Personal Philosophy of Educational Paper

Personal Philosophy of Educational Paper

Hana Y. Bekele
Wesleyan College. EDU 201

Personal Philosophy of Educational Paper

I was 7 years old in my 2nd grade classroom. I distinctly remember the smell of chalk and
hamster poop from our classroom pet Harry. I remember the motivational posters we hardly
looked at and the window view to the playground. It was mind boggling to me that I could not
recollect what we learned in class, but I can remember these other characteristics of my 2nd grade
classroom days. Then it hit me; what we learned in class was what we had to memorize and
remember for the next test or for the next quiz. We werent actually learning we were holding
information in our minds until we could use it for that unit. And for that short span of time I
would recall what we learned and it was easy to remember, however in the future it would be
much harder to recall and I had to look back to find the answer. As a student this is not how we
want to learn and as a future educator this is not the way we want to teach. Theres more to
learning than memorizing and trying to have that short span of knowledge for that period of time.
I believe all students should have an education that does not feel like a 7 hour prison sentence
listening to their correctional officer every day. This why I am so drawn to the Theory of
Progressivism, Progressivism focuses on real world problem-solving activities in an environment
that requires cooperative and democratic learning. Progressivism gives students a chance to
develop their own independent mindset and enhances their critical thinking. Progressivism
includes every students opinion and gives space for cooperation, personal opinion, and group
work. According to Webb, Metha, and Jordan (2010), Progressivism embraces the notion that
the child is an experiencing organism who is capable of learning by doing. Progressivists
perceive students to be evolving and active being capable of interacting with their environment,
setting objectives for their own learning, and working together to solve common problems. They

Personal Philosophy of Educational Paper

are also capable of establishing rules for governing their classrooms, and testing and evaluating
ideas for the improvement of learning. This really identifies what were lacking in our public
education. Students are packed in one room, in one desk, with one teacher for the majority of the
day. They have very little to no interaction with nature and their surroundings. I believe if we can
merge Progressivism into the way we learn wed see improvements in not only our motivation to
learn but also improve a students confidence and the way they think.
Growing up I went to 2 very different schools: one for educational purposes and one for
religious purposes. Two different schools with 2 different styles of teaching, yet I can say I
believe I benefited more from the school I attended for religious purposes. Why is that? I go to
school Monday to Friday, and I spend majority of my time in class with a very nice teacher. But
on Saturday morning I was anticipating going to class with my peers. I could not wait to feel the
water from the creek as we talked in detail why it was so important in our lives. I was excited
about the many discussions we would have were our teacher wanted to hear us speak just as
much as we wanted to hear her speak. Those moments were we had the opportunity to express
our ideas, opinions, and the way we felt without being judged was very memorable for me. These
small things may not seem like much but as a young student with a developing mind it impacted
the way I thought and the way I still see things till this day. Not to say that the school where I
attended wasnt good enough, no it was a phenomenal school. But it didnt challenge me, or
stimulate my mind in the way it could have. We can use the elements that surround us, such as a
simple bucket of water, as a tool that can be an invigorating lesson plan more than any slideshow
could. If we as educators go the extra mile and make an effort for what we do or what we teach,
we can change the way our students learn.

Personal Philosophy of Educational Paper

Although I do enjoy discussing about Progressivism and all the benefits this theory can
have on students there is another theory that I believe is fundamental for students education:
Perennialism. My perception on this theory was not of a very impressed one. I did not enjoy the
idea of backtracking to the traditions of the past as a way of teaching the present. However, after
reviewing this theory I have come to the realization that we can learn from the traditions of the
past and modernize it to fit the future. We can learn from the philosophies of idealism, realism,
and neo-Thomism that are embedded in Perennialism and reform it for the next generation.
According to Webb, Metha, and Jordan (2010), Perennialists consider the purpose of schooling
to be to teach the eternal truths, cultivate the rational intellect, and develop the spiritual nature of
the individual. For the ecclesiastical Perennialists, the highest goal of education is union with
God. They also believe that education is the preparation of life and that-although formal
education may end- learning is a lifelong process. Now many people would disagree with me
for the fact that Perennialism has a reputation of being too strict on children. I do agree that some
of the traits of Perennialism are questionable, for example according to Webb, Metha, and Jordan
(2010), Perennialists are concerned with training not only the intellect, but also the will. They
believe that the teacher has the obligation to discipline the student in order to train the will. They
would consider the most appropriate classroom environment for training the will to be one that
reinforces time on task, precision and order. In addition to orderliness and structure, for the
ecclesiastical perennialist the learning environment would also reflect an appreciation for prayer
and contemplation. I do not believe in the obligation to discipline the student in order to train
the will. I feel that these traits of Perennialism is what I disagree with, however I do feel that if
we have a modern reform of Perennialism without the discipline we could benefit from it.

Personal Philosophy of Educational Paper

Perennialism teaches students about precision, order, and structure that is essential to learn when
learning.
In a typical classroom one would question how you would put these ideas in action. It can
be the simplest actions that can make the biggest impacts. For example while teaching or
discussing a topic, make time for a democracy-style discussion involving everyone and even
including friendly debates. This will definitely give insight to our pluralistic society and help
develop the students critical thinking. Children have a very curious nature, and by giving them
that freedom to explore their curiosities can help them develop their problem solving and
decision making skills. I believe some instructional methods that should be used are group
activities, problem solving, and critical thinking. Group activities is an amazing way to get
students to work together as well as learning that the better of the group is far more important
than one individuals input. Problem solving involves deep thinking and a step by step process
that challenges a students mind and helps build their decision making skills. Critical thinking is
actually quite similar to problem solving in the step by step process, as well as helping a student
focus on details and make inferences. With these instructional methods you can see results
almost instantaneously. The classroom should be managed by an authorative figure that can step
in to direct the class and instruct but can also act as a guide and step back when needed.

When you close your eyes and imagine an average class in America you imagine a
teacher who speaks and a student who stays silent and listens. I dont believe in that average
American class I believe that our Education is always evolving and changing and that a voice
from the students is needed. Students need to learn by doing and we as educators can guide them

Personal Philosophy of Educational Paper

and help, thats why I follow the philosophy of Progressivism and the modern reformation of
Perennialism. With these 2 philosophies we can see a change, a change for the future.

Personal Philosophy of Educational Paper

Sources

Hofmann, J. (1955). The ends of education in American perennialism. Buffalo.

Nugent, W. (2009). Progressivism.
Rushdoony, R. J. (1963). The messianic character of American education: Studies in the history
of the philosophy of education. Nutley, NJ: Craig Press.
Webb, L. D., Metha, A., & Jordan, K. F. (2000). Foundations of American education (6th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.