Major Philosophy of Education

Major Philosophy
of Education
Ma. Arielie C. Maningas

Philosophy
Came from the Greek
word phílosophía,
meaning the love of
wisdom is the study of
knowledge, or "thinking
about thinking
• the search for knowledge and
truth, especially about the
nature of man and his
behaviour and beliefs
(Kernerman English
Multilingual Dictionary)
• careful thought about the
fundamental nature of the
world, the grounds for
human knowledge, and the
evaluation of human conduct
(The Philosophy Pages)
• The focus is to teach ideas that
are everlasting, to seek enduring
truths which are constant, not
changing, as the natural and
human worlds at their most
essential level, do not change.
• The loftiest accomplishments of
humankind are emphasized– the
great works of literature and art,
the laws or principles of science
Advocates of this educational
philosophy are Robert
Maynard Hutchins who
developed a Great Books
program in 1963 and
Mortimer Adler, who further
developed this curriculum
based on 100 great books of
western civilization.
Perennialism focuses on the
universal truths that have
withstood the test of time.
Perennialists urge that
students read the Great Books
and develop their
understanding of the
philosophical concepts that
underlie human knowledge.
Essentialism focuses on
teaching the essential
elements of academic and
moral knowledge.
Essentialists urge that

schools get back to the
basics; they believe in a
strong core curriculum and
high academic standards.
• Essentialists believe that there is
a common core of knowledge
that needs to be transmitted to
students in a systematic,
disciplined way.
• The emphasis in this

conservative perspective is on
intellectual and moral standards
that schools should teach.
Essentialists accept the idea that
this core curriculum may change.
Schooling should be practical,
preparing students to become
valuable members of society. It
should focus on facts-the
objective reality out there--and
"the basics," training students to
read, write, speak, and compute
clearly and logically.
Students should be taught
hard work, respect for
authority, and discipline.
Other proponents of
Essentialism are:
• James D. Koerner (1959),

• H. G. Rickover (1959),
• Paul Copperman (1978),
and Theodore Sizer (1985).
Progressivists believe that
education should focus on the
whole child, rather than on the
content or the teacher.
This educational philosophy

stresses that students should
test ideas by active
experimentation
It is active, not passive
The learner is a problem
solver and thinker who
makes meaning through his
or her individual experience
in the physical and cultural
context.
Effective teachers provide

experiences so that
students can learn by doing.
• The Progressive education
philosophy was established
in America from the mid
1920s through the mid
1950s.
• John Jacques Rousseau

(1712–1778) and John
Dewey (1859–1952) are the
guiding minds of
progressivism.
Rousseau maintained
that people are basically
good and that society is
responsible for
corrupting them.
He supported education
in nature, away from the
city and the influences of
civilization, where the
child’s interests (as
opposed to a written set
of guidelines) would
guide the curriculum.
John Dewey proposed that
people learn best by social
interaction and problem
solvin
In particular, they were
keen to remove themselves
from the textbook-based
curriculum and the idea of
teachers as disseminators
of information, in favor of
viewing teachers as
facilitators of thinking.
The progressivist classroom
is about exploration and
experience.
Common sights in a
progressivist classroom
might include: small groups
debating, custom-made
activities, and learning
stations
Social reconstructionism is an
educational philosophy that views
schools as tools to solve social
problems.
Social reconstructionists reason that,
because all leaders are the product of
schools, schools should provide a
curriculum that fosters their
development.
The reconstructionist classroom
contains a teacher who involves the
students in discussions of moral
dilemmas to understand the
implications of one’s actions.
Students individually select their
objectives and social priorities and
then, with guidance from the
teacher, create a plan of action to
make the change happen.
Reconstructionist educators focus on
a curriculum that highlights social
reform as the aim of education.
Theodore Brameld (1904-1987) was
the founder of social
reconstructionism,
For social reconstructionists and critical
theorists, curriculum focuses on student
experience and taking social action on real
problems, such as violence, hunger,
international terrorism, inflation, and
inequality.
Strategies for dealing with controversial

issues (particularly in social studies and
literature), inquiry, dialogue, and multiple
perspectives are the focus. Community-
based learning and bringing the world into
the classroom are also strategies.
Behaviorist theorists believe that
behavior is shaped deliberately by
forces in the environment and that
the type of person and actions
desired can be the product of
design.
In other words, behavior is

determined by others, rather than
by our own free will.
By carefully shaping desirable
behavior, morality and information is
learned.
Learners will acquire and remember

responses that lead to satisfying
aftereffects.
Repetition of a meaningful
connection results in learning.
If the student is ready for the connection,
learning is enhanced; if not, learning is
inhibited. Motivation to learn is the
satisfying aftereffect, or reinforcement.
Ivan Pavlov's research on using the

reinforcement of a bell sound when food was
presented to a dog
Ivan Pavlov's research on using the reinforcement of a
bell sound when food was presented to a dog
The teacher can help students learn by
conditioning them through identifying
the desired behaviors in measurable,
observable terms, recording these
behaviors and their frequencies,
identifying appropriate reinforcers for
each desired behavior, and providing the
reinforcer as soon as the student displays
the behavior
Skinner Watson
Other influential behaviorists include B.F. Skinner

(1904-1990) and James B. Watson (1878-1958).
Cognitivists or Constructivists believe that
the learner actively constructs his or her
own understandings of reality through
interaction with objects, events, and
people in the environment, and reflecting
on these interactions.
For learning to occur, an event, object, or experience must

conflict with what the learner already knows. Therefore,
the learner's previous experiences determine what can be
learned.

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Major Philosophy

Ma. Arielie C. Maningas

Essentialists urge that

• The emphasis in this

• James D. Koerner (1959),

This educational philosophy

Effective teachers provide

• John Jacques Rousseau

Strategies for dealing with controversial

In other words, behavior is

Learners will acquire and remember

Ivan Pavlov's research on using the

Other influential behaviorists include B.F. Skinner

For learning to occur, an event, object, or experience must

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