History and Philosophy of Education Philosophical Foundations Historical Foundations Social Foundations

What are the “ Foundations ” of Education? Philosophical Foundations –Greeks and Romans –Middle Ages –Renaissance –Protestant Reformation –Puritans –Deism –Pragmatism –Existentialism

What are the “ Foundations ” of Education? Historical Foundations –World Roots –European influences –Colonial period –Revolutionary period –Westward expansion –Industrial revolution –Immigration –The Common School –Universal education

What are the “ Foundations ” of Education? Social Foundations –Equality –Inclusion –School violence –Bilingual education –Urban education –School choice –Standardization

Philosophy of Education A (very) basic overview… Fasten your seatbelts!

Plato (Idealism) vs. Aristotle (Realism) Plato (Idealism) Aristotle (Realism) Subjective; internal/ideasObjective, external Opposed to materialism Matter is key AbstractConcrete Practical not valuedPractical Liberal arts; integrationCategorize; classify “ Truth ” constructed by mind (cave)Truth exists “ out there ” SpiritualWe can know truth through observation of form and use of reason.

Philosophy as it Relates to Education Metaphysics: What is real? Epistemology: What is true? How does knowing take place? What knowledge is of most worth? Logic: How do we reason? Axiology: Values –Ethics: good vs. evil, just vs. unjust –Aesthetics: beauty, art What should we teach? The curriculum How should we teach? How can we determine what is true? Methods of instruction How do we organize our lessons? Deductive (general to specific) vs. inductive (specific to general/Socratic) How does what we teach support the quality of one ’ s life?

Philosophies and Theories: Open to Interpretation Idealism Realism Pragmatism Existentialism Postmodernism Behaviorism Essentialism Perennialism Progressivism Social Reconstructionism Critical Theory

Philosophies of Education They range from teacher-centered with a focus on the subject to student-centered with a focus on the self and society

Six Philosophical Orientations to Teaching (Pepe Brown, Sr.)

These two are somewhat similar… Essentialism: Back to Basics (ABC ’ s) William C. Bagley Perennialism: Great Books of the Western World Robert Maynard Hutchins Mortimer Adler Benjamin Bloom

These both are influenced by a pragmatic point of view Progressivism: Student-centered, focus on interests and needs Active, hands-on, project-driven John Dewey, William Kilpatrick Social Reconstructionism (closely related to Critical Theory): Schools should transform the social order, not just transmit it George Counts Paulo Freire

These stem from two very different ideologies Behaviorism: Positive and negative reinforcement Reward and punishment John B. Watson (stimulus/response) B.F. Skinner (operant conditioning) Existentialism: Freedom to make choices Christian existentialist: Soren Kierkegaard Atheistic: Jean-Paul Sartre; Camus

Six Philosophical Orientations to Teaching

So what? Portfolio assessment Standardized testing Lecture and note-taking Group projects Differentiation strategies Multiple choice quiz Learning centers

Trinity ’ s Division of Education Mission Statement Teaching as a Mission: Touching Lives, One Student at a Time Personal: The Teacher as Nurturer Practical: The Teacher as Facilitator Professional: The Teacher as Reflective Practitioner

What is involved in developing your own educational philosophy?

Questions you will need to answer What are my beliefs about teaching and learning? What are my beliefs about students? What are my beliefs about knowledge? What are my beliefs about what is worth knowing? How do my personal beliefs and values intersect with these other questions?