SEVEN PHILOSOPHIES OF EDUCATION

Philosophies Why teach What to teach How to teach Emphasis

Constructivists’ sees to develop The learners are taught how to learn. In the constructivists’ classroom, the
intrinsically motivated and independent They are taught learning processes and teacher provides students with data or
learners adequately equipped with skills such as searching, critiquing and experiences that allow them to
learning skills for them to be able to evaluating information, relating these hypothesize, predict, manipulate objects,
construct knowledge and make pieces of information, reflecting on the pose questions, research, investigate,
meaning of them. same, making meaning out of them, imagine, and invent. The constructivists’
drawing insights, posing questions, classroom is interactive. It promotes
researching and constructing new dialogical exchange of ideas among
1. Constructivism knowledge out of these bits of learners and between teacher and
information learned. learners. The teacher’s role is to facilitate
this process.

The philosophy contends that teachers • Essentialist programs are Essentialist teachers emphasize mastery
teach for learners to acquire basic academically rigorous. The of subject matter. They are expected to
knowledge, skills and values. Teachers emphasis is on academic content for be intellectual and moral models of their
teach “not to radically reshape society students to learn the basic skills or students. They are seen as “fountain” of
but rather to transmit the traditional the fundamental r’s – reading, information and as “paragon of virtue”, if
moral values and intellectual ‘riting, `rithmetic, right conduct – as ever there is such a person. To gain
knowledge that students need to these are essential to the acquisition mastery of basic skills, teachers have to
become model citizens”. of higher or more complex skills observe “core requirements, longer
2. Essentialism needed in preparation for adult life. school day, a longer academic year….”
• The essentialist curriculum includes
the “traditional disciplines such as
math, natural science, history,
foreign language, and literature.
• Essentialists frown upon vocational
courses…” or other courses with
watered down academic content ….
The teachers and administrators
 decide what is most important for
the

students to learn and place little

emphasis on students’ interest,
particularly when they divert time
and attention from the academic
curriculum.
Progressivist teacher teach to develop  The progressivist are identified with  Progressivist teachers employ
into becoming enlightened and need-based and relevant curriculum. experiential methods. They believe
intelligent citizens of a democratic This is a curriculum the “responds to that one learns by doing. For John
society. This group of teacher teaches students’ needs and that relates to Dewey, the most popular advocate of
learners so they may live life fully students’ personal progressitivism, book learning is no
NOW not to prepare them for adult lives and experiences”. substitute for actual experience. One
life.  experiential teaching method that
Progressivists accept the
progressivist teachers heavily rely on
impermanence of life
is the problem-solving method. This
and the inevitability of
problem-solving methods make use
change. For the progressivists,
of scientific method. (You will learn
everything else
more of this in your principles and
changes. Change is the only thing
strategies).
that does not change.
Hence, progressivist  Other “hands-on-minds-on-
teachers are more heartson” teaching
3. Progressivism
concerned with the learners the skills methodology that
to cope with change. Instead of progressivist teachers use are field
occupying themselves with teaching trips during which students interact
facts or bits of information that are with nature or society. Teachers also
true today but become obsolete stimulate students through thought
tomorrow, they would rather focus provoking games, and puzzles.
their teaching on the skills or
processes in gathering and evaluating
 information and in
problem – solving.
The subjects that are given emphasis
in progressivist schools that are the
“natural and social sciences”.
Teachers expose students to many
 new scientific, technological and
social development, reflecting the
progressivist notion that progress and
change are fundamental….In
addition, students solve problems in
the classroom similar to those they

will encounter outside

of the schoolhouse.

