Educational Philosophies

Educational Philosophies

Numerous educational philosophies exist inside the epistemological setting that center on the nature of knowledge and how we come to know. This essay will focus on five educational philosophies: perennialism, idealism, realism, experimentalism, and existentialism.

Perennialism is an educational philosophy derived from the word perennial, which means everlasting. As such, perennialism means to teach that which is everlasting; this curriculum focuses on principles that have remained constant throughout history (Kooli, 2019). Therefore, this philosophy does not apply new concepts as they are considered obsolete. Subsequently, perennialism insists that all students have the same education due to the consistency of human nature, thereby promoting humans as rational beings instead of emotional ones. Furthermore, students are not allowed to learn what they would like, i.e., not student-centered; rather, the educational system teaches all students the same thing, i.e., teacher-centered.

Idealism is derived from idea and ideal, meaning true and testified knowledge and a perfected form of an idea, respectively. Accordingly, the fundamental principle of idealism is that reality is an extension of one’s mental processes, which are the true reality. The primary goal of education under the philosophy of idealism is to be a student or a spiritual person (Chambliss, 2009). Therefore, the main focus areas are literature, religion, history, and philosophy. Sciences and technology are underrated in this philosophy. A perfect example of an idealist education is a reform school. These schools strive to train students requiring additional education in character development, creating or consolidating morals and standards while teaching the basic fundamental syllabus in a normal school setting.

According to realism, reality exists in the material world and not what humans perceive it to be; it is the foundation of scientific reasoning. The concept is that students should learn logic, critical thinking, and scientific concepts to help them comprehend reality (Scott, 2002). On the other hand, teachers are objective; they believe in a systematic approach to order and classify knowledge, building on formerly learned information. Furthermore, they are unlikely to encourage their students to pursue the truth in collected works and ideas. Rather, they encourage them to do so by testing learned principles.

Experimentalism is founded on the idea that education should be a study of social problems and how to come up with solutions to these problems. There is no one specific focus in this type of philosophy. Instead, teachers in this curriculum teach everything. The founder of the philosophy, John Dewey, firmly believed that instead of students being the receiver of information and passive believers, they should be perceivers of active learning and critical thinkers. This philosophy is student-centered, whereby the teacher guides the students, knowing the different interests of each student, and provides problems to these students that they consider interesting to solve (Saritas, 2016). This is America’s most prevalent educational philosophy as it incorporates all interrelated disciplines, including science, philosophy, religion, psychology, and others.

Existentialism is based on individuals finding themselves, creating their identity, and finding a purpose through choices, free will, and personal responsibility (Saritas, 2016). As such, the main aim of this philosophy is to help a student mature and self-actualize to assess themselves, understand their capability, attain their highest potential, and determine how to improve their lives best. According to existentialists, every student is unique, so education should cater to the student’s differences. Besides, the philosophy enables students to develop their unique abilities, cultivate their identities, and harness their potential. The philosophy is also student-centered in that the student makes all the choices they see to serve them best.

In conclusion, experimentalism, the most prevalent educational philosophy, is the philosophy that reflects my beliefs. I believe that students should be allowed to make their own choices regarding what they want to study, but they must first be exposed to as many disciplines in education as possible and then decide later on. Leaving the choice to the students too early, like before they join college, could lead to adverse results as they are not mature enough to make such a permanent decision. In addition, subjecting students to only a few disciplines could result in a failed education system, as all disciplines are important. Lastly, it should only be up to the student to decide what they want to pursue.

References

Chambliss, J. J. (2009). Philosophy of education today. Educational Theory, 59(2), 233-251.

Kooli, C. (2019). The philosophy of education in the Sultanate of Oman: Between perennialism and progressivism. American Journal of Education and Learning, 4(1), 36-49.

Saritas, E. (2016). Relationship between philosophical preferences of classroom teachers and their teaching styles. Educational Research and Reviews, 11(16), 1533-1541.

Scott, D. (2002). Realism and educational research: New perspectives and possibilities. Routledge.

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Educational Philosophies

Write an essay that includes the following:
You must include an introduction that outlines what your essay is about. (1st paragraph)
Summarize (in your own words) each of the five educational philosophies (perennialism, idealism, realism, experimentalism, and existentialism.) You must have one paragraph for each summary. (2, 3, 4, 5,6 paragraphs) You are encouraged to use other resources for information. However, it would be best to put it in your own words.
In the seventh paragraph, state how your beliefs are reflected in each of these philosophies.
In the last paragraph, select the philosophy you THINK most reflects your beliefs. You must explain how that philosophy reflects your views. You can only state one that is most prevalent to get maximum points.