Six Contemporary Educational Philosophies
Philosophy Goal of Education
Perennialism Develop timeless virtues
(justice, temperance,
Fortitude, and prudence);
instill knowledge for the
sake of learning
Essentialism Promote and instill cultural
literacy in all students;
provide a common core of
cultural knowledge
Progressivism Use student interests as a
basis for understanding
and ordering students’
experience
Social Use education to help
Reconstructionism solve significant social
problems and, as a result,
make democracy more
efficient and effective
Humanism Emphasize self-
actualization, help
students become self-
actualized, and blend the
cognitive and the affective;
help students assimilate
knowledge into their daily
lives; stress human values
Existentialism
Create climate of freedom
and choice where
individuals can choose and
be responsible for their
decisions
Role of Students Role of Teachers
Instill virtues; know
Develop and use virtues subject matter; teach
in life’s decisions; subject matter to all
acquire knowledge students
Acquire and use cultural Provide a common core
knowledge; learn and cultural literacy
use thinking skills curriculum integrated
with basic school subjects
Participate in Act as facilitator for
formulating the student learning;
purposes that are the determine student
basis for the student- interests for developing
centered curriculum curriculum
Identify social problems Facilitate process of
and use thinking skills students identifying and
and knowledge to solve solving community-based
problems problems
Help students to become
self-actualized and make
Develop healthy attitude sense of learning; connect
toward self, others, and individuals to their
learning experience; learning and help them
become self-actualized apply curriculum to
themselves, the
community, the nation,
and the world
Accept responsibility for
choices and actions; Create an environment
learn to set personal for independent action
goals and achieve them and enable students to
by developing make choices and accept
independence, making responsibility for behavior
decisions, and problem
solving
Teaching Methods Curriculum Emphasis
Teacher-centered; Subject matter and common
lecture core curriculum; emphasis on
arts and sciences
Primarily subject- and A uniformed curriculum for all
teacher-centered students emphasizing subject
methods matter and cultural knowledge
Learning center;
cooperative learning; Student interests and needs;
student-led and – democracy; morality; social
initiated discussion development
Facilitate cooperative
learning and group Integrated knowledge of and
problem solving; solution of social problems in
encourage students to the regular curriculum
use problem-solving
skills
Physical and emotional needs of
students and development of
Group processes; one- learning experience so that
on-one teacher-student students can fulfill their needs
interaction and resolve developmental
crisis
Analysis and discussion
regarding students’ Social studies; humanities
choices