1. Teacher and Curriculum-Centered Philosopies EDU 224 | Newberry College

2. Teacher and Curriculum-Centered Philosophies
Why is it important to know what you believe?
What is the nature of a teacher- or curriculum-centered philosophy?
What are the differences between Essentialism and Perennialism?
What do you believe?

3. Take a guess
Based on what you have experienced in EDU 224 so far, what do you think M believes about teaching and learning?

4. What’s in a label?

5. It’s important to know what you believe so…
You have a roadmap.
You don’t get sidetracked.
You can see past difficulties.
You can talk about what you do.
You can maintain your commitment.

6. Educational philosophies can be divided into two types.
Teacher/Curriculum-Centered or
Student-Centered

7. In a teacher or curriculum-centered philosophy…
the student is a _________,
the focus is on _________,
and learning is successful if _________.
The student is an empty vessel to be filled.
The focus is on knowledge and skills defined by the teacher or the curriculum.
Learning is successful if the student becomes disciplined and adheres to traditional morals and behavior (like the teacher).
Please note that methods do not have to be traditional.

8. Essentialism
Essentialism focuses on the essential knowledge of our civilization – core body of knowledge (factual), patriotism, and character development (self-discipline).
The goal is to ensure a common culture among all Americans.
E.D. Hirsch, Jr. – Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know

9. Perennialism
Perennialism focuses on the essential themes and questions of our civilization – Great Books, rigorous thinking, and finding truth.
The goal is to preserve ideals of civilized society.
Mortimer Adler – Paideia

10. Underlying beliefs of teacher and curriculum-centered philosophies
A cultural legacy exists and should be protected.
Teachers know best what students need to learn.
Students should be protected from external distractions.
American students don’t know as much as students of other nations, and that’s a problem.
A student should respect his heritage and his elders.

11. Prewrite for your Philosophy of Education paper.
What is the purpose of education?
What content and skills should be taught?
Who should get what content and/or skills?
Have student write on each question for 5 minutes.
Encourage them to consider what they learned about in Chapters 5 and 6 so far.

12. Class Wiki http://edu224fall2010.pbworks.com
Assign/discuss homework. Discuss next steps.