PHILOSOPHY OF

EDUCATION

What is a philosophy of
education and why should it be
important to you?

The Five Philosophies

Essentialism
Perennialism
Progressivism
Social reconstructionism
Existentialism

Teacher Centered
Emphasize importance of transferring
knowledge, information, and skills from older
generations to younger generations. Back-toBasics approach.

Essentialism
Strives to teach students the accumulated knowledge of our civilization through
core courses in the traditional academic disciplines.
William Bagley (1874-1946)

Perennialism
Organize schools around books, ideas and concepts. Focuses on enduring themes
and questions that are everlasting. Students learn directly from the Great Books.
Robert M. Hutchins (1899-1979)

Student Centered
Focused on the individual needs of students,
contemporary relevance of subject matter, and
preparing students for the changing future.

Progressivism
Organizes schools around the concerns, curiosity and real-world experiences of
students.
John Dewey (1859-1952)

Social Reconstructionism
Encourages schools, teachers and students to focus their studies and energy on
alleviating pervasive social inequities and reconstruct society into a more just social
order.
George S. Counts (1907-1974)

Existentialism
Asserts that the purpose of education is to help children find the meaning and
direction in their lives.
A. S. Neill (1883-1973)

Psychological Influences on
Education
Constructivism
Behavorism

Constructivism
Asserts that knowledge cannot be handed from one
person to anther, but must be constructed by each
learner through interpreting and reinteresting a
constant flow of information.
Scaffolding questions, clues, or suggestions tht help
a student link prior knowledge to the new
information.

Behaviorism
Derived from the belief that free will is an illusion and
that humans are shaped entirely by their
environment.
Behavior modification rewards good behavior and
success while gradually lessening the rewards the
further you go to learn self-satisfaction.

Cultural Influences on
Education
Ethnocentrism tendency to view ones own culture superior
to others.
Western society places value on degrees and certification. In
other parts of the world actual knowledge is more highly
valued.
Informal education learning through your society
Oral tradition spoken language is primary tool for instruction

Classical Western Philosophy

Socrates Socratic method students are
provocatively questioned so they can rethink what
they believe
Plato discuss philosophy through eloquen dialogue
Aristotle the real world everything we can see,
touch or smell. The Golden Mean everything in
moderation

Philosophical Issues and Concepts

Metaphysics origin and structure of reality
Epistemology examines the nature and the origin of human knowledge
Materialism, idealism, empiricism, rationalism

Logic how to move from a set of assumptions to valid conclusions

Deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning

Ethics what is good and bad in human behavior

Political philosophy analyzes how past and present societies are arranged and
governed and proposes how to make better ones
Aesthetics nature of beauty

Current Event
http://www.therepublic.com/2016/08/25/japanese_students_see_firsthand_difference
s_in_educational_philosophy/

What are some of the

psychological and social factors
influencing education?