FS 6 

FIELD STUDY

Learning
Episode

2 
THE TEACHER’S PHILOSOPHY  OF EDUCATION

My FS Learning Task Overview 

What is your philosophy about schools and education? Since you will become a 
teacher, you must have a clear understanding of your strong belief or philosophy of  education.
A philosophy will guide your actions in teaching and learning. This section will  cover some of
the fundamental educational philosophies that will help you as future  teacher. 
Learning Episode 2 will tackle only Essentialism, Perennialism, Progressivism, 
Existentialism, Behaviorism, Linguistic Philosophy and Constructivism. 

My Desired Learning Outcomes 

∙ Identify one’s philosophy of teaching and education 
∙ Gather information on the philosophy of education of experienced teachers ∙
Clarify how these philosophies are being out into practice 

My Learning Essentials 
 As a teacher, one should have a philosophy of education. A philosophy is a strong belief  that is
translated into action. A philosophy will guide you on what you teach, how you teach,   why you teach
among others. The different schools of thought or philosophies were handed  down to us by different
philosophers. But as the world progresses, other philosophies emerged.

Below are major educational philosophies, presented in summary form. 

Philosophy of Basic Features
Education 

1.  Essentialism  Aim: Promote intellectual growth of learners for  competence 

Teacher’s role: sole authority in the subject matter Focus:
Essential skills, 3 Rs’ 
Trends: Back to Basics, cultural literacy, excellence

2.  Perennialism  Aim: To educate the rational person, cultivate intellect Teachers’ role:
Assist learners to think with reason (critical  thinking, HOTS) 
Focus: Classical subject, Great Books, Enduring curriculum Trends: Use
of Great Books: Bible, Koran, Classical books

3.  Existentialism  Aim: Education of the whole being, as unique individuals Teacher’s role:
Help students define who they are, their  essence

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FS 6: Learning Episode 2 – The Teacher’s Philosophy of Education 
Focus: Self-paced, self-directed, learner-centered Trends:
individualized learning, values clarification

4.  Progressivism  Aim: Promote democratic social living 

Teacher’s role: Develop lifelong learners 
Focus: Learner-centeredness, interdisciplinary, outcomes based 
Trends: Humanistic education, contextualized curriculum,  equal
opportunities for all

5  Reconstructionism  Aim: Improve and reconstruct society. Education for  change 

Teacher’s role: Agent of change and reform 
Focus: Transformation of present to future landscape Trends: Global
education, convergence, transformative  education
 6  Linguistic Aim: Develop communication skills in different languages 
Philosophy  (Multilingualism) 
Teacher’s role: Provide experiential learning to learn  language 
Focus: Language and communication 
Trends: Mastery of communication skills (verbal, non-verbal. 
paraverbal or listening, speaking, writing, reading and  viewing)

7  Behaviorism  Aim: Modify and shape learner’s behavior 

Teacher’s role: Arrange environmental conditions to  change
behavior 
Focus: Learners and the learning environment that act as  stimuli 
Trends: Education for sustainable development; ubiquitous 
classrooms, multi-sensory stimuli

8  Constructivism  Aim: Develop intrinsically motivated learners 

Teacher’s role: Teaching students to learn, how to learn Focus:
Experiential learning 
Trends: UNESCO’s Pillars of Education; multiple perspectives

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FS 6: Learning Episode 2 – The Teacher’s Philosophy of Education

My Learning Map 

Here is the way to achieve your desired learning outcomes (DLO). Follow this.

Activity 1 will be Step 1 to 6 

Step 1: Know thy self. Determine your own philosophy, by answering the 40 items  scale. 
Step 2: Record your answer on the matrix provided on the Column S (student).  Add all
your scores from all the items in the cluster. 
Step 3: Request your cooperating teacher to answer the same survey form that  you answered. Since,
you will be needing two teachers to answer this  survey, just ask from the other group
the answer of their cooperating  teacher. 
Step 4: Record their answer, in the same way you did it with your own results. 

