What is your Philosophy?

1. What is your Philosophy?

2. Why is Philosophy Important • How we deliver curriculum is developed around our prevailing thoughts and beliefs • Important to recognize the role our philosophy plays in determining our views

3. Prevailing Schools of Thought • Perennialism • Essentialism • Progressivism • Reconstructionism • Existentialism

4. Perennialism • Believes one should teach things that one deems to be of everlasting importance to all people everywhere • Believes that the most important topics develop a person. • Since details of fact change constantly, these cannot be the most important. Therefore, one should teach principles, not facts. • Since people are human, one should teach first about humans, not machines or techniques. • Since people are people first, and workers second if at all, one should teach liberal topics first, not vocational topics. • A particular strategy with modern perennialists is to teach scientific reasoning, not facts.

5. Essentialism • Believe there is a critical core of information and skills that an educated person must have • William Bagley, 1930s in response to student centered education • Teacher is the expert in the essentialist classroom • Student role to listen and learn

6. Progressivism • Beliefs that education must be based on the principle that humans are social animals who learn best in real-life activities with other people • Claim to rely on the best available scientific theories of learning. • Most progressive educators believe that children learn as if they were scientists, following a process similar to John Dewey's model of learning: • Given this view of human nature, a progressivist teacher desires to provide not just reading and drill, but also real-world experiences and activities that center on the real life of the students. • A typical progressivist slogan is "Learn by Doing!"

7. Reconstructionism • Emphasizes social questions and a quest to create a better society and worldwide democracy. • Highlight social reform as the aim of education. • Theodore Brameld (1904-1987) was the founder of social reconstructionism, in reaction against the realities of World War II. • See education as the means of preparing people for creating this new social order. • Curriculum focuses on student experience and taking social action on real problems, such as violence, hunger, international terrorism, inflation, and inequality.

8. Existentialism • Emphasizes the uniqueness and freedom of the individual person against the herd, the crowd, or the mass society. • Emphasizes individual responsibility, individual personality, individual existence, and individual freedom and choice. • Hold the belief that life’s most important questions are not accessible to reason or science. • The only certainty for existentialists is death. • In the existentialist world, each person is born, lives, chooses his or her course, and creates the meaning of his or her own existence.

9. To which do you Subscribe? • Which philosophy do you believe is the most beneficial for our society?

10. Quiz

11. Report Your Findings • What surprised you most? • Can teachers with competing philosophies work in the same grade/team/department? • What is the philosophy of NC? • What is the philosophy of your school?

12. Conclusion • Why is it important to clearly define our philosophy?