ESSENTIALISM PROGRESSIVISM PERENNIALISM EXISTENTIALISM BEHAVIORISM

Basic SKAV; preparation for adult life Change: need based & relevant, Rational & moral powers; essential Define own essence; choice-driven Modify & shape behavior by favorable
experiential, live fully NOW nature, humanities & general education environment
What it is • Stress on teaching of basic skills; • Develop learners into becoming • All human beings possess the same • Existence precedes essence • Humans are shaped by environment;
• Transmit traditional moral values and enlightened & intelligent citizens of a essential nature • No universal, inborn human nature; we teach students to exhibit desirable
intellectual knowledge that students democratic society; • We are all rational animals, must freely determine our essence; behavior in society
need to become model citizens (vs. • live fully now (vs. prepare for adult life); develop rational & moral powers • Help individuals accept themselves as • Change of environment can change a
radically shape society) • Accept impermanence of life & • Develop capacity to reason by stressing unique individuals & responsibility for person; we act only in response to
inevitability of change: everything on humanities; thoughts, feelings & actions; internal/external physical stimuli
changes. • Feeling is not divorced from reason in • something beautiful for one may not be
• No substitute for concrete experience in
•Focus on ideas that are relevant today decision-making, so educate the whole beautiful for you (relative notion of
as when 1st conceived; beauty);
learning; experiential method person & not just the mind
Teacher • teacher-centered; • Help students expand knowledge by • Teacher-centered; • help define essence by exposing to • Teacher-centered
• intellectual & moral models: fountain of applying experiences in solving new • Apply whatever creative techniques & various paths, create environment to • Arrange/control environmental
info & paragons of virtue; problems; other tried & true methods most freely choose; conditions: to respond to stimuli, e.g.
• More concerned with teaching skills to conducive to disciplining students’ • Focus on individual; (light, temp, furniture, visual aids);
cope with change: SAs to minds • Lots of individual contact with teacher • Make stimuli clear and interesting to
gather/evaluate information & problem- openly & honestly capture & hold attention;
solving (vs. K that may become
obsolete) • Values clarification strategies • Provide appropriate incentives to
• Non-judgmental & not imposing own reinforce positive responses & weaken
values (bec. It is Personal) or eliminate negative ones
Student • To acquire basic skills, must go through • Student-centered • student’s interests or experiences have • Student-centered
rigor & discipline of serious study; • Encouraged to interact to develop social no bearing on what is taught; • Individual chooses what he becomes &
memorization virtues e.g. cooperation & respect; • students are engaged in Socratice is not dictated by environment;
• Student interest has little emphasis • Students solve problems similar to dialogues/mutual inquiry sessions to • Learner allowed to learn at own pace,
(diverts time & attention from academic outside reality develop understanding of history’s self-directed
curriculum) timeless concepts
Curriculum • traditional disciplines (math, natural • Not force students to learn SM if not • There is a universal curriculum: heavy • Many options from which students • Since people are products of their
science, history, grammar, literature); interested; on humanities & general education choose their own curriculum; great environment, teach students to respond
the 4Rs • Need-based and relevant curriculum— • General (vs. specialized) latitude in choice of SM; favorably to various stimuli in the
• vs. vocational courses & watered down responds to students’ needs & relates to • Emphasis on Humanities: vicarious environment
• Liberal (vs. vocational);
academic content personal lives & experiences; experiences for creativity & self- • scientifically developed code (vs. from
• Humanistic (vs. technical) expression; history & culture of a group)
• Teacher & school head prescribes what • Emphasis on natural & social sciences;
is to be learned; new scientific/ technological & social • Read & analyze the Great Books, the • Focus on actions of historical figures
developments; creative works of history’s finest thinkers (vs. events) as models for behavior
• emphasis on mastery of SM; observe & writers;
core requirements, longer school • Use experiential methods: learning by • Vocational education as a means to
day/academic year doing, hands-on (vs. book learning), eg teach (vs. as a livelihood);
• rely heavily on prescribed textbooks, problem-solving method (scientific • In art, for creativity & imagination (vs.