Step 5: Analyze the results in the matrix. Rank the Philosophies of each one from  the
Most Dominant (highest) to the Least Dominant (lowest). 
Step 6: Add the result matrix as your entry to the Portfolio.
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FS 6: Learning Episode 2 – The Teacher’s Philosophy of Education 

My Learning Activities 
Activity 1
Know Thy Self: My Philosophy of Education 

Use the survey Instrument found below for yourself and for two teachers in the  

school. Read each statement and answer honestly. Select among the choices from  Agree
Strongly to Disagree Strongly. 
 WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION? 
(Based on Sadker & Sadker, 2 Ed. Bilbao, 2014) 
nd

What is your philosophy of education? To find out, read each of the following statements  about the
nature of education. Decide whether you agree or disagree with each statement.  Use the following
numbers to express your response: 

 Legend:  
 4 Agree strongly 2 Disagree 
 3 Agree 1 Disagree strongly 

____3___ 1. The student learning should be centered around 3Rs only. 

___3____ 2. The school subjects should focus on the great thinkers of the past.
____4___ 3. Many students learn best by engaging in real-world activities than reading.
 ____2___ 4. The students should be permitted to determine their own curriculum.
 ____3___ 5. Subject matter is taught effectively when it is broken down into small parts
. ____2___ 6. The school subjects should include essential for all students to know.
 ____2___ 7. Schools above all, should develop students’ abilities to think deeply, analytically, and 
creatively than develop social skill or acquire body of knowledge. 
____4___ 8. Teaching should prepare students for analyzing and solving the types of problems 
they will face outside the classroom. 
____1___ 9. Reality is determined by each individual’s perceptions. There is no objective and 
universal reality. 
____1___ 10. People are shaped much more by their environment than by the exercise of their  free
will. 
____2___ 11. Students should not be promoted to the next grade until they have read and 
mastered certain key material. 
____2___ 12. An effective education is not aimed at the immediate needs of the students or  society. 
____3___ 13. The curriculum of a school should be built around the personal experiences and  needs of
the students. 
____1___ 14. Students who do not want to study much should not be required to do so.
____3___ 15. Programmed learning is an effective method of teaching information.
 ____3___ 16. Academic rigor is an essential component of education. 
____2___ 17. All students, regardless of ability, should study more or less the same curriculum.
 ____3___ 18. Art classes focus primarily on individual expression and creativity. 
_____2__ 19. Effective learning is unstructured and informal. 
_____3__ 20. Students learn best through reinforcement. 
_____2__ 21. Effective schools assign a substantial amount of homework. 
_____2__ 22. Education should focus on timeless questions such as “What is beauty?” or “What is 
truth?” 
_____4__ 23. Since students learn effectively through social interaction, schools should plan for  more
social gathering in their curricula. 

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FS 6: Learning Episode 2 – The Teacher’s Philosophy of Education 
 ___3____ 24. The purpose of school is to help students understand themselves and find the  meaning of
their existence. 
____3___ 25. Frequent objective testing is the best way to determine what students know. ___4____ 26.
Countries must become more competitive economically, hence schools must bolster  their academic
requirements for more competition. 
____3___ 27. Students must be taught to appreciate learning primarily for its own sake, rather than  to
help them into their careers. 
_____4__ 28. Schools must place more emphasis on teaching about the concerns of minorities and 
women. 
_____3__ 29. Each person has free will to develop as he or she sees fit. 
_____4__ 30. Reward students well for learning so they will remember and be able to apply what  they
learned, even if they were not able to understand why the information is worth knowing. 
____4___ 31. Philippine schools should attempt to instill traditional Filipino values in students.
_____4__ 32. Teacher-guided discovery of profound truths is a key method of teaching students. 
___4____ 33. Students should be active participants in the learning process. _______ 34. There are no
external standards of beauty. Beauty is what an individual decides it to  be. 
____3___ 35. We can place a lot of faith in our schools and teachers to determine which student 
behaviors are acceptable and which are not. 
____3___ 36. Schools must provide students with a firm grasp of basic facts regarding the books, 
people, and events. 
____3___ 37. Philosophy is ultimately a practical subject to study like computer science. ____4___ 38.
Teachers must stress to the students the relevance of what they are learning to their  lives outside and
inside the classroom. 
___4____ 39. It is more important for a student to develop a positive self-concept to learn specific 
concepts. 
____4___ 40. Leaning is more effective when students are given frequent tests to determine what they
have learned. 

Record your answer in the matrix below. 

Note that you have responded to all 40 items, write the number of the response to  each
statement in the matrix below. Add the raw scores in each column to determine  your
PHILOSOPHY. Record those for the teachers in T and T2. 
1

My Philosophy of Education 
Essentialism  Perennialism  Progressivism  Existentialism  Behaviorism

Item  S  T T2 Item  S  T T2 Item  S  T T2 Item  S  T T2 Item  S  T T

1  .  1  .  1  .  1  .  1  2.

