Lesson 1.

PHILOSOPHIES OF EDUCATION
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, you must be able to:

1. Recite the five Educational Philosophies, and
2. Differentiate the five Educational Philosophies according to:
a) Philosophical Focus
b) Theory of Truth
c)Methodology to arrive at the Truth,
d) Theory of what is good,
e) Goal of teaching and learning, and
f) How to teach?
3. Illustrate certain similarities among the philosophies using Venn diagram

INTRODUCTION
A number of philosophers who lived before us, passed on to us their views in life, like
answer on questions; “who Am I?” “Where Am I Going?” “What is Reality?” etc., including,
“Why Teach?, What to Teach? And How to teach?.” Answers to these questions raised are
helpful to students to understand and appreciate themselves as unique individuals who accept
complete responsibility for their thoughts, feelings and actions, amidst various challenges under
educational environment. Review on different educational philosophies will guide them in
choosing appropriate responses to convert educational objectives into performance standards.

Instructional Materials:
Reading Materials:
1) Five Educational Philosophies: (Distributed ahead: offline/Online,)
2) Video Clips: Blank Matrix on Educational Philosophies with six (7)
columns;
3) Teacher-made matrix Five Philosophies of Education:
(Key answers on Questions 1 & 2, Hidden)

Five Philosophies of Education:

1. Essentialism
a) Why Teach? This philosophy contends that teachers teach for learners to acquire basic
knowledge, skills and values. Teachers teach “not to radically reshape society but rather “to
transmit the traditional moral values and intellectual knowledge that students need to become
model citizens.”
b) What to teach? Essentialist programs are academically rigorous. The emphasis is on
academic content for students to learn the basic skills or the fundamental r’s---reading, ‘riting,
‘rithmetic, right conduct – as these are essential to the acquisition of higher or more complex
skills needed in preparation for adult life. 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 student interests, particularly when they divert time and attention from the
academic curriculum.
c) How to teach? Essentialists teachers emphasize mastery of subject matter. They are
expected to be intellectual and moral models of their students. They are seen as “fountain” of
information and as “paragon of virtue”. If ever there is such as person. To gain mastery of Basic
skills, teachers have to observe “core requirements longer school day, a longer academic year…”
With mastery of academic content as primary focus, teachers rely heavily on the use of
prescribed textbooks, the drill method and other methods that will enable them to cover as much
academic content as possible like the lecture method. There is a heavy stress on memorization
and discipline.

2. Progressivism
a) Why teach? Progressivist teachers teach to develop learners into becoming
enlightened and intelligent citizens of a democratic society. This group of teachers teach
learners so they may live fully. NOW not to prepare them for adult life.
b) What to teach? The progressivists are identified with need-based and relevant
curriculum. This is a curriculum that “ responds to students’ needs and that related to students’
personal lives and experiences.”
Progressivists accept the impermanence of life and the inevitability of change.
For the progressivists, everything else changes. Change is the only thing that does not
change. Hence, progressivists teachers are more concerbn3d with teaching the learners
the skills to cope with change. Instead of occupying themselves with teaching facts or
bits of information that are true today but become obsolete tomorrow, they would rather
focus their teaching on the leaching of skills or processes in gathring and evaluating
information and in problem solving.
The subjects that are given emphasis in progressivist schools are the natural ad
social sciences. Teachers expose students to many new scientific, technological, and
social developments, reflecting the progressivist notion that progress and change are
fundamental..l. In addition, lstudents sove problems in thl classroom similar to tose they
will encounter outside of the schoolhouse.”
c) How to teach? Progressivists teachers employ experiential methods. They believe that
one learns by doing. For John Dewey, the most popular advocate of progressivism, book
learning is no substitute for actual experience. One experiential teaching method that
progressivistl teachers heavily rely on is the problem-solving method. This problem
solving method Makes use of the scientific method.
Other “hands-on-minds-on” teaching methodology that progressivist teachers use
are field trips during which students interact with nature or society. Teachers also
stimulates students through-provoking games, and puzzles.
3. Perennialism
a) Why teach? We are all rational animals. Schools should, therefore, develop the
students’ rational and moral powers. According to Aristotle, if we neglect the students’
reasoning skills, we deprive them of the ability to use their higher faculties to control their
Passion and appetites.
 b) What to teach? The perennialist curriculum is a universal one on the view that all
human beings posses the same essential nature. It is heavy on the humanities on general
education. It is not a specialist curriculum but rather a general one. There is less emphasis on
vocational and technical education. Philosopher Mortimer Adler claims that the Great Books of
ancient and medieval as well as modern times are a repository of knowledge and wisdom, a
tradition of culture which must initiate each generation”. What the perennialist teachers teach
are lifted from the great books.
4. Existentialism
a) Why teach? The main concern of the existentialists is “to help students understand and
appreciate themselves as unique individuals who accept complete responsibility for their
thoughts, feelings and actions”. Since existence precedes essence, the existentialists teachers’
role is to help students define their own essence by exposing them to various paths they take in
life and by creating an environment in which they freely choose their own preferred way. Since
feeling is not divorced from reason in decision making, the existentialist demands the education
of the whole person, not just the mind”.
b) What to teach? “In an existentialist curriculum, students are given a wide variety of
options from which to choose.” Students are afforded great latitude in their choice of subject
matter. The humanities, however, are given tremendous emphasis to “provide students with
vicarious experiences that will help unleash their own creativity and self-expression. For
example, rather than emphasizing historical events, existentialist focus upon the action of
historical individuals, each of whom provides possible models for the students’ own behavior…
Moreover, vocational education is regarded more as a means of teaching students about
themselves and their potential than of earning a livelihood. In teaching art, existentialism
encourages individual creativity and imagination more than copying and imitating established
models.
c) How to teach? Existentialilst methods focus on the individual. Learning in self-paced,
self-directed. It includes a great deal of individual contact with the teacher, who relates to each
student openly and honestly. To help students know themselves and their place in society,
teachers employ values clarification strategy. In the use of such strategy, teachers remain non-
judgmental and take care not to impose their Values on their students since values are personal.”

