1. Building an Educational Philosophy in a Changing World
Chapter 5
Building an Educational Philosophy in a Changing World

2. Educational Philosophy
Applying philosophy to the classroom
Use philosophy, develop ideas about teaching, learning
Clarify how curriculum, instruction, assessment work
Philosophy governs decisions about teaching, learning
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

3. Teacher Centered-Philosophies
Essentialism, Behaviorism, Positivism
Responsibility placed on the teacher
Truth, goodness best understood by authority figure
Student, master and follow directions of expert
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

4. Essentialism Core information that educated people should know
Hard work and mental discipline
Teacher-centered instruction
Draws from idealism and realism
Focus mainly on developing basic skills, not truths
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

5. Essentialism in the Classroom
Purpose of education, transmit culture, develop citizens
Student is a learner, teacher instructs in essentials
Curriculum focuses on subject matter, content
Methods include: required reading, lectures, memorization, repetition, examinations
Mastery of facts and information about the physical world
Field trips, labs, audiovisual material, nature study
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

6. Coalition of Essential Schools
Ten Principles:
Using the mind well, clear essential goals
Apply goals to all students
Personalized teaching and learning
Emphasis on student as worker
Student performance on real task, multiple forms of evidence
Principals, teachers as generalist first, specialist second
Budgets not to exceed 10 percent of traditional schools
Nondiscriminatory policies and practices
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

7. Behaviorism B.F. Skinner, father of Behaviorism
Behavior determined by environment, not heredity
Behavior, response to external stimuli
Behaviorism related to realism, link to environment
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

8. Behaviorism in the Classroom
Teacher influences student behavior by controlling stimuli
School environment, highly organized
Curriculum based on behavioral objectives
Knowledge is observable
Educators task is to develop stimulating environments
Focus on negative, positive reinforcements
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

9. Positivism Focus on observable, measureable information
Rejects beliefs about mind, spirit, consciousness
Reality explained by laws of matter and motion
Knowledge, based on sense perceptions, objective reality
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

10. Positivism in the Classroom
Direct instruction, clear structured directions
Teacher provides clear, precise expectations
Teachers use repetition, students recite objectives
Students learn the same knowledge
Knowledge gain through empirical observation
Content standards based on expert understandings
Students assessed using same objective criteria
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

11. Student-Centered Philosophies
Progressivism, humanism, constructivism
Truth and goodness belong to all persons
Teacher as learner, learner as teacher
Education, collaborative process of clarifying meaning
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

12. Progressivism Ideas verified through experiment,
Learners initiate questions
Human experience basis for knowledge, not authority
Privileges scientific method of teaching, learning
School should prepare students for change
Emphasize how to think (process) not what to think (content)
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

13. Progressivism in the Classroom
Schools must improve society, model democracy
Schools must model meaningful, organized freedom
Freedom expressed through student-teacher collaboration
Texts become tools, not indisputable knowledge
Henry Giroux, schools as vehicles for change
Teachers should practice critical pedagogy
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

14. Humanism Education should enhance innate goodness
Schools objective students
Education should develop free, self-actualizing person
Education should start with the individual self
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

15. Humanism in the Classroom
Curriculum is found in the environment, not subject matter
Positive student-teacher relationships crucial for learning
Individualized instruction, open-access curriculum, non-graded instruction, multi-age grouping
Free Schools, storefront schools, schools without walls
Humanistic programs usually more costly
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

16. Constructivism Developing personal meaning through hands-on activity
Students provided opportunity to construct meaning
Freedom to infer and discover own answers
Teaching involves variety of learning activities
Critical thinking and understanding of big ideas
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al

17. Constructivist Classrooms
Problem-based learning
Teachers invite students to experience, proposes situations
Students encouraged to ask questions, seek own answers
Foundations of American Education, 15e Johnson, et al