This is a huge word, right? But what that means is how we develop. But did you know that not all of us agree on how we should learn? Hmm!, These way s’ are known as ‘philosophies of education. Here are the main seven philosophies that direct how teachers teach and students learn!
Essentialism
Imagine a big toolbox. Here you have all the basic tools needed for fixing stuff in and outside of your house. Essentialism is that toolbox for education. It believes that children should be taught only the most basic skills and knowledge they will need in life. Fundamentally, these amount to the 3 R’s (Reading, writing, and arithmetic + Basic Science). It is similar to constructing from the base of a house. From there, you can continue to layer on until.
In an essentialist classroom, the teacher is viewed as the leader. They determine which skills and understandings are most crucial for students to acquire, and then they ensure that everyone gets those key lessons.
Perennialism
Imagine perennials as reading a book that stays relevant no matter how many times you read it. It trusts that something remains urgent and significant regardless of the time factor. These are the things people have been calling ‘great ideas’ for hundreds if not thousands of years. Abstract concepts or narrative tales (The Tortoise and the Hare, freedom, justice). She suggests these are the big ideas that perennialism tells us we should always be studying and debating.
A classroom subscribing to this philosophy could consist of students reading classic works, engaging in long conversations, and studying the significant thoughts that have influenced our society.
Progressivism
What is progressivism focused on? Progressives avoided any inkling of language suggesting that change would be universal but could not even manage to soak the omnipresent mantra “learning by doing. Picture yourself building a model airplane Most importantly, you not only read but get the opportunity to practice by committing errors and attempting it over. The Ignorant Man is a patient worker; The student of Knowledge works for the sake of receiving something (ie. income, pension); And education ought to be more like building that model airplane from earlier in this philosophy. The students are encouraged to experiment, inquire, and build from what intrigues them.
A progression-styled classroom — In such a setting, you would be looking at students combining in teams to practice experiments or resolve equitable-world issues. However, the teacher simply guides and steers them toward learning.
Social Reconstructionism
Have you ever wondered how to change the world for good? Mini: Our final theory, Social Reconstructionism is a philosophy that believes education should teach kids to change the world. It is the identification of problems — say poverty, pollution, or injustice— and pondering over solutions for them.
This is a classroom where students might discover important social issues and the world around them, and explore how they can be of service to their community.
Existentialism
Think about being a painter, drawing your picture. The colors, the shapes, and what your painting is about. Existentialism in education is kind of like that. Each student is unique and therefore should have the freedom to choose both what they learn, as well as how they will be able to do so. It has to do with finding your way and knowing yourself.
In an existentialist classroom, students would be allowed to study various subjects and the teacher guides them through their interests in discovering who they are.
Constructivism
Constructivism is constructed of building blocks like a tower. This could be showable with blocks where each block is something you learn- and so the tower of blocks would never fall unless a single or more key principles failed. This philosophy views students as constructing their knowledge of the world brick by philosophical piece. That happened because I was not extracting information from the facts, instead of linking ideas and experiences to make sense out of them in my head.
Learning is done in a hands-on capacity if it follows the constructivist classroom model. Students could engage in a variety of activities, projects, and ways to share their ideas as they build from one another.
Behaviorism
Here, the quadrivalent vaccine is like a badge of merit. That’s a bit behaviorism-like. Operant learning is a theory on why we do what we do. e Our behaviors from this approach of behaviorism are essentially based on rewards and consequences. They believe that students learn through reward and punishment, which leads to good learning.
In a behaviorist classroom, you may witness systems including points, rewards, and charts to put students in order. The teacher, in turn, establishes the rules and expectations of how students are to comply with them through practice reinforcement.
The Effect of These Philosophies on Learning
All three of these philosophies add their special touch to the classroom. Test the waters with Essentialism and Perennialism, which focus on imparting basic principles of education. Still, much more, like Progressivism and Constructivism encourage students to explore as well as learn from actual scenarios. Others, such as Social Reconstructionism and Existentialism focus on getting students to examine themselves and the world in which they live. Behaviorism shows us how to build better habits with rewards
Conclusion — Getting it Just Right
Not one of the philosophies is better than another. In reality, most teachers use a combination of these philosophies to get the best learning outcome for their students. They would use Essentialism to teach essential facts, and Progressivism to allow social Reconstructionism as a way to inspire students for the greater good.
What this shows us about education, is that learning (and working on the prerequisites of learning) look very different depending on how one thinks them. It is about evolving and discovering yourself, and your ideas of the world. From finding the focus of repetition through Essentialism to breaking up and exploring new ideas with Progressivism or even changing the world around us via Social Reconstructionism — Education is a journey that gets you from where you are now to being your best.