We are all rational animals. Schools The perennialist curriculum is a universal The perennialist classroom are “centered
should, therefore, develop the students’ one on the view that all human beings around teachers”. The teachers do not
rational and moral powers. According process the same essential nature. It is allow the students’ interests or
to Aristotle, if we neglect the students’ heavy on the humanities, on general experiences to substantially dictate what
reasoning skills, we deprive them of education. It is not specialist curriculum they teach. They apply whatever creative
the ability to use their higher faculties but rather a general one. There is less techniques and other tried and true
to control their passions and appetites. emphasis on vocational and technical methods which are believe to be most
4. Perennialism education. Philosopher Mortimer Adler conducive to disciplining the students’
claims that the “Great Books of ancient minds. Students engaged in Socratic
and medieval as well as modern times dialogues, or mutual inquiry sessions to
are a repository of knowledge and develop and understanding of history’s
wisdom, a tradition of culture which most timeless concepts”.
must initiate each generation”. What the
perennialist teachers teach are lifted from
the Great Books.
5. Existentialism The main concern of the existentialists “In an existentialist curriculum, students “Existentialist methods focus on the
is “to help students understand and are given a wide variety of options from individual. Learning is self-paced,
appreciate themselves as unique which to choose”. Students are afforded selfdirected. It includes a great deal of
individuals who accept complete great latitude in their choice of subject individual contact with teacher, who
responsibility for their thoughts, matter. The humanities, however, are relates to each student openly and
feelings and actions”. Since `existence given tremendous emphasis to “provide honestly. To help students know
precedes essence’, the existentialist students with vicarious experiences that themselves and their place in society,
teachers role is to help students define will help unleash their own creativity and teachers employ values clarification
their own essence by exposing them to self-expression. For example, rather than strategy. In the use of such strategy,
various paths they take in life and by emphasizing historical individuals, each teachers remain non-judgmental and take
creating an environment in which they of whom provides possible models for care not to impose their values on their
freely choose their own preferred way. the students’ own behavior. student since values are personal”.
 Since feeling is not divorced from ….Moreover, vocational education is
reason in decision making, the regarded more as a means of teaching
existentialist demands the education of students about themselves and their
the whole person, “not just the mind”. potential than of earning a livelihood. In
teaching art, existentialism encourages
individual creativity and imagination
more than copying and imitating
established models”.

Behaviorist schools are concerned with Because behaviors look at “people and Behaviorist teachers “ought to arrange
the modification and shaping of other animals….as complex environmental conditions so that the
students’ behavior by providing for a combinations of matter that act only in students can make the response to
favorable environment, since they response to internally o externally stimuli. Physical variables like light,
believe that they are a product of their generated physical stimuli,” behaviorist temperature, arrangement of furniture,
environment. They are after students teacher teach students to respond size and quantity of visual aids have to
who exhibit desirable behavior in favorably to various stimuli in the be controlled to get the desired response
6. Behaviorism
society. environment. from the learners. .. Teachers ought to
make the stimuli clear and interesting to
capture and hold the learner’s attention.
They ought to provide appropriate
incentives to reinforce positive responses
and weaken or eliminate negative ones”.
(Trespeces, 1995)
 • Learners should be thought to The most effective way to teach
communicate clearly – how to send language and communication is the
clear, concise messages and how to experiential way. Make them experience
receive and correctly understand sending and receiving messages through
messages sent. verbal, nonverbal and para-verbal
To develop communication skills of the Communication takes place in three (3) manner. Teacher should make the
learner because the ability to articulate, ways: classroom a place for the interplay of
to voice out the meaning and values of a. Verbal minds and hearts. The teacher facilitate
the things that one obtains from his/her
b. Non-verbal dialogue among learners and between
experience of life and the world is the
c. Paraverbal him/her and his/her students because in
very essence of man. It is through
 Verbal component refers to the the exchange of words there is also an
his/her ability to express
content of our messages, the exchange ideas.
7. Linguistic Philosophy himself/herself clearly, to get his/her
choice and arrangement of our
ideas across, to make to known to
words. This can be oral or
others the values that he/she has seen,
written.
the ugliness that he/she rejects and the
 Nonverbal component refers to
truth that he/she has discovered.
the messages we send through
Teachers teach to develop in the
our body language.
learner the skill to send messages
 Paraverbal component refers to
clearly and receive messages correctly.
how we say that we say – the
tone, pacing and volume of our
voices.
• There is need to teach learners to use
language that is correct, precise,
grammatical, coherent, and accurate
so that they are able to communicate
clearly and precisely their thoughts
and feelings. There is need to help
students expands their vocabularies
to enhance their communication
skills. There is need to teach the
learners how to communicate clearly
through non-verbal means
consistently though para-verbal
means.
 There is need to caution the learners
of the verbal and non-verbal barriers
to communication.
  Teach them to speak as many
languages as you can. The more
languages one speaks, the better
he/she can communicate with the
world. A multilingual has an edge
over the monolingual or bilingual.

Activity:

Describe in just one sentence the emphasis of every philosophy after knowing its three (3) salient features. It must be brief, simple but concise.