PHILOSOPHIES OF EDUCATION

ESSENTIALISM
• Educational essentialism is a theory that states
that children should learn the traditional basic
subjects and that these should be learned
thoroughly and rigorously. An essentialist
program normally teaches children
progressively, from less complex skills to more
complex.
• This philosophy contends that teachers teach
for learners to acquire basic knowledge, skills
and values. Teachers teach not to radically
reshape society but rather to transmit the
traditional moral values and intellectual
knowledge that learners need to become
model citizens.
• Essentialist programs are academically
rigorous. The emphasis is non academic
content for learners to learn the basic skills or
the fundamental r’s – reading , ‘riting
‘rithmetic right conduct as these are essential
to the acquisition of higher or more complex
skills needed in preparation for adult life.
• Essentialist teachers emphasize mastery of
subject matter. They are expected to be
intellectual and moral models of their
learners.
• With mastery of academic content as primary
focus, teachers rely heavily on the use of
prescribed textbooks, the drill method and
other methods. There is a heavy stress on
memorization and discipline
 PROGRESSIVISM
• Progressivism is a philosophy that states that
education is found in the needs and interests
of learners. Experimental learning or “learning
by doing” is a natural progression of learning.
• Progressivist teachers teach to develop
learners into becoming enlightened and
intelligent citizens of a democratic society.
• Progressivists are identified with need-based
and relevant curriculum. This is a curriculum
that responds to learners’ needs.
• Progressivists accept the impermanence of life
and inevitability of change.
• The subjects that are given emphasis in
progressivist schools are the natural and social
sciences. Teachers expose learners to so many
new scientific , technological and soial
developments.
• Progressivist teachers employ experiential
methods. They believe that one learns by doing.
For John Dewey a popular advocate of
progessivism book learning is no substitute for
actual experience.
 PERENNIALISM
• Perennialism is a teacher-centered philosophy
of education that believes in learner
acquisition of knowledge that is timeless and
enduring across civilizations and cultures. As
the name suggests, perennialism is an
educational philosophy that focuses on
learning conceptual and factual information
believed to be persistently.
• Schools should develop the learners’ rational and
moral powers. Reasoning skills should also be
developed so that they can have the ability to use
their higher faculties.
• The perennialist curriculum is a universal one on
the view that all human beings possess the same
essential nature. It is heavy on the humanities, on
general education not a specialist curriculum. It
has less emphasis on vocational and technical
education.
• The perennialist classrooms are “teacher-
centered” the teachers do not allow the
learners’ interests or experiences to
substantially dictate what they teach.
 EXISTENTIALISM
• Existentialism is an attitude and outlook that
emphasizes human existence, the qualities of
individual persons rather than man in abstract
of nature and the world in general.
• The main concern of existentialism is to help
learners understand and appreciate themselves
as unique individuals who accept complete
responsibility for their thoughts, feelings and
actions.
• In an existentialist curriculum, learners are given
wide variety of options from which to choose.
They are afforded great latitude in their choice of
subject matter. They are allowed to unleash their
own creativity and self-expression.
• Learning in existentialism is self-paced, self-
directed. It includes a great deal of individual
contact with the teacher, who relates to each
learner openly and honestly.
 BEHAVIORISM
• is a worldview that assumes a learner is
essentially passive, responding to
environmental stimuli. The learner starts off
as a clean slate (i.e. tabula rasa) and behavior
is shaped through positive reinforcement or
negative reinforcement
• Behaviorist schools are concerned with the
modification and shaping of learners’ behavior
by providing for a favorable environment.
They are after learners who exhibit desirable
behavior in the society.
• Teachers teach learners to respond favorably
to various stimuli in the environment.
• Teachers ought to make the stimuli clear and
interesting to capture and hold learners’
attention. They ought to provide incentives to
reinforce positive responses and weaken or
eliminate negative ones. (Trespeces, 1995)
 LINGUISTIC PHILOSOPY
• To develop the communication skills of the
learner because the ability to articulate, to
voice out the meaning and values of things
that one obtains from his/her experience of
life and the world is the very essence of man.
• Learners should be taught to communicate
clearly- how to send clear, concise messages
and how to receive and correctly understand
messages sent.
• Three ways of communicating: Verbal- refers
to the content of message, the choice and
arrangement of words. This can be written or
oral. Nonverbal refers to the message sent
through body language. While paraverbal
refers to how we say what we say- the tone,
pacing and volume of voice.
• There is a need to teach learners to use
language that is correct, precise, grammatical,
coherent, accurate so that they are able to
communicate clearly and precisely their
thoughts and feelings.
 CONSTRUCTIVISM
• constructivism as a paradigm or worldview
posits that learning is an active, constructive
process. The learner is an information
constructor. People actively construct or
create their own subjective representations of
objective reality.
• Constructivist sees to develop intrinsically
motivated and independent learners adequately
equipped with learning skills for them to be able
to construct knowledge and make meaning of
them.