5. Behaviorism
a) Why teach? Behaviorist schools are concerned with the modification and shaping of
students’ behavior by providing for a favorable environment, since they believe that they are a
product of their environment. They are after students who exhibit desirable behavior in society.
b) What to teach? Because behaviorists look at “people and other animals… as complex
combinations of matter that act only in response to internally or externally generated physical
stimuli”, behaviorist teachers teach students to respond favorably to various stimuli in the
environment.
c) How to teach? Behaviorist teachers “ought to arrange environmental conditions so
that students can make the responses to stimuli. Physical variables like light, temperature,
arrangement of furniture, size and quantity of visual aids have to be controlled to get the desired
responses from the learners….Teachers ought to make the stimuli clear and interesting to capture
and hold he learners’ attention. They ought to provide appropriate incentives to reinforce
positive responses and weaken or eliminate negative ones.” (Trespeces, 1995).
 Lesson 1: Enabling Activity:

Activity 1. Journal Entry:

Given the reading materials for lesson 1(distributed ahead offline/online), student
will be requested to read and review the details of each of the five educational philosophies.
When done, he/she complete a matrix below labeled; Column 1- Name of Philosophy; Column
2-Philosophical Focus; Column 3-How to Teach; Colum 4-Theory of Truth; Colum 5-
Methodology to arrive at the Truth; Column 6-Theory of what is good; and Column 7-Goal of
Teaching and learning.

Blank Matrix of Educational Philosophies.

Name of Philosophical How to Theory Methodology Theory Goal of
Philosopher Focus Teach of Truth to arrive at the of What Teaching
Truth is good

Essentialism

Progressivism

Perennialism

Existentialism

Behaviorism
Abstraction/Analysis
Having the accomplished matrix of educational philosophies (students made matrix),
interactive discussion follows to guide the students complete the information asks for the matrix
entries.
.

Lesson 1 Output No. 1

Question 1. Which philosophy of education is reflected in the following educational
practices? Justify your answer.
1. Back-to-Basic Movement
2. Conduct of Achievement Test
3. Utilization of Great Books
4. Use of Rewards and Incentives
5. Use of Simulation and Solving Problem
6. Learners learn at their own pace
7. Mastery of 3r’s—reading, writing and ‘rithmetic
8. Traditional Approach to Education
9. Subject-Matter Centered Teaching
10.Student-Centered Teaching
11. Authoritarian Approach to Teaching
12. Non-Authoritarian Approach to Teaching
(Key answers on file)

Question 2. To which philosophy do you associate the following quotations? Justify

your answer.
1. “Education is Life not a preparation for life”-- Dewey
2. “Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself…”-Satre
3. “Gripping and enduring interests frequently grow out of initial learning efforts
that are not attractive.”-Watson
4. “Existence precedes essence.” – Satre
(Key answers, on file)

Supplemental Readings: Students will be requested to research further Online the

following:

1. Progressivism and John Dewey

2. Behaviorism and John Watson
3. Essentialism and William Bagley
4. Existentialism and Jean Paul Satre
5. Perennialism and Robert Hutchins

Reference:
1. Bilbao, Purita P. Ed. D., et. al. The Teaching Profession, Metro Manila: Lorimar
Publishing Co., Inc., 2012.
2. Bilbao, Purita P. Ed. D., et. al. The Teaching Profession, Metro Manila: Lorimar
Publishing Co., Inc., 2006.
3. Internet