drill method, lecture to cover all content method), field trips, games & puzzles copying/imitation)
 Naturalism Idealism Pragmatism Realism Humanism Constructivism Reconstructionism Nationalism
Matter & physical world Mind & self Refuse to speculate & Experience not Self-actualization & Cooperative & Change the society Able & willing to fight for
transcend beyond independent, determines intrinsic satisfaction collaborative teaching country
experience reaction to external techniques
objects
What it is • Factual/realistic • Act/practice of • Practical, matter of fact • Accepting things as • Rejects religious • Humans construct • Opposes status quo & • Nations benefit from
representation; envisioning things in way of approaching/ they are; beliefs & centers on meaning from current seeks to transform acting independently
• Learning is not ideal forms assessing situations or • Education should be humans & their values, knowledge structures; society (vs. collectively);
dependent on problem-solving; concerned with capacities & worth • developmentally- • Emphasis on national
school/books but upon • Deals with practical actualities in life (vs. appropriate facilitator- goals (vs. international)
law of natural life consequences formalism & religious supported learning that ;
reformers) is initiated & directed • National progress &
by learner wealth through
education
Teacher • Creates proper • On a pedestal; • Not focused on • Educated & well- • Facilitator; • facilitator
atmosphere for • Intellectual & moral teacher; versed in customs, • Develop self-esteem &
discovery; example; • Give opportunities/ beliefs, rights & duties, self-efficiency;
• Not deliver knowledge activities for trends of the ages;
• Great creative skills • Understand the
but for student to work experience • Mastery of knowledge strengths &
freely; of present life; weaknesses of
• Observer & facilitator • Guide students to hard students
realities of life, expose
to problems;
• Not optimist/pessimist
Student • Experience from • audience/receiver • center of focus; • real unit & real • inward drive to excel • initiates & directs own
nature; • interact with society & existence (vs. praises received— learning;
• not forced to fixed environment to gain • has feelings/desires/ behaviorist); • construct ideas
curriculum, can make experience; powers; • student is central themselves;
his own • active being • taught values, nature focus; • unique individuals with
of right & wrong, • takes responsibility for own
objective good & education & owning needs/backgrounds;
beautiful; their learning • complex & multi-
• analyze (not construct) dimensional
Curriculum • no boundary on • focus on mental & • centrally controlled, • simple to complex; • not curriculum-bound; • acquire knowledge by • creation of new social • indoctrination in
students; moral development; monopolistic, • concrete to abstract, • stress on individuality; involvement with order to fulfill basic political idealogy of
• no curriculum (old) • fixed comprehensive & things before rules & content (vs. imitation); values of culture; state;
bureaucratic public • low teacher-student
• encourage acquisition words; • learning activities: • harmonize with • cultivation of civic
•broad & science of facts & reflecting on
education system;
• no cramming
ratio;
active engagement, underlying social & virtues (vs. religious &
comes 1st (neo-nat) • vehicle for de- • favors participatory & inquiry, problem- economic focus of humanistic)
these; (unintelligent) discovery methods;
alienation & solving, collaboration; modern world • study of geography &
• focus on intellectual socialization of • questioning & • topics directly related
activities, self- understanding • internalization & history
students; to students’ lives deeper understanding;
realization, self-control • vernacular as medium • NSTP
• focus on discrete, • cooperative-
experimental projects of instruction;
collaborative teaching
• repetition techniques
Similar to Behaviorism Essentialism Progressivism Progressivism Existentialism Progressivism Existentialism Essentialism
Focus Student Teacher Student Student Student Student Student Values/curriculum
 Metaphysical Basis Epistemological Basis Focus of Curriculum Sample Classroom Activity Role of Teacher Goal for Students Educational Leaders
(origin & structure of reality) (nature & origin of h. knowledge)
STUDENT-CENTERED
Progressivism The physical world is the We learn best from: Flexible; Learning by doing—for Guide and integrate learning To become intelligent problem John Dewey,
(NB educational philosophy basis of reality; - meaningful experiences, Integrated study of academic example, students plan field activities so that students can solvers, socially aware citizens Nel Noddings
of pragmatism) The world inevitable subjects around the needs trips to learn about history, find meaning who are prepared to live
- social interaction, and
progresses over time and experiences of students geography & natural science comfortably in the world
- scientific experimentation
Social Reconstructionism The physical world is the We learn best from meaningful Focus on social, political, Learning by reconstructing Provide authentic learning To become intelligent problem- George S. Counts,
basis of reality; social experiences that improve and economic needs; society—for example, activities that both instruct solvers, to enjoy learning, to John Brameld,
World progresses but slowly society Integrated study of academic students work to remove students and improve society live comfortably in the world Jane Roland Martin
subjects around socially health hazards in a building while helping reshape it
meaningful actions housing the poor
Existentialism Reality is individually Each individual determines Each student determines the Students choose their One who seeks to relater to To accept personal A.S. Neill
determined; learning strategies; pace and direction of his or preferred medium—poetry, each student honestly; responsibility; to understand Maxine Greene
People shape their innermost learning engages emotional as well her own learning prose, painting—and evaluate Skilled at creating a free, open deeply and be at peace with
nature in accordance with as intellectual faculties their own performance and stimulating environment one’s own unique individuality
their free will the source of elements of
No difference between knowledge have their existence in
external world & internal states of the mind
world of the mind
TEACHER CENTERED
Essentialism The physical world is the We learn through reasoning, Core curriculum of Teacher focuses on Model of academic & moral To become culturally literate William Bagley
basis of reality primarily empirical reasoning traditional academic topics “essential” information or the virtue; individuals, model citizens E,D, Hirsch, Jr.
and traditional values development of particular Center of classroom educated to compete in the William Bennett
skills world
Perennialism The realm of thought and We learn through reasoning— Core curriculum analyzing Socratic dialogue analyzing a Scholarly role model; To increase their intellectual Robert Hutchins
spirit rooted in the physical particularly through creative, deep, enduring ideas found in philosophical issue or the Philosophically oriented powers and to appreciate Mortimer Adler
world; and logical analysis Great Books meaning of a great work of learning for its own sake
Helps students seek the truth
All human nature are by literature for themselves
nature rational animals
PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCES
Constructivism Knowledge cannot be handed from Counter to uniform Teachers and students use scaffolding To create new way to handle a Piaget
(similar to Existentialism) one person to another but must be standards & testing constantly challenge their builds knowledge through the math problem, letting go of Vygotsky
constructed by each learner Based on principles of won assumptions construction: gauge prior anm unfounded bias about an
through interpreting and authentic learning, critical knowledge /understanding & ethnic group or discovering
reinterpreting a constant flow of thinking, individualized carefully orchestrate cues, why women’s contribution
information; instruction & project-based penetrating questions & seem at all absent in a
People continually try to make learning instructional activities; textbook.
sense and bring order to the world; challenge and extend a
Essence of learning is constant student’s insights.
effort to assimilate new Teachers help students
information constantly reexamine beliefs
Behaviorism Free will is an illusion and Alter a person’s environment & Behavior modification: B.F. Skinner
human beings are shaped you will alter thoughts, feelings & assertive discipline
entirely by environment behaviors
People act in response to physical
stimuli: use positive reinforcement
to promote desired learning