• They are taught learning processes and skills such
as searching, critiquing and evaluating
information, relating these pieces of information,
reflecting on them, making meaning, drawing
insights, posing questions.
• How to teach applying Constructivism?
Teachers provide learners with data or
experiences that allow them to hypothesize,
predict, manipulate objects, pose questions,
research, investigate, imagine, and invent. The
classroom is interactive, it promotes exchange
of ideas between and among learners and
teacher.
Foundational Principles of Morality
• Morality - refers to the quality of human acts
by which we call them right or wrong; good or
evil (Panizo, 1964)
• Human action is right when it conforms with
the norm, rule or law of morality. Otherwise it
is said to be wrong.
• Foundational Moral Principle- the universal
norm upon which all other principles on the
rightness or wrongness of an action are based.
• All men and women, regardless of race and
belief, have a sense of this foundational moral
principle
• We are inclined to do what we recognize as
good and avoid that which we recognize as
evil.
• We are moral when we do good and when we
avoid evil.
• For Confucius, do not do to others what you
do not like others do to you.
• For Christians, the Golden Rule is “do to
others what you like others do to you.
• Love God with all your heart, with all your
mind and with all your strength and love your
neighbors as you love your self.
For Buddhists, they do good when:
• Strive to know the truth
• Resolve to resist evil
• Say nothing to hurt others
• Respect life, morality and property
• Engage in a job that does not injure others
• Strive to free their mind of evi
• Control their feelings and thoughts
• Practice proper forms of concentration
 Teacher as a Person of Good Moral
Character
• In the preamble of the Code of Ethics of
Professional Teachers, it is emphasized that
”teachers are duly licensed professionals who
possess dignity and reputation with high
moral values as well as technical and
professional competence. In the practice of
their profession, they strictly adhere to
observe and practice this set of ethical and
moral principles, standard and values.
• Our act is moral when it is in accordance with
our human nature. It is immoral when it is
contrary to our human nature. Our intellect
and free will make us different from and
above the beasts.
 Good Moral Character Expected of a
Teacher
• Human
• Loving
• Virtuous
• Mature
 Teaching as a Vocation, Mission,
Profession
• Vocation comes from a Latin word vocare
which means to call. So vocation is a call.
• Vocation – is the work in which a person is
employed;
- strong impulse or inclination to
follow a particular activity or
career
 Teaching is also a mission . The term comes
from the Latin word misio, which means to
send.
You are called to be a teacher and you are sent
into the world to accomplish a mission to teach.
• Mission is defined as:
- a body of persons sent to perform or
carry on an activity
- an important goal or purpose that is
accompanied by strong conviction
 Teaching as a mission
• It is a task entrusted to you
• It is your assigned task then and naturally you
have to prepare for it
• It is a work which requires you to accomplish
• It is a task that you should not take for granted
 Preparing for your Mission
• As you prepare for the mission, your four
years stay in the teacher training institution
will equip you with the knowledge, skills and
attitude to become an effective teacher.
• After completing the course, you are expected
to continue your professional growth and
development. As an old adage says” once a
teacher, always a learner.
 What is the Mission to Teach?
• Is it to teach the learner the fundamental
skills? Reading,’riting,’rithmitic and right
conduct?
• Is it to help learner master the basic skills so
s/he can continue acquiring higher level skills
to become productive member of society?
• Is it to deposit facts and other information
into the empty minds of learners?
• Is it to facilitate the maximum development of
his/her potential not only for himself/herself
but also for others?
• Is it to provide opportunities for the child’s
growth and remove hampering influences
• Is it to help the child become “the man of
culture and expertise?
 The Elements of the Profession
Profession – a paid occupation, especially one
that involves prolonged training
and a formal qualification
- a calling requiring specialized
knowledge and often long and
intensive academic preparation
- the body of qualified persons in an
occupation
- any type of work which requires
special training and high level of
education
• Teaching is a profession like medicine,
engineering, nursing accounting among
others.
• Teacher for that matter is a professional.
• “Professional is one of the most exalted
denoting as it does, long and arduous
preparation, a striving for excellence, a
dedication to the public interest, and
commitment to moral and ethical values.”
Hermogenes P. Pobre
 Teaching as a Profession
• Profession requires long and arduous years of
preparation and striving for excellence. Why?
• Because the end goal is service. Remember
that we cannot give what we don’t have. We
cannot teach what we do not know.
• We can give more if we have more. For
teachers to give more, continuing professional
education is a must!
• Service to the public as a professional turns out
to be committed and dedicated only when moral,
ethical, and religious values serve as the bedrock
foundation.
• If you take teaching as your profession, this
means that you must be willing to go through a
long period of preparation and a continuing
professional development.
• You must strive for excellence , commit yourself
to moral ethical, and religious values and
dedicate yourself to public service.