PHILOSOPHY ON TEACHING

Progressivism and Existentialism Philosophy in the Classroom

Alexandra B. Kerschen
Dr.Burris/ Prof. Rude
Chandler-Gilbert Community College

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discuss Progressivism and existentialism. What both of these
philosophies are, as well as how they can be implemented in a future classroom, will be
discussed. Every teacher has a teaching philosophy of their own and these are two that could be
tied together ones and demonstrated in a classroom. The two main philosophers that will be
discussed are John Dewey, father of progressivism and Soren Kierkegaard, father of
existentialism.
Keywords: Philosophy, Progressivism, Existentialism, John Dewey, Soren Kierkegaard

PHILOSOPHY ON TEACHING

Progressivism and Existentialism Philosophy in the Classroom

Education is the way for the future, not only does it affect the lives of all those who are
constantly learning, but it impacts the way life will proceed. Teachers need to be there to help
guide students in the journey of learning by giving them real life situations to figure out on their
own. As a student I remember having many of my teachers classrooms teacher-based, which
did not work for me. A teaching philosophy not only deals with the roll of the students and
teachers in the classroom, but as well as how they will affect society(Combs 2010). Becoming a
teacher, for me, is helping children grow into the people they want to be. Following those
thoughts, the philosophies I will mainly follow as a teacher will be progressivism and
existentialism.
The first philosophy I will be focusing on is the progressivism theory. Simply put the
progressivism theory is the integration of study with real life experiences through active
learning, problem-solving, and experimentation(Koch, 2016, 45). Using progressivism in the
classroom is very student based where the teachers are there to assist with the material, and are
not the center of attention. Having a classroom where the students are trying to learn through
real-life interactions is highly effective for the smooth transition into adulthood where they will
need to be able to work together. The father of progressivism(Koch, 2016, 44) is John Dewey,
he was an educational philosopher and reformer. His belief was that children need to know how
to work well with others in real life situations therefore having them use these real life situations
in the classroom as practice.

PHILOSOPHY ON TEACHING

In my classroom the learning set up would be highly based on group work as well as
real-life problem solving. I would use his method of teaching by having a lot of group work so
that students can learn to work together. Also, instead of preaching to the students what I want
them to learn, I would have them involved in the conversations and being active participants in
all subject matters. By integrating real life experiences the students would be experimenting with
different subjects by using hands on learning in groups. Progressivism is a new found way to
teach in a setting where the students opinions matter; therefore instead of the classroom being
only mine, it will be my students as well.
Physically my classroom would represent this philosophy in many ways. For start, I
would have the tables grouped together so that students could interact and learn from each other.
Students need to see that I am NOT the all-knowing teacher therefore I would not have my desk
in the front of the room, I would have it off to the side so that the students see me more on their
level. I would try my best to never sit behind my desk and seem unapproachable, instead I would
walk around speaking with the students and bringing their thoughts into the class discussions.
The classroom would be covered in their work so that they could see it was their classroom
where they could express their ideas freely. Many philosophies can tie together to make an
outstanding learning environment.
The most well known philosopher, in the realm of existentialism, is Soren
Kierkegaard(1813-1855), who challenged the learning style of his time with a new teaching
philosophy, existentialism(Earnshaw 2006). Existentialism is known as the way of teaching
where, students choose their own course of study as part of their effort to figure out their place
in the world and the meaning of life.(Wood, 2016, 45) Having said this, I see existentialism

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mainly as giving students academic freedom to solve problems their own way, so that they can
see how to do things on their own. Teaching, using existentialism, is a way for students to be
able to question themselves and their own motives in life. When a teacher is using existentialism
in their classroom it is highly based on the students ideas. Giving children the freedom to learn in
ways and on subjects that they see fit to them can be very beneficial to society and make the
world a better place to live in. Existentialism deals with four main questions regarding one's life,
Who am I? What am I? What life shall I live? How shall I live it?(Earnshaw 2006)
Having an existential based classroom can be difficult, but can be done when paired with
other philosophies. For one, the homework would be individualized so that children could show
off their strengths and weaknesses. The classroom would have rules that were given from
students in the classroom so they are also setting up their own learning environment that
compliments the needs of most. Having students work on projects that interest them could be
hard considering they would be young and have shorter attention spans; therefore I would try my
best to have students change up how assignments would be done, so that they could develop their
personal style of learning. Lastly, students who are naturally behind in a subject matter would
become more involved through the use of the hands-on learning technique.
Physically my classroom would have many aspects to it. There would be different areas
of interest around the room to invoke creativity. There are many studies that show that a creative
lively classroom can help students have a better flow of thought therefore having them
understand subjects easier. The classroom would have many hands on learning toys and tools so
that students could be constantly learning, yet not being forced to hear a lecture that does not
interest them.

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Philosophies that teachers use are just as relevant today as they were when they were
created. Teachers, being lifelong-learners, need to understand that students need to be able to
create an environment in which they can learn in while dealing with real life problems. Once
children are adults progressivism and existentialism play a large role in life. Having a class teach
children rules of life, yet also having them see they do have choices in what their life could turn
into is the perfect mesh to create the future adults of the world.

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References

Combs, J (2010, June). Suggestions for Writing Your Own Educational Philosophy.
Retrieved December 04, 2016, from http://www.edulink.org/portfolio/philosophies.htm
Earnshaw, S. (2006). Existentialism: A Guide for the Perplexed. London: Continuum.
Koch, J. (2016). Chapter 3. In TEACH (pp. 43-45). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.