Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the discussion, the student should be able to:
A. define perennialism ;
B. explain the role of perennialism in students learning;
C. describe perennialism in the context of instruction, assessment, curriculum and class
room management; and
D. participate actively during class discussion.
III. Discussion:

Introduction

In this context, perennialism serves as a lighthouse of tradition and ageless wisdom, providing a
lens through which to view the principles and traits of learner-centered education. Based on the idea
that certain information is timeless, perennialism emphasizes a curriculum that goes beyond trends
and corresponds with the more general objectives of learner-centered methods of instruction.

Discussion

What is Perennialism?

Perennialists believe that the focus of education should be the ideas that have lasted over
centuries. They believe the ideas are as relevant and meaningful today as when they were written.
They recommend that students learn from reading and analyzing the works by history's finest
thinkers and writers. Essentialists believe that when students study these works and ideas, they will
appreciate learning. Similar top perennialism, essentialism aims to develop students' intellectual
and moral qualities.

Perennialist classrooms are also centered on teachers in order to accomplish these goals. The
teachers are not concerned about the students' interests or experiences. They use tried and true
teaching methods and techniques that are believed to be most beneficial to disciplining students'
minds. The perennialist curriculum is universal and is based on their view that all human beings
possess the same essential nature.

Philosophers that have influenced perennialism

ROBERT M. HUTCHINS (1899 – 1977)

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1

Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching Prof Ed 105

Robert M. Hutchins was a chancellor of the University of Chicago who argued that the ideal
education is one that is designed to develop the mind (Webb, 2010). To support the development of
the mind, he proposed a curriculum based on the “Great Books” of Western civilization.

Hutchin’s believed in what he called the “permanent studies.” These were core courses in liberal
arts whose content did not change. As such, he argued that selecting 100 “Great Books” and
teaching them to students naturally aligned with these permanent studies.

Mortimer J. Adler

Mortimer Adler proposed a curriculum that would be appropriate for all students. Within such a
curriculum, students would be taught language, literature, mathematics, natural sciences, fine arts,
history, geography, and social studies (Webb et. al., 2010).

He also advocated for the use of the “Great Books” by arguing that students could learn a lot from
the great works of the past. Both Adler and Hutchins opposed any form of differentiated curricula
(e.g., vocational, technical, or academic) under the guise that all students in a democratic society
should have access to the same high-quality education.

Forms of Perennialism

Secular Perennialism

Secular perennialists espouse the idea that education should focus on the historical development of
a continually advancing common orienting base of human knowledge and art, the timeless value of
classic thought on central human issues by landmark thinkers, and revolutionary ideas critical to
historical paradigm shifts or changes in world view.

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 2

Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching Prof Ed 105

Religious Perennialism

Perennialism was originally religious in nature, developed first by Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth
century in his work De Magistro (The Teacher). theistic Perennialists believes in a world of Reason,
Being, and God (metaphysics) and in truth as Reason and Intuition.

SUMMARY

 A theory of education known as perennialism maintains that concepts that have endured the
test of time are still relevant today. Perennialists emphasize that historical thinkers' classic
works should be studied because their concepts are still relevant now. Perennialism and
essentialism share the goal of fostering students' moral and intellectual growth.

 The perennialist approach places a strong emphasis on tried-and-true teaching strategies in

teacher-centered classrooms. The curriculum, which is thought to be universal, is based on the
idea that all people are fundamentally the same. Robert M. Hutchins, who advocated for a
curriculum centered on the "Great Books," and Mortimer J. Adler, who suggested an all-
encompassing curriculum that covered a variety of subjects, are two prominent philosophers in
the perennialist movement.

 Different varieties of perennialism exist, including secular perennialism, which emphasizes the
progression of human knowledge throughout history and eternal values, and religious or theistic
perennialism, which is based on a religious worldview. Thomas Aquinas and other theistic
perennialists see truth as a union of Reason and Intuition and hold that there is a world of
Reason, Being, and God.

REFLECTION

What are your realizations about your topic?

What new discoveries about teaching have you found out?

Do you have questions/confusions about the topic? What are they?

How will you apply what you have learned?

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 3

Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching Prof Ed 105

REFERENCES

https://www.siue.edu/~ptheodo/foundations/perennialism.html

https://kstatelibraries.pressbooks.pub/dellaperezproject/chapter/chapter-4-
perennialism/#:~:text=Thomas%20Aquinas%20(1224%20%E2%80%93%201274),with
%20a%20higher%20Spiritual%20being.

Travers, Paul D. and Ronald W. Rebore. Foundations of Education, Becoming a

Teacher. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 1990. P. 66.

https://ijesrr.org/publication/27/IJESRR%20V-2-6-13.pdf

Scoring rubric:
Content and Organization ……………………………………… 30
Accuracy and Conventions (grammar, spelling,
usage and sentence formation) ……………………………….. 10
Presentation of the output …………..………………. 5
Timeliness………………………………………………….……… 5
Total 50

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 4