Philosophy of Education Chapter 6

Teacher-Centered Philosophies Essentialism…the accumulated knowledge of our civilization, the essentials Core curriculum: math, science, history, foreign language, literature Writing, reading, measuring, and computing at the Elementary level “Essentialism in Action” video

Perennialism A close cousin to Essentialism Focus on enduring themes and questions that span the ages Great Books…works by history’s finest thinkers and writers The Goal…develop rational thought, serve as a sorting mechanism for the best and the brightest leaders Universities for the pursuit of truth, not a training ground for future careers

Student-Centered Philosophies Progressivism…schools organized around the concerns, curiosity, and real world experiences of students Students form meaningful questions and strategies for answering those questions Progressivism is the educational application of Pragmatism…to see if the idea has merit, test it, if it works, it has merit Dewey…social learning has meaning and it endures

John Dewey Facing an ever changing world, use the scientific method: Become aware of a problem Define it Propose hypotheses to solve it Examine the consequences of the hypotheses in the light of experience Test the most likely solution Video “Progressivism in Action

Social Reconstructionism Focus studies and energies on alleviating pervasive social inequities Video “Social Reconstructionism in Action Paulo Freire Jane Roland Martin…the three Cs: caring, concern, connection Transform schoolhouses into schoolhomes

Existentialism Importance of student perceptions, decisions and actions Rejects any source of objective authoritative truth other than the individual “Existence precedes essence.” (Sartre) Summerhill…A.S. Neill

Psychological Influences on Education Constructivism…knowledge constructed by each learner through interpreting and reinterpreting a constant flow of information Built on the work of Piaget and Vygotsky…stages of development and scaffolding…linking prior knowledge to new information

Behaviorism Free will is an illusion, human beings are entirely shaped by their environment Alter the environment, you alter the behavior Behavior modification Assertive discipline

Classical Western Philosophy Socrates…exemplar of human virtue…the pursuit of wisdom, Socratic method, Idealism Plato…founded the Academy, the world’s first university Parable of the Cave Aristotle…Realism The Golden Mean…virtue lies in the middle ground between extremes

Subdivisions of Philosophy Metaphysics…the origin and structure of reality Epistemology…the nature and origin of human knowledge, valid from illusory paths to true knowledge Ethics…what is of value Aesthetics…what is beauty Logic…how do we reason