1  2 2 2 2  3 2 1 3 4 4 3 4 3 3 3 5 3 3 3

6  2 2 2 7  4 2 2 8 4 2 2 9 3 3 3 10 3 2 3
 11  3 3 2 12  4 3 2 13 3 3 3 14 1 1 1 15 3 3 3

16  4 4 3 17  4 3 3 18 3 4 3 19 4 4 2 20 4 4 3

21  3 3 3 22  4 1 1 23 4 3 3 24 4 4 3 25 4 4 3

26  3 3 3 27  3 2 3 28 4 3 2 29 3 3 3 30 4 3 2

31  4 3 3 32  4 3 3 33 4 4 4 34 4 4 4 35 3 3 3

36  3 3 3 37  3 2 2 38 4 3 3 39 4 3 4 40 4 4 4

Total  2 2 2 Total  2 1 1 Total  3 2 2 Total  2 2 2 Total 2 2 2

4 3 1 9 8 7 0 6 3 6 5 3 8 6 4

Legend: S – Self; T – Teacher 1; T Teacher 2

1 2. –

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FS 6: Learning Episode 2 – The Teacher’s Philosophy of Education 
Based on the information taken, answer the following questions: 

Rank your total raw scores for each category. Do the same for Teacher 1 and Teacher 2. 

1. What Philosophy is most dominant for you?

Progressive
Which is least dominant?
Essentialism
2. For Teacher 1, which is the most dominant?
Progressive
Least dominant
Essentialism
3. For Teacher 2, what Philosophy has gained the highest score?
Behaviorism
This is the most dominant philosophy of the teacher. What has the lowest score?
The teacher two lowest score Philosophy in education is Essentialism.
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FS 6: Learning Episode 2 – The Teacher’s Philosophy of Education 

My Reflections/Insights 
1. Have you discovered your dominant Philosophy? How do you feel after knowing it? Is your 
philosophy or firm belief of education reflected in what you are doing as a future teacher? 

My dominant Philosophy of Education is ___ Progressive

The practices that I do as a student and future teacher that reflect my philosophy  are:
(describe in sentences) 

I should learn on how be a good and better person on the society live.
Through the help of interdisciplinary and outcome based teaching. I can be a lifelong
learner and someday I can also teach my learners on how to face a real life problem
and situation while they are achieving their dream and goal.

The practices that I will do, that will reflect my Philosophy of Education will
be:  (describe in sentences) 

The practices that I do is to develop first my student on how to become

and better citizen of the society this can happen by teaching them outcome based
learning. They can be lifelong learners and they can face real life situation.

FS 6: Learning Episode 2 – The Teacher’s Philosophy of Education 

Integrating Theory and Practice

What have you gained from your experiences in Task No. 2, Activities 1 and 2? Direction: Choose

the correct answer from the options. 

D 1. What is the right philosophy that every teacher should follow when teaching? 

I. Pragmatism 
II. Perennialism 
III. Existentialism 

a. I only c. I and II  

b. II only d. I, II and III 

A 2. Mr. Balgos teaches science in the Junior High School. He taught the concept  that sunlight is
necessary for the plants in the process of photosynthesis.  Applying the philosophy of pragmatism,
Mr. Balgos should ___________. 

a. show a PowerPoint presentation of photosynthesis 

b. ask the students to bring plant leaves in school 
c. draw the leaves of the plant and color this green 
d. ask the students to do a simple experiment about photosynthesis 

B 3. A philosophy that believes in prior learning or what the learners already know  is
_________________. 

a. essentialism c. constructivism  
b. behaviorism d. naturalism

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FS 6: Learning Episode 2 – The Teacher’s Philosophy of Education 
D 4. Behaviorism is a philosophy that has anchored on the theories that relate to  ____________. 

I. trial and error 

II. stimulus and response 
III. brain and thinking 

a. I only c. I and II  

b. II only d. I, II and III 

A 5. The teacher’s teaching philosophy is reflected by which of the following? 

I. Choice of teaching methods 

II. Choice of circle of friends 
III. Choice of how to use leisure time 

a. I only c. I and II  

b. II only d. I, II and III
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FS 6: Learning Episode 2 – The Teacher’s Philosophy of Education

My Learning
Portfolio Evidences of Portfolio
here: 
1. The Matrix of Survey Results
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FS 6: Learning Episode 2 – The Teacher’s Philosophy of Education