Reflect on the Four Educational Philosophies of American Education. A large part of being a responsible and evolving educator is to become what is called a “reflective practitioner.”
A large part of being a responsible and evolving educator is to become what is called a “reflective practitioner.” This means educators must always take time to stop and reflect upon what they have done so they can identify areas in which to improve.
In this journal entry, you will reflect upon what you have learned about the four educational philosophies in American education.
In your journal,
Identify each of the four educational philosophies the nation has experienced since the 1965 as outlined in the Federal Education Policy Over the Years (Links to an external site.) webpage. These should be the same philosophies you chose for your discussion post.
Explain the context of the four educational philosophies that makes them important in shaping the education systems in America.
Summarize the impact that those four educational philosophies have had on how students from at-potential (Links to an external site.)populations are being served in today’s school systems.
Four Educational Philosophies: A Brief Overview
This is an overview of four common philosophies of education: essentialism, perennialism, progressivism, and social reconstructionism. As you read through them, picture yourself as a teacher and think about which of these resonates with you.
Essentialism
Proponents of this philosophy believe that schools serve the purpose of promoting a uniform and shared knowledge through rigorous study of traditional “essential” academic content, generally taught through direct instruction. Such a philosophy manifests itself in the Common Core State Standards, standardized testing, reading literature generally thought of as “classics,” the “five paragraph essay,” and the study of traditional and departmentalized core subjects. Essentialism represents what has historically been considered to be the means of developing a well-rounded educated population.
Perennialism
Proponents of this philosophy believe that schools serve the purpose of developing reasoning, and analytical and critical thinking skills through exposure to the world’s great thinkers such as philosophers, scientists, significant religious figures, artists, and others who have shaped civilization. Generally taught through a combination of direct instruction and oral and written discussion, perennialism has a goal of preparing students to contribute to the continuing intellectual and aesthetic development of humankind. Such a philosophy manifests itself to lengthy units of study, interdisciplinary curricula, and the development of “essential questions” to be examined over time.
Progressivism
Proponents of this philosophy believe that schools serve the purpose of promoting social responsibility and democratic values, and of “humanizing” education by placing the needs and interests of the students at the forefront. In practice, this philosophy manifests itself through a combination of short lessons, hands-on activities, group work, project learning, service learning, empathy-building, and personalized support.
Social Reconstructionism
Proponents of this philosophy believe that schools serve the purpose of preparing students to be critical analysts of global issues and problems and to become agents of change in order to improve the human condition. In practice, this philosophy manifests itself in reading, writing about, and discussing significant social issues, multicultural studies, community-based project learning, field studies, and efforts to bring the world into the classroom through programs and guest presenters.
Philosophy believe that schools serve the purpose of preparing students to be critical analysts of global issues and problems and to become agents of change in order to improve the human condition. In practice, this philosophy manifests itself in reading, writing about, and discussing significant social issues, multicultural studies, community-based project learning, field studies, and efforts to bring the world into the classroom through programs and guest presenters.