Dorie Isaac

EDU 221

Deborah Fast

November 16, 2021

The Philosophies of Essentialism and Progressivism in a Classroom Setting

There are five key philosophies of teaching: social reconstructionism, perennialism,

progressivism, essentialism and existentialism. All are philosophies and theories that we as

teachers align our personal visions with and determine how we will best teach our students every

year. Social reconstructionism promotes the learning and activism in social justice (Koch, 2020,

p. 43). Perennialism centers its idea of learning through classic literature and artwork (Koch,

2020, p. 43). Progressivism states that students must learn through real life experiences in order

to thrive in an educational setting, whereas essentialism is the philosophy that states children

must learn core knowledge subjects, such as math, history, reading, writing and science (Koch,

2020, p. 43). Existentialism is the final philosophy, stating that children should choose what

they want to study and guide their own education to figure out what they like best (Koch, 2020,

p.43). Teachers can choose one or multiple theories that they best align with, and I personally

believe in both progressivism as well as essentialism. I believe that knowledge in all core

subjects is necessary to thrive in life, however I also believe that students should learn through

real life experiences. I personally believe that if a teacher presents information to students and

instructs them on how to succeed, students will continue to learn for the rest of their lives

through those real-world experiences.

In the 1930s, William Bagley founded the idea of essentialism, a philosophy that

“believe[s] that everyone can and should learn [these] key elements” (Koch, 2020, p. 40),
referring to core subjects. It believes that “students should take courses in algebra and history …

teachers are dominant figures, transferring their knowledge and wisdom for the good of the

students” (Koch, 2020, p. 41). Essentialism is teacher-centered, and believes that students should

learn the essentials in school; elective courses are not necessary a person’s role in society. This

idea was believed to be common sense in the twentieth century; however, the idea was

challenged with the introduction of progressivism.

While viewed as radical at the time, we may consider the teaching philosophy of

progressivism to be common sense now. Progressivism is the idea that “active learning [takes

place] through problem solving, projects, and hands-on experiences” (Koch, 2020, p. 41). At the

time of introduction, this was an entirely new theory that went against the grain of what

educators knew. “This approach contradicted the strict, top-down, authoritarian model of

education that had thrived from colonial times into the 19th century…” (Koch, 2020, p. 41). The

idea would become one of the most influential changes to education that the twentieth century

would experience. John Dewey, the educational philosopher who introduced this idea, was a

professor at the University of Chicago as well as Columbia University in New York. He was a

political activist who fought for “women’s rights and the unionization of teachers, and he

contributed frequently to popular magazines and journals in which he connected social action in

democracy with educational principles” (Koch, 2020, p. 41).

Today we may consider the ideas of growth mindset and inquiry-based learning to be a

part of the progressivism approach to teaching. Growth mindset is the idea that we are never

done learning; teachers are still students and there is always room for improvement, or growth

(Dweck, 2016). Inquiry based learning is meant to pique curiosity and induce thought provoking

ideas. These are two elements of progressivism that I personally believe makes a great educator.
My philosophies of teaching are rooted in both essentialism as well as progressivism. I believe

both theories are equally important in a classroom setting, as students need to be taught the

subject, however life skills and how to solve problems are crucial to learn, as well. The processes

that students learn are what are important in life.

I believe that schools should teach more life skills, rather than intense testing on subject

matter. While it’s important to know core subjects I believe learning the processes are the most

important part. My belief is that we as educators have a duty to guide students on core

knowledge but must allow them to continue to learn as they live as productive members of

society. Children and young adults need to know core competencies because life in general

demands those skills, but they must also learn social skills and how to use creative processes.

Today’s children are our future leaders; we need to guide them to be on the vest path for success

in life. By giving them the tools and opportunities to succeed, we are helping mold them while

still allowing them to grow within themselves and thrive.

 References

Dweck, C. (2016). Mindset: The new psychology of Success. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

Koch, J. (2020). Teach: Introduction to education